SEO, Content, and AI Search Visibility for Small Business Owners
If you missed our May 20th live webinar, the full replay is below. Free, no sign-up required.
Ryan Holbrook, founder of NativeGains and BRAG Marketing Advisor, walked through why small businesses often don’t show up on Google, what’s actually going on inside a search results page, and how to start fixing it without falling for the $99-a-month SEO services that promise the world.
A big thank you to our sponsor, Rockland Trust, for making this free training possible for the BRAG community.
Watch the full webinar
Running time: 45 minutes including Q&A.
What you’ll learn
This is not a technical deep-dive. It’s a plain-language breakdown of what SEO actually is, why it belongs at the center of your marketing strategy, and what you can do this week to start showing up online.
Topics Ryan covers in the session:
- How to read a Google search results page and understand what you’re up against
- Why SEO is the foundation that makes every other marketing channel work better
- The four parts of real SEO (technical, content, authority, and tracking) explained with a car analogy
- How to show up in AI-powered search results like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overview, not just traditional Google
- Practical steps you can take today: Google Business Profile, site structure, keyword targeting, mobile experience, and more
- What to expect in terms of timeline, and why consistency is your biggest competitive advantage
A few of the big takeaways
Google yourself like a stranger would
Most owners type in their business name and stop there. That’s not how prospects search. Search the service plus the location. Search the question your customer would ask. If you’re not showing up in the top three local results or the organic listings, you have a starting point.
SEO is a long game. Ads are a short game. You need both.
Ryan’s analogy: paid ads are like buying tomatoes at the grocery store. The minute you stop paying, you stop eating. SEO is like growing your own garden. It takes work up front, but the results compound and keep paying you back season after season.
The four parts of real SEO
There’s no $10 a month tool that does SEO. Anyone who pitches you that is selling one piece of the puzzle. The full picture looks like a car:
- Technical (the engine): site speed, URL structure, schema markup, the stuff under the hood
- Content (the fuel): every page optimized for a clear target keyword, with the right mix of text, images, and design
- Authority (your driving record): consistent name, address, and phone across all directories, Google Business Profile fully filled out, real reviews, and natural backlinks from credible sources
- Tracking (the dashboard): Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Google Tag Manager all set up correctly so you can actually measure what’s working
You need all four. Skip one and you’ll waste money on the others.
Your highest-impact move this week (free)
Optimize your Google Business Profile. Fill out every field. Add real photos. Get clear about what you do and where you do it. Ask happy customers for reviews and respond to every one of them. For most local businesses, this single asset is the first thing prospects see when they search, and it’s free.
What’s changing with AI search
The same fundamentals that win on Google also win in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Clear answers. FAQ-style content. Consistent business information across the web. Schema markup so the bots know who you are. If you’re optimizing for SEO the right way, you’re already optimizing for AI search.
Real results take time
SEO works like fitness. You can’t go hard for two weeks and expect results. Most clients see meaningful movement in three to six months and the real compounding kicks in after that. The owners who stay consistent are the ones who end up with steady, high-quality leads they didn’t have to pay per click for.
About BRAG
BRAG (Business Resource Advisory Group) is a free advisory group on Massachusetts’ South Shore. Our advisors volunteer their time across accounting, legal, marketing, insurance, banking, HR, operations, technology, and more. If you’re a local business owner who could use some guidance, reach out to us. It’s free.
About the presenter
Ryan Holbrook is the founder of Native Gains, a digital marketing agency working with healthcare practices and small businesses across the country. He’s helped clients grow new patient volume, improve conversions, and build long-term visibility. As BRAG’s Marketing Advisor, he helps local businesses cut through the noise and get real marketing results.
Thank you to our sponsor
This webinar was made possible by Rockland Trust, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Rockland, Mass, with 120 branches across Massachusetts. They support local businesses with banking, lending, and commercial services. Thanks to Rockland Trust, the BRAG community can keep offering free, high-value training like this one.
Have questions about your business’s online presence? Connect with a BRAG advisor. It’s free and there’s no commitment.