How much does SEO cost for a small business?

A 1-on-1 strategy session is $300. Our Regional Lead Engine Website build is $5,500 for a full 25-page, 8-city architecture, and our Core Lead Engine Website is $3,500 for a focused 10-page build covering up to 2 cities. Ongoing monthly management is either our Site & Search Core Growth Plan at $500/month or the Monthly Organic Growth Plan at $1,000/month, with flexible terms for seasonal business owners. You work directly with Susan Dutcher on every project.

How long does small business SEO take to show results?

Google Business Profile and Map Pack movement often shows in 30–60 days. Broader organic keyword rankings usually take 4–8 months, depending on how competitive your market and industry are.

Can't I just do this myself?

You can do some of it — claiming your Google Business Profile, asking for reviews, writing basic pages. Where DIY usually breaks down is technical schema, keyword prioritization, and knowing which fixes actually move rankings versus which just feel productive. Most owners don't have the hours to test that themselves.

How is this different from a big agency?

Big agencies staff your account with a junior strategist and a template process built for volume. I keep 3 to 5 clients at a time, so you get direct access to someone who spent 20 years as a corporate operator, including a decade at JPMorgan Chase and 11 years serving the Fortune 100, rising to VP before doing this — not a rotating point of contact.

Do you work with businesses outside Metro Detroit?

Yes. I work with small businesses across Michigan, including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Traverse City, Brighton, Northville, Plymouth, Canton, and Troy.

Small business SEO — Michigan

SEO for Small Businesses in Michigan — Built Like a Business, Not a Checklist.

Small business SEO isn't about chasing traffic charts or vanity keyword rankings — it's about being found by the specific local buyers who are ready to hire, book, or buy today. That means owning the Google Map Pack in your neighborhood, showing up when someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI Overview for a recommendation near them, and having enough recent reviews to win the decision once they find you.

I run a boutique firm and keep 3 to 5 clients at a time, so you get direct access to me — not an account manager and a support ticket queue. Before this, I spent 20 years as a corporate operator, including a decade at JPMorgan Chase and 11 years serving the Fortune 100, rising to VP. Small business owners get that same strategic rigor, scaled to a budget that actually makes sense for a company your size.

You run the business. I run the search strategy that keeps new customers finding you.

Get My Free Visibility Snapshot Email Susan

Free Small Business Visibility Snapshot

Tell me your business and city and I'll send back where you stand in Google, the Map Pack, and AI search — plus the first two things I'd fix.

Call 248-308-5174 Email Susan

Small Businesses Don't Need More Traffic — They Need the Right Traffic

Your next customer is comparing you to two competitors on their phone right now.

Most small business owners have been sold generic "SEO packages" that produce a blog post a month and a monthly PDF report nobody reads. That doesn't move the needle on local search, where the real competition happens in the Map Pack, the review section, and increasingly, inside AI search answers.

A small business with a tuned Google Business Profile, a handful of well-built pages targeting the searches your actual customers use, and a working review system can outrank much bigger competitors — often within a single season.

What's Included for Small Businesses

Local Visibility & Google Maps: Most small business searches happen inside the Map Pack, not the blue links below it. Categories, service lists, photos, posts, and citations built to win the three-pack in your neighborhood and drive-time radius.
Keyword Strategy: Small businesses don't have budget to chase every keyword. I find the handful of searches your actual buyers use — and build the pages that own them.
AI Search Visibility: When someone asks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, or Perplexity for a recommendation in your city, your business should be the one they name. That takes structured content and schema most small business sites never touch.
Technical Foundation: Fast, mobile-friendly pages with clean schema so Google and AI engines can actually understand what you do, where you do it, and who you do it for.
Review Systems: A steady stream of recent, specific reviews is often the single biggest lever for a small business — it's usually the deciding factor between three options that all rank fine.
Competitor Audits: I show you exactly what the business outranking you is doing differently — content, citations, backlinks, and review velocity — so effort goes where it actually moves the needle.

Michigan Markets I Serve

Detroit
Metro Detroit
Ann Arbor
Grand Rapids
Lansing
Traverse City
Brighton
Fenton
Auburn Hills
Holland
Plymouth
Canton
Troy
Sterling Heights
Royal Oak
Dearborn
Northville
Howell

Whether you run a shop in Detroit, a practice in Ann Arbor, a storefront in Grand Rapids, or a service business in Lansing, Traverse City, Brighton, Northville, Plymouth, Canton, or Troy, the strategy adapts to your customers, your market, and your budget — not the other way around.

Ways to Work Together

Regional Lead Engine Website

$5,500 one-time

Best for: A complete, 25-page localized website build engineered from the ground up for Google Maps, organic search, and AI engine recommendations. Every build includes a full upfront local search diagnostic, competitor gap analysis, and custom schema architecture before any code is deployed.

