Blog
Practical advice on websites, SEO, and online presence for local business owners.
80% of Home Services Businesses Can't Be Found by AI -- Here's Why
45% of consumers now use AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to find local services -- up from 6% one year ago. But ChatGPT recommends only 1.2% of local businesses. For contractors, the gap between Google visibility and AI visibility is a six-figure revenue blind spot. Here is what causes it and how to close it.
The Contractor's Review Playbook: How Online Reviews Drive (or Destroy) Your Revenue
97% of consumers read reviews before choosing a local business. 31% now require 4.5 stars or higher -- up from 17% last year. For contractors, the math is brutal: one negative review costs 22% of potential customers, while businesses with 200+ reviews earn twice the revenue of those without. Here is the data-backed system for turning reviews into your highest-ROI marketing channel.
Hibu vs. GoDaddy vs. SitesByTed: Honest Comparison for Service Businesses
Hibu locks you into 12-month contracts at $99/month minimum. GoDaddy charges $10.99-$23.99/month but won't let you touch the code. Over three years, the total cost difference between these platforms and a custom-built site ranges from $1,764 to $6,264 -- and that is before counting lost revenue from poor performance.
The Small Business Owner's AI Survival Guide: What Changes in 2026 and What to Do About It
ChatGPT holds 81% of the AI chatbot market. Google AI Overviews reach 1.5 billion monthly users. 58.5% of searches end without a click. If your small business is not optimized for AI-powered search, you are already losing customers to competitors who are.
5 Digital Marketing Tactics That Actually Work for Plumbers in 2026
The U.S. plumbing industry hit $191 billion in 2026. The average Google Ads cost per lead for plumbers is $75-$153. Here are five tactics with real ROI numbers, implementation timelines, and no fluff.
Your Website's Real ROI: A Framework for Measuring What Matters
73% of marketing teams struggle to set up conversion tracking correctly. Meanwhile, 81% of customers research your business online before buying. If you cannot connect your website to revenue, you are flying blind -- and probably wasting money.
How AI Assistants Choose Which Businesses to Recommend (And How to Be One of Them)
ChatGPT pulls 70% of its local business data from Foursquare. Perplexity leans on Reddit. Google AI Overviews favor semantically complete content from top-ranking pages. Here is exactly how each platform picks winners — and the AI Citation Blueprint to make sure you are one of them.
The Complete Guide to Getting Your HVAC Business Found Online in 2026
The U.S. HVAC industry is worth $156 billion, but the average HVAC company spends $104 per lead on Google Ads alone. Here is how to build a digital presence that generates leads organically — and how to time your marketing to HVAC's brutal seasonal swings.
Why 73% of Contractor Websites Fail Google's Core Web Vitals
Only 48% of mobile websites pass all three Core Web Vitals. For contractor sites built on WordPress page builders with unoptimized images and cheap hosting, the failure rate is dramatically worse. Here is what is breaking your site and how to fix it.
GEO: The SEO Strategy Google Won't Tell You About
25% of Google searches now trigger AI Overviews. ChatGPT handles 2 billion queries daily. If your website is not optimized for generative engines, you are invisible to a growing share of your potential customers.
Scorpion vs. SitesByTed: What $500 Gets You vs. $1,500/Month
Scorpion charges $3,000-$10,000 per month, locks you into 12-24 month contracts, and keeps your website if you leave. Here is a line-by-line comparison of what you actually get.
The $231,000 Speed Problem: How Slow Websites Drain Contractor Revenue
A contractor website loading in 6 seconds instead of 2 loses an estimated $231,000 per year in missed revenue. Here is the math, the data, and the fix.
Why Your Small Business Website Matters More Than You Think
99% of consumers research businesses online. 30% refuse to engage with a company that has no website. Your site is either making you money or losing it.
Website Scoring Explained: What Ted Measures and Why
Ted evaluates your website across 50+ factors. Here is exactly what gets measured and what each score means for your business.
SEO Basics for Local Businesses: What Actually Moves the Needle
Forget the SEO jargon. Here are the five things that actually determine whether your local business shows up on Google.
Why Contractors Need Better Websites (And What to Do About It)
Your truck is wrapped, your yard signs are out, and your referrals are strong. But 85% of customers still check your website before calling.
What Makes a Great Restaurant Website (Hint: It Is Not the Design)
Restaurant owners obsess over food photography and ambiance shots. Meanwhile, 70% of their visitors just want the menu and hours.
The Dentist Website Checklist: What Patients Look for Before Booking
New patients check an average of 3 dental practice websites before booking. Here is what makes them choose yours.
Auto Repair Websites That Actually Generate Calls
When someone's car breaks down, they search on their phone. You have about 10 seconds to convince them to call you instead of the next shop.
Salon and Spa Websites: What Clients Want Before They Book
Your Instagram is beautiful. Your website is not. And that is where new clients go to actually book an appointment.
The ROI of Blog Content for Small Businesses
4 blog posts per month. $300. An average of 15 new organic visitors per post per month, compounding over time. Here is the math.
Website Speed Matters More Than You Think: The Data
Every additional second of load time costs you 7% of conversions. Here is the data and what to do about it.
Mobile-First Design: Why Your Phone Matters More Than Your Desktop
63% of your visitors are on mobile. If you designed your website for desktop first, you designed it for the minority.
Before and After: How a New Website Doubled a Contractor's Leads
A general contractor was getting 2,000 website visitors per month and 15 contact form submissions. After Ted rebuilt the site, form submissions jumped to 38.
The Real Cost of a Website: Agencies vs. DIY vs. Ted
A full cost comparison including the hidden costs nobody talks about: your time, ongoing maintenance, and opportunity cost of a bad site.
What Makes a Great Local Business Website in 2026
After building hundreds of local business websites, these are the 7 elements that separate the sites that generate calls from the ones that do not.
Why a Cheap Website Costs More Than an Expensive One
The $500 website from Fiverr. The free Wix site. The nephew who knows HTML. They all seem like savings until you count the customers they cost you.
The Death of the Template Website: Why Cookie-Cutter Sites Kill Conversions
Template websites average a Lighthouse performance score of 31-63. Custom-built sites hit 80-99. That gap costs service businesses 40-60% of their leads before a visitor even sees the homepage.
The Contractor's Google Business Profile Playbook: 11 Optimizations That Actually Drive Calls
44% of local searchers click Local Pack results over organic listings. Yet most contractor profiles are half-finished, photo-barren, and bleeding leads to competitors who bothered to fill in every field. Here are the 11 optimizations that separate profiles generating 50+ calls per month from those generating five.
The Complete Local SEO Playbook for Contractors: 9 Ranking Factors That Drive Revenue in 2026
46% of Google searches are local. 80% of local mobile searches convert. Yet 58% of businesses have no local SEO strategy. This playbook breaks down the 9 ranking factors into a three-tier Local SEO Revenue Stack -- Foundation, Acceleration, and Compounding -- with real math showing how contractors can turn local visibility into six-figure revenue growth.