The Local Search Field Manual: how your business gets found on Google, Google Maps — and now AI
A free 51-page playbook from a US Army veteran. Local SEO first, because that’s still where the money is. AI search second, because that’s the fastest-growing edge of the same problem. Automation last. Plain English, ten short worksheets, and a 100-point scorecard — built for plumbers, electricians, HVAC, salons, and the kind of owner who reads field manuals.
Twelve chapters, ten worksheets, and a 90-day plan
Fill in the worksheets and you finish with a real plan for your business — what to fix first, what it’s worth, and what it would take to get it done. Skim, and you have an interesting read and nothing to show for it. Your call.
Google Business Profile: your highest-leverage asset
Category selection without the stuffing. Service-area setup done correctly. The posting and photo cadence that actually matters, what really moves your Map Pack ranking — and why HVAC, plumbing, and electrical get suspended more than anyone else.
Reviews: the system that moves the needle
Recency beats volume now, and the bar is rising fast. How to actually ask without being annoying, the 2026 rules for handling a bad review, and a worksheet that turns all of it into a repeatable weekly system.
Citations, on-page basics, content, and links
The prioritized citation list — do these, in this order. The technical checks that matter and the ones that don’t. Content formats that actually rank for a local service business, and link building that won’t get you burned.
Getting found by AI: the layer on top of SEO
Why ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews cite some local businesses and skip others. The technical layer in plain English, how to build your first 15–20 FAQ items, and how to check where you actually stand today.
Score yourself: the 100-point scorecard
A self-scoring Local Visibility Scorecard shows where you stand, then a 90-day plan turns your score into a schedule — with realistic milestones for what should happen at 30, 60, and 90 days. No fantasy timelines.
Red flags, timelines, and three paths from here
How to evaluate — or fire — an SEO partner: realistic timelines, the red flags, and what honest reporting looks like. Then a decision tree: DIY with this guide, get it done for you, or not yet. Picking nothing is also a path — just not a good one.
Four fields. PDF in your inbox in two minutes.
No spam. A short welcome series that walks the guide’s worksheets with you, then about one email a month. Unsubscribe any time.
Ryan Smeltz — founder, Secret Optimizer
US Army veteran, 90% service-connected disability rating. Started four businesses before this one — three failed, one survived. Built Secret Optimizer in 2025 from his house in Zebulon, North Carolina, on the eastern edge of the Triangle.
Not a tech founder. No CS degree. Learned every piece of what’s in this field manual by doing it for real businesses — his own and his clients’ — and keeping what actually moved rankings, calls, and booked jobs.
Everything Secret Optimizer installs for customers is the same system Ryan runs his own businesses on. He doesn’t sell tools he doesn’t use.