SEO · GEO · AEO
Search + AI Visibility
How We Get You Ranking on Google
Getting Home Inspection Experts found on Google — and now on AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) — for the searches buyers & realtors actually make.
MI
Hi Jeannine — I'm Michael
SEO & Website Optimization Lead · 827
My job is simple to say and takes real work to do: get Home Inspection Experts showing up at the top of Google when buyers and realtors in your area search for an inspector — and keep you climbing, month after month. Here's exactly what I do for you.
What I do · Part 1
Grow your ranking
The hands-on work that moves you up: the right keywords, pages built to rank, content that answers what buyers Google, and closing your Google-reviews gap — your single biggest opportunity right now.
What I do · Part 2
Study the competition
I dig deep into who's already ranking in your market — their reviews, their angle, and where the opening is for you. I hand everything I find to Mary, who builds your marketing plan around it.
Use the two tabs below to follow both. What We're Doing is the plan; Deep Research is what I've found. — Michael
📈What We're DoingYour SEO plan & ongoing work
🔎Deep ResearchMichael's competitor findings
✏️ Live working page. Click any field to edit — changes save automatically. Status pills on each lever cycle Not started → In progress → Done.
The opportunity — show up where buyers & realtors are already searching.
You've earned a 5-star reputation, but you're not yet showing up when someone Googles "home inspector near me." SEO fixes that — and builds a lead pipeline you own, so you're not dependent on any single realtor relationship.
44%
of local clicks go to Google's top-3 Map Pack — and your Google Business Profile + reviews are the #1 ranking factor (the Google Audit work feeds this).
$30–50K
the yearly value of one realtor referral relationship. SEO builds a pipeline you control instead of borrow.
SEO vs Citations — what's the difference
Citations (Google Audit page)
Make your Name, Address & Phone consistent everywhere so Google trusts you exist. The foundation.
SEO (this page)
Make your content rank at the top when people search — through keywords, blog articles, on-page & technical tune-ups. The growth.
The 5 SEO Levers
How we move Home Inspection Experts up the rankings — each lever is a job we run.
1Target KeywordsNot started
The exact phrases buyers & agents type into Google. We target these across your site so you appear when it counts — local, service-specific, and realtor-facing terms.
2Blog EngineNot started
Answer what buyers & agents Google. Each article is another door into your site — and something realtors can forward to clients, making you the default recommendation. Cadence: 4–8 posts/month (consistency beats volume).
3On-Page OptimizationNot started
A dedicated page per service (termite, sewer scope, 4-point…) and per city/service area, each tuned to its keyword — titles, headings, descriptions, image alt text — with a clear CTA to the lead form on every page.
4Technical SEONot started
Fast load (Core Web Vitals), mobile-first, clean structure, and schema markup (LocalBusiness + reviews) so Google reads your business correctly. Built in during the Website Refresh.
5Reviews EngineNot started
Drive more Google reviews (a top ranking + trust signal), catching your Google profile up to your 246 on Yelp — and respond to every one.
Blog Content Calendar
The 8 launch topics, mapped across the first 3 months — buyer questions first, realtor-facing pieces woven in.
Month 1 · Foundations
How long does a home inspection take? (2–3 hrs)
What does a home inspection cover?
What an inspection does NOT cover
Month 2 · Buyer Confidence
What to expect at your first inspection
10 questions to ask during your inspection
Should you ever waive the inspection?
Month 3 · Differentiation
Gold vs Platinum: thermal imaging & sewer scope
Agents: choosing an inspector who protects your deal
+ new topic as we learn what's searched
What Ranking Is Worth
Why the top of Google matters — a conservative monthly picture once you're ranking. Estimates; tuned to your real numbers as leads come in.
2,000+
local searches/mo for your services
→
~600
visits/mo from a top-3 spot (~30%)
→
~18
leads/mo (~3% fill the form)
→
→
$3,000+
new revenue/mo — a pipeline you own
And every booked inspection is a chance to win the realtor behind it — worth $30–50K/yr in repeat referrals.
How the 3 Pages Connect
Page 1 · Foundation
Google Audit
Get Google to trust you — Business Profile, Maps, citations.
Page 2 · Growth
SEO (this page)
Rank at the top with keywords + content.
Page 3 · Engine
Website Refresh
A site built to convert and rank. Each page feeds the next.
🔎 What I found digging into your market. I reverse-engineered who's actually ranking for "home inspector [city]" across Orange County — their reviews, their positioning, and where the opening is for you. I feed all of this to Mary, who builds your marketing plan around the gaps.
