Before we go any further, let me give you the simplest possible way to think about SEO, because the term alone can make it sound more complicated than it is.

Search Engine Optimization — SEO — is basically a variety of things done to your website to help Google feel confident that your business is a good option when someone nearby is searching for what you offer. And when Google feels that way, you have a much better shot at showing up on page one of a Google search. That matters because, let’s be honest, hardly anyone goes past the first page anymore. We all search the same way. 

This is probably a good time to clarify a few things about Google, love them or hate them, they are by far the most dominant search engine platform right now. Google generates $1.5 Billion per weekday in revenue.,. Google built its dominance by focusing on one thing: the person searching. Their entire goal has always been to give people what they want right away, as fast as possible. That’s why almost every search in this country (and most of the world) goes through Google, and why most people never even leave page one.

With that in mind, let’s talk about something I see a lot: businesses paying for SEO every month but not seeing any real difference in customers or phone calls. It’s confusing, and I understand why you might not know what’s behind it. You hired someone to handle this for you, and the reports they give you probably look detailed and impressive. On the surface, everything feels like it should be working.

But here is the honest reality: Google has changed, and many SEO companies simply haven’t changed with it.

A long time ago, there were little tricks and shortcuts that could make Google think a website was more important than it really was. Things like stuffing pages with repeated keywords, buying cheap links, or posting low-quality content just to “look busy.” And for a while, those things did help businesses show up higher.

But Google shut all of that down. Their whole mission is to help the person searching, not the business trying to get in front of them. So, every loophole, every trick, every shortcut that used to work… stopped working.

The problem is, a lot of SEO companies never updated what they were selling. They are still charging monthly fees for strategies Google moved on from years ago. You get a report. You pay the bill. But nothing really changes for your business because the work itself isn’t aligned with what Google values anymore.

We have seen a lot of different ways that SEO companies have devised to “outsmart” or “Game Google” over the years.  Maybe some of them have worked for a minute, but Google closes every loophole quickly. something I saw recently while reviewing the Google Analytics report of a business just over the border in Massachusetts. We observed a huge spike in traffic to their website that seemed odd. They asked us to look into it and here is what we found… Their digital marketing agency was paying a third-party company that uses real people to click around the website to make the website seem more popular than it really is. In other words, real people but fake traffic. Does this really help the businesses website look better to Google?  Maybe, for now. Again, it’s another “trick” to game the Google System. Do you really think Google with the wherewithal Google has they are really going to fall for this for any length of time?

And now that Google is rolling out more AI-generated answers, the SEO agency sales pitches are starting up again. Agencies are claiming they “know how to get you into Google’s AI summaries” or “know how to optimize for the new AI results.” The truth is simple: Google is still experimenting with AI results so how can anyone claim to know how to outsmart the system when Google itself has not landed on how it will work?

Here is what actually matters to show up better in Google search results now, because it is not that complicated. Google cares about things like this: whether your website works well on a phone because most searches are done on mobile devices now. They care if customers can quickly find what they need — your hours, your address, what you do, and how to contact you. They care about whether your business looks trustworthy when someone searches for you. That means recent, real reviews. Clear information. A website that makes sense. And useful content that actually helps people, not content that tries to trick the algorithm.

There’s nothing flashy about any of that. But it’s what works.

And here’s the important part: SEO still matters, but only as part of the bigger way people make decisions today. You create interest with your advertising, they search for you online, and then your website and online presence either confirm that you’re a good option… or quietly take you out of the running.

If what you’re paying for isn’t helping with that process, then it’s not helping you get new customers.

If you’re currently paying for SEO and you’re not sure whether it’s doing anything meaningful, I’d be glad to talk it through with you. No pitch. No pressure. Just a clear explanation of what’s worth paying for and what isn’t. And who knows — maybe we can help you, or maybe we’re not the right fit. Neither of us know that until we have a conversation.

If you think it is time to get some clarity on this, I’m here.

Connect directly with Randy via email for more information.