Questions, answered plainly.
Everything people ask before working with Map & Mend — about SEO and AI search, how we'd work together, pricing, and local visibility around Salem and the Willamette Valley. If your question isn't here, send it over and I'll answer it directly.
The basics.
Do I actually need SEO?
If customers ever look for what you offer on Google, in maps, or by asking an AI tool, then yes — your website benefits from a solid SEO foundation. That doesn't always mean an ongoing engagement. Sometimes a one-time cleanup puts the foundation in place, and from there you simply keep it maintained.
What's the difference between SEO, AEO, and GEO?
SEO helps your business show up more clearly in traditional search results, including Google. AEO, or answer engine optimization, helps your content become easier for answer tools to understand and use. GEO, or generative engine optimization, focuses on how AI tools understand, summarize, and describe your business. They overlap heavily, so I look at them together: clearer pages, stronger structure, better signals, and a more consistent online presence.
Can you help my business show up in AI tools like ChatGPT?
Yes — that's a core part of the work. AI tools decide what to recommend based on how clearly your website explains what you do, what third-party sources say about you, and whether everything tells the same story. I audit how those tools currently describe your business, then fix the structure, content, and signals they rely on. No one can promise a specific AI answer, but you can make your business much easier to recommend.
Do you guarantee I'll rank number one on Google?
No. Rankings depend on a lot of things no one fully controls, including your site, your competition, search behavior, and how Google is changing. I focus on the things that actually improve visibility, clarity, and trust, and I'll tell you what's realistic for your specific situation.
How long until I see results?
It depends on what we fix. Some improvements can help quickly, especially clearer page titles, better structure, stronger internal links, and repaired broken signals. Other changes take longer because Google and AI tools need time to find, process, and trust what changed. I'll tell you what timeline is realistic based on the specific work we're doing.
How do I know if my website has a problem?
Common signs: traffic that never grows, customers who keep asking questions your site already answers, a Google profile that says something different than your website, and competitors showing up in searches where you don't. If any of those sound familiar, a Clarity Review is built to tell you quickly what's actually going on.
Working together.
Do I have to be local to work with you?
No. I'm based in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, but I work with businesses anywhere. Local search is part of what I do, especially for businesses that serve a specific area, but the larger work is making your site and online presence easier to find, understand, and trust.
What do you need from me to get started?
Your website address and a little context about your business — what you offer, who you serve, and what feels off. That's enough for a Clarity Review. For audits and cleanup work I may ask for access to tools like Google Search Console, Google Business Profile, or your website platform, and I'll walk you through granting access safely without sharing passwords.
What does a Clarity Review actually look like?
You can see one. There’s a full sample Clarity Review on the site — a worked example for a fictional business, showing the prioritized fix list, why each item matters, what can wait, and the honest recommendation on next steps. A real review is the same, written about your business.
Do you build websites or run ads?
No. I make the website you already have clearer and easier to find — structure, content, metadata, structured data, and local signals. I don't sell redesigns and I don't manage ad campaigns. If your site genuinely needs a rebuild, or ads are the better tool for your goal, I'll tell you that instead of selling you what I happen to offer.
What platforms do you work with?
Any platform where you can edit your own pages: WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Webflow, hand-coded sites, and most others. The recommendations are about content, structure, and signals, so they translate to whatever your site is built on.
Do you subcontract?
No. Every review, audit, and fix is my own work. The person looking at your site is the same person answering your emails.
What if I just need a little help, not a big project?
That is exactly what the Clarity Review is for. It gives you a focused read on what is worth fixing first, without committing to a larger project. If deeper work makes sense afterward, I'll tell you. If it does not, I'll tell you that too.
Pricing and process.
Do you charge hourly?
No. Each project is priced as a flat or scoped engagement before work begins. You will know the cost, the scope, and what is included up front.
Does the Clarity Review fee count toward an audit?
Yes. If you start with a $350 Clarity Review and decide to move up to a Map & Mend Audit, the $350 credits toward it — you only pay the difference. Starting small never costs you anything extra.
Why do some prices say “starting at”?
Because the size and complexity of the work can vary. A simple service site is different from a larger site with multiple locations, services, or content sections. You will get one clear quote before anything starts.
What happens after the audit?
You own the plan. You can use the recommendations yourself, hand them to another website or marketing partner, or ask me to handle the priority fixes through a Site & Search Cleanup.
Do you offer ongoing support?
Yes. Maintain, the ongoing monthly support plan, starts at $750/month and is available after an audit or cleanup project, so the work is based on a known foundation. It is month-to-month after the first month, with scope agreed before we begin.
Local search.
Can you help me show up in searches for Salem, Keizer, and nearby areas?
Yes. Map & Mend is based in the Willamette Valley, and Salem and Keizer are my home market. Local visibility comes from a healthy Google Business Profile, consistent listings, steady reviews, location-clear website content, and structured data that tells search engines exactly where you serve. I check and fix all of it.
What does my Google Business Profile have to do with my website?
They work as a pair. Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing people see in maps and local results, and Google cross-checks it against your website. When the two disagree — different services, hours, or descriptions — both lose trust. Keeping them consistent is one of the highest-value local fixes.
Why does an SEO review check accessibility?
Because the structure that helps a person using a screen reader — real headings, descriptive links, text that isn't trapped inside images — is the same structure search engines and AI tools read. Accessibility barriers are findability barriers, and fixing them serves both your visitors and your visibility.
Still have a question?
Ask it directly — no obligation, no pitch. Or start with a Clarity Review and get answers specific to your site instead of general ones.