What Michael's On Right Now
Not just planning — here's the work already in motion for you.
Protecting your reputationIn progress
A search engine (Bing) was crediting your hard-earned 246 five-star reviews to Tactical Inspections — a different company operating out of your building. Michael caught it and is getting your reviews shown under your name, and cleaning up the shared-address confusion for good.
Google Business Profile cleanupIn progress
Already removed 5 duplicate listings, redirected your old website domain, and is tightening your name, address & phone everywhere online — so Google trusts your business and ranks it.
Reviews engine going liveIn progress
Your one-tap Google review link + QR code are built. Michael's now switching on the "ask after every inspection" loop — the fastest way to close your Google-reviews gap.
Who's Ranking Now — the competitive field
The inspectors showing up ahead of you in Orange County search, and your opening against each.
| Competitor | Reviews / scale | Their angle | Your opening |
|---|
| Elite Group Inspections | 10,000+★ · 65+ inspectors · since 1984 | "California's #1" — scale & speed, overnight reports | A faceless assembly line — their own reviews show inspector-to-inspector variance. You win on the same senior inspector, every time. |
| OC Home Inspect | 5.0★ · 372 Google | Boutique, very well-reviewed | Peer-tier — beatable once your Google reviews grow and your realtor content compounds. |
| Signature Inspection | 5.0★ · 344 Google | Established, high review volume | Proof of what's possible — you already have 246 five-star on Yelp; this is a migration, not a mountain. |
| The Property Inspection Pros | 4.9★ · ~420 | Mid-tier, well-reviewed | Direct peer — differentiate on realtor-first + one-stop tech. |
| Paradigm Inspection Group | 5.0★ · 23 | Boutique, fast response | Your closest size — and you already out-review them by 10×. |
⚠ The #1 finding
Everyone ranking has hundreds — even thousands — of Google reviews. You have almost none there.
You've earned 246 five-star reviews on Yelp — but on Google, where local ranking is decided, you look brand-new. Every business in the Map Pack ahead of you has hundreds of Google reviews (OC Home Inspect 372, Signature 344). That single gap is the biggest reason you're not in the pack yet — despite a reputation that beats most of them. Closing it is the fastest lever we have, and it's already underway (your Reviews Engine + one-tap review link + QR).
Your opening — the whitespace
You can't out-scale Elite, and you don't need to. The market leaves a clear lane wide open for you.
Consistency + a face
With a small senior team, every client gets a thorough, senior, same-quality inspection. The big players' reviews openly reveal "which of their 65 inspectors will I get?" — that variance is your #1 differentiator.
Realtor-first
Your proven strength — the inspector who protects the deal and the buyer. We keep you top-of-mind with agents, feeding the referral engine worth $30–50K/yr each.
One-stop thoroughness
Drone, sewer scope, termite, thermal — you offer as standard what the giants sell as add-ons. That depth becomes your story.
Trusted local, not a franchise
Family-owned, CMI/InterNACHI-certified, 246 five-star. Quality-seeking buyers don't want the assembly line — they want you.
🤝
This research doesn't sit in a folder — I hand every finding to Mary, who builds your content & marketing plan directly on top of these gaps. Michael finds the opening; Mary turns it into the plan.
▸
Go Deeper — the detail behind the plan
The exact keywords & article topics · tap to open
The Keyword Targets
The exact search phrases we're going after — grouped by intent. Highest-value first.
Local intent (highest value)
home inspector near mehome inspector Huntington Beachhome inspection Orange Countyhome inspector Newport Beachhome inspector Irvinehome inspector Costa Mesahome inspector Santa Ana
Service-specific
pre-purchase inspection4-point inspectiontermite inspectionsewer scope inspectionchimney inspectionelectrical inspectionpool & spa inspectioncommercial inspectionthermal imaging inspection
Realtor-facing (on-strategy)
inspector realtors trustfast turnaround home inspectioninspector that won't kill the deal
The Launch Article Topics
The buyer & realtor questions each article will answer — every one a new door into your site.
Q:How long does a home inspection take? (2–3 hrs)
Q:What does a home inspection cover?
Q:10 questions to ask during your inspection
Q:Should you ever waive the inspection?
Q:What to expect at your first inspection
Q:What an inspection does NOT cover
Q:Gold vs Platinum: thermal imaging & sewer scope
Agents:Choosing an inspector who protects your deal