Frequently asked questions

SEO questions Scarborough owners ask

Plain answers to the SEO questions we hear most: timelines, what it costs in Canadian dollars, Google Maps, and when SEO is the wrong thing to spend on.

  • Timelines
  • Costs
  • Google Maps
  • SEO vs Ads

Answers to the SEO questions we hear most

Most Scarborough owners ask the same few things before they spend a dollar, so we have grouped the answers below. If a question is about money, our pricing page goes into more detail, and if it is about the work itself, the services overview explains each part.

A laptop with a rising chart, a phone map and a notebook of sketches, the tools behind our answers to SEO questions

SEO questions about timing and results

How long does SEO take to show results in Scarborough?

Google Business Profile fixes can move things within a few weeks. For rankings on your own pages, however, most clients see a clear trend in three to four months. Busy categories such as dental, home services and law around Scarborough Town Centre or Kennedy Road take longer, because the businesses ahead of you have been at it for years.

Why does local SEO matter for a Scarborough business?

More than 600,000 people live here, and they search close to home. Results change from one neighbourhood to the next, because distance is one of the factors in Google’s own local ranking guide. So a business can be first in Agincourt and invisible in West Hill, and local SEO is how you make sure you appear in the areas you actually serve.

Will SEO actually bring in more leads?

If people search for what you sell, yes. Ranking for those searches puts you in front of someone who has already decided to buy and is now choosing who from. We report on calls and form submissions, not only rankings, so you can see whether it is working.

What the work includes and what it costs

What is included in your SEO service?

Keyword research for your trade and area, on-page and technical fixes, Google Business Profile optimization, citation cleanup, content updates and a monthly report. In addition, the Pro plan adds Google Ads management and conversion work.

What does SEO cost?

Our plans are $250, $350 and $550 a month, billed in Canadian dollars, with no long-term contract. Which one fits depends on how competitive your category is and how much work your site and profile need. We will tell you if the smallest plan is enough.

Are your prices in Canadian dollars?

Yes. Every price on this site is in Canadian dollars, charged monthly.

Google Maps, Google Ads and other SEO questions

Do I really need a Google Business Profile?

If you serve local customers, yes. It is usually seen before your website, and it decides whether you appear on Google Maps at all. A service-area business with no storefront still needs one, set up with the address hidden.

Can you get my business ranking on Google Maps?

That is the core of what we do: profile optimization, consistent citations and a review process all feed your Maps ranking. Nobody can honestly guarantee a position, because distance from the searcher is one of the three ranking factors and you cannot change where you are.

Is SEO better than Google Ads?

They do different jobs. Ads bring traffic the day they switch on and stop the day you stop paying, whereas SEO takes months and then keeps working. Many businesses run ads while the SEO builds, then reduce the ad budget as organic leads grow.

My customers search in Tamil, Cantonese or Tagalog. Does that change anything?

It can. Listing the languages you serve on your profile and site is worth doing, and suggestion data shows people do search for terms such as “Tamil lawyer Scarborough”. We will check whether there is real demand in your trade before recommending extra pages.

Still unsure? Send us your question and we will answer it plainly, even when the answer is that SEO is not the right spend for you yet.

Find out where you stand in Scarborough

A free audit shows where you rank across the neighbourhoods you serve, who is ahead of you, and what to fix first.

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