GBP aka Google Business Profile, aka GMB (old name)
Your free Google listing — the box that shows up when someone Googles your business name with your address, phone, hours, photos, and reviews.
Why it matters: For local trades, your GBP drives more leads than your website does. If your GBP is incomplete or has wrong info, you're invisible on Google Maps and the Local Pack.
Real example: If a homeowner Googles "furnace repair Edmonton," the three businesses in the map results are ranking by GBP strength, not website strength.
NAP Name, Address, Phone
The three pieces of business info that need to be exactly identical everywhere on the internet — your GBP, your website, Yelp, Facebook, BBB, every directory.
Why it matters: Google trusts businesses with consistent NAP. If you're "Smith HVAC" on Google but "Smith Heating & Cooling" on Yelp with a slightly different phone number, Google can't tell if you're one business or two — and ranks neither well.
Real example: "123 Main St" vs "123 Main Street" vs "123 Main St." count as three different addresses to Google. Pick one format and use it everywhere.
SERP Search Engine Results Page
The page that shows up when someone Googles something — with ads at the top, the map pack, then the regular blue links.
Why it matters: Where you appear on the SERP determines whether you get the call. Most people click results in the top 3 spots; almost nobody scrolls past page 1.
Local Pack aka Map Pack, 3-Pack
The three businesses Google shows on a map at the top of local search results — for example, when someone searches "plumber near me."
Why it matters: Ranking in the Local Pack is the single highest-ROI win in local SEO. Map Pack businesses get 5-10× the clicks of businesses ranked just below them in the regular results.
Real example: Your kit's "GBP optimization" tasks are specifically designed to push you into the Local Pack for your top 3-5 service searches.
Citations
Mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites — directories like Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, Houzz, Angi.
Why it matters: Citations confirm to Google that your business is real and where you say you are. More high-quality citations = stronger local trust signal = better Local Pack ranking.
Real example: Aim for 30-50 citations on reputable local directories. Quality over quantity — one BBB citation is worth more than ten random "free business listing" sites.
Backlinks
Any link from another website pointing to yours.
Why it matters: Backlinks are the #1 ranking factor for regular (non-map) search results. Each one is a vote of confidence — Google's logic: "If a trusted local newspaper links to this HVAC business, the business must be legit."
Real example: A link from your local Chamber of Commerce, a partner contractor's site, or a charity you sponsor is worth way more than 100 links from random blog comments.
Anchor Text
The clickable words in a link.
Why it matters: When someone links to you using "best plumber in Calgary" as the anchor text, that helps you rank for "best plumber in Calgary." But when 90% of your links use exact-match keywords, Google flags it as manipulation.
Real example: Healthy backlink profile = mix of your business name, your URL, generic phrases ("click here"), and a few keyword anchors. Not all keywords.
Domain Authority DA / DR
A third-party score (1-100) estimating how strong a website is in Google's eyes — based on backlinks, age, and content.
Why it matters: DA is not a Google metric — it's made by tools like Moz and Ahrefs. Use it for relative comparison ("am I weaker or stronger than this competitor?") not as an absolute score.
Real example: If your competitor has DA 25 and you're DA 8, you've got work to do on backlinks. If they're DA 30 and you're DA 28, you can probably beat them on GBP optimization alone.
Keyword
A word or phrase someone types into Google. That's it — no mystery.
Why it matters: Your kit lists the actual keywords your customers search for in your area — so you can write content and structure your site around them, instead of guessing.
Long-Tail Keyword
A longer, more specific search phrase — usually 4+ words. Fewer people search them, but they're way easier to rank for and the searchers are way closer to buying.
Why it matters: "Plumber" is impossible to rank for. "Emergency plumber sherwood park 24 hours" is winnable — and the person searching it is calling someone in the next 10 minutes.
Real example: Your kit's blog topics are mostly long-tail. They get less traffic than the broad terms but convert 5-10× better.
Search Intent
What the person searching actually wants — to buy, to learn, to find a specific page, or to compare options.