Complete Local Market & Competitor Audit: Keyword and backlink gap analysis against your primary local rivals using live Semrush data.
AI Search & GEO Readiness: Technical foundation built to be indexed and cited across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews.
Custom Schema Architecture: Tailored JSON-LD structured data linking your services, locations, and business entity.
25 Targeted Pages: Up to 10 dedicated service pages and 8 priority city/territory pages built around actual local search volume.
Lead Capture & Mobile-First Layout: Direct quote and consultation forms designed for high conversion.
Google Business Profile & Review Setup: Profile optimization and customer review QR materials with follow-up templates.
24/7 Semrush Access: Full visibility into your project dashboard during the build.
Strategic Walkthrough: A 60-minute post-launch briefing reviewing your site architecture and initial baseline rankings.

Core Lead Engine Website

$3,500 one-time

Best for: A focused 10-page build for single-location owners who want to own their home city and one neighboring market before expanding across the region.

10 Total Pages: Engineered for mobile conversion, local search, and AI search citation.
2 Cities Maximum: Your home territory plus one adjacent priority market.
1–2 Primary Service Pages: Dedicated pages for your top revenue-generating services.
1 Google Business Profile Checklist: Category, service, and profile alignment with your new site.
1 Local Market & Competitor Audit: Keyword and competitor gap analysis using live Semrush data.
AI Search & GEO Readiness: Custom JSON-LD schema and a technical foundation built to be cited by AI engines.
Lead Capture & Click-to-Call: Direct consultation forms built for high conversion on mobile.

Monthly Organic Growth Plan

$1,000 per month

Best for: Ongoing technical upkeep, content expansion, and local search management for owners who want consistent visibility in competitive markets. Flexible terms for seasonal business owners.

Technical health checks, crawl tracking, and schema maintenance
Google Business Profile and core directory upkeep
Creation of new targeted city and service sub-pages
Review-generation workflows and follow-up templates
Gallery updates and project photo additions from completed jobs
Rank tracking and AI engine citation monitoring
24/7 Semrush dashboard access
Monthly 1-on-1 strategy call with Susan + 1-page cycle summary

Site & Search Core Growth Plan

$500 per month

Best for: Routine maintenance to keep your site updated, monitor local rankings, and keep your Google Business Profile active. Flexible terms for seasonal business owners.

One new content article per month
Adding new project photos and gallery updates
Google Business Profile posts and profile upkeep
Rank tracking and monthly 1-page progress summary

Initial Strategy Session

$300 per hour

Best for: A 60-minute 1-on-1 advisory working session to review your current site, local keywords, and Google Business Profile, with a clear list of what to fix.

60-minute 1-on-1 advisory working session
Current website review
Local keyword review
Google Business Profile review
Clear prioritized list of what to fix

Book a 15-Minute Strategy Q&A

Common Questions From Small Business Owners

How much does SEO cost for a small business?: A 1-on-1 strategy session is $300. Our Regional Lead Engine Website build is $5,500 for a full 25-page, 8-city architecture, and our Core Lead Engine Website is $3,500 for a focused 10-page build covering up to 2 cities. Ongoing monthly management is either our Site & Search Core Growth Plan at $500/month or the Monthly Organic Growth Plan at $1,000/month, with flexible terms for seasonal business owners. You work directly with Susan Dutcher on every project.
Do I need a big budget to compete with larger companies?: No. Local and AI search reward relevance and consistency, not ad spend. A small business with a tuned Google Business Profile, a handful of well-built pages, and real reviews regularly outranks a much bigger competitor with a generic site.
How long does small business SEO take to show results?: Google Business Profile and Map Pack movement often shows in 30–60 days. Broader organic keyword rankings usually take 4–8 months, depending on how competitive your market and industry are.
Can't I just do this myself?: You can do some of it — claiming your Google Business Profile, asking for reviews, writing basic pages. Where DIY usually breaks down is technical schema, keyword prioritization, and knowing which fixes actually move rankings versus which just feel productive. Most owners don't have the hours to test that themselves.
How is this different from a big agency?: Big agencies staff your account with a junior strategist and a template process built for volume. I keep 3 to 5 clients at a time, so you get direct access to someone who spent 20 years as a corporate operator, including a decade at JPMorgan Chase and 11 years serving the Fortune 100, rising to VP before doing this — not a rotating point of contact.
Do you work with businesses outside Metro Detroit?: Yes. I work with small businesses across Michigan, including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Traverse City, Brighton, Northville, Plymouth, Canton, and Troy.

Have a specific industry? See all SEO services or explore Detroit SEO, automotive SEO, auto repair shop SEO, contractor SEO, med spa SEO, or criminal defense attorney marketing.

Your Next Customer Is Searching Right Now. Let's Make Sure They Find You.

Based in Northville, I help small businesses across Michigan get chosen — on Google, in AI search, in reviews, and in the Map Pack.

Reserve a paid 15-minute Strategy Q&A to get 1–2 questions answered and decide whether this is the right next step. Investment: $25. If you book a service, that fee is credited toward it.

Book a 15-Minute Strategy Q&A