Why it matters: Match your content to the intent. Someone searching "how does a heat pump work" wants an article (informational). Someone searching "heat pump installation near me" wants a phone number (transactional). If you mix them up, you rank for neither.
Title Tag
The blue clickable headline that shows up on Google for each page of your site. It's also what appears at the top of the browser tab.
Why it matters: Title tags are one of the strongest on-page ranking signals AND the thing that decides if someone clicks. Get this right and rankings go up, clicks go up.
Real example: Bad: "Home - ABC HVAC Inc." Good: "Edmonton HVAC Repair & Installation | 24/7 Service | ABC HVAC"
Meta Description
The 1-2 sentence preview text under each result on Google.
Why it matters: Doesn't directly affect rankings, but huge impact on click-through. A good meta description can double your clicks at the same ranking position.
Real example: Include your service, location, and a reason to call. "Emergency plumbing in Calgary — 24/7 service, upfront pricing, 30+ years local. Call now: (403) ..."
H1 Heading
The biggest, most important headline on a page. There should be exactly one per page.
Why it matters: Google reads the H1 to understand what the page is about. If your H1 says "Welcome" but your title tag says "Calgary Plumber" — you're sending mixed signals and ranking worse.
Alt Text
A short text description added to every image on your site, describing what's in the picture.
Why it matters: Google can't see images — it reads alt text to understand them. Also helps with accessibility (screen readers for blind users) and gets you traffic from Google Image Search.
Real example: Bad: "image_4423.jpg". Good: "Technician installing high-efficiency furnace in Calgary basement"
Schema Markup Structured Data
Invisible code added to your website that tells Google exactly what kind of business you are, where you're located, your hours, your services, etc.
Why it matters: Schema markup unlocks rich results — star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, service prices showing directly in search. It also helps Google understand you faster, which speeds up ranking.
Service Area Page
A page on your site dedicated to one specific city or neighbourhood you serve.
Why it matters: One page per service area lets you rank in multiple cities. "HVAC Edmonton" and "HVAC St. Albert" are different searches — you need different pages to win both.
Real example: Don't just list every city in your footer — build a real page for each, with local content, local testimonials, local case studies. 5-10 strong area pages beats 30 thin ones.
Service Page
A page dedicated to one specific service you offer (e.g., "Furnace Installation," "Drain Cleaning").
Why it matters: Don't bury all your services on one page. Each one needs its own URL with its own content, so it can rank independently for that specific search.
Review Velocity
How fast you're getting new Google reviews.
Why it matters: Google rewards steady review velocity. A business getting 2-3 reviews per month consistently outranks one that got 50 reviews three years ago and nothing since.
Real example: Your kit's review-request tasks are designed to keep velocity at 2-5 new reviews per month. That's the local-trades sweet spot.
CTR Click-Through Rate
Of the people who see your listing on Google, what percentage click it. Shown as a percentage.
Why it matters: High CTR tells Google your result is more relevant than your competitors' — which can boost your ranking even further. Title tags and meta descriptions are your CTR levers.
Impressions
How many times your business showed up in a search result, whether someone clicked or not.
Why it matters: Tracking impressions tells you if you're being seen. Tracking CTR tells you if people are choosing you. Two different problems with two different fixes.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who land on your site and leave without clicking anything else.
Why it matters: Old SEO wisdom said "high bounce rate = bad." Modern wisdom is more nuanced — if someone lands on your contact page, finds your phone number, and calls you, that's a "bounce" but it's a win. Focus on conversions, not bounce rate.
Core Web Vitals
Google's three performance metrics: how fast your site loads, how quickly it becomes interactive, and how stable the layout is while loading.
Why it matters: Slow, janky sites get demoted. You don't need to be perfect — you just need to not be terrible. Most fixes are image compression and removing bloated plugins.
Crawl & Index
"Crawl" = Google's bots visiting your site and reading the pages. "Index" = Google deciding to include those pages in search results.
Why it matters: If a page isn't indexed, it can't rank. Period. Check Google Search Console once a month to confirm your important pages are indexed — sometimes Google ignores them and you need to ask manually.
Your kit turns these terms into specific tasks.
No theory — just what to do this month for your trade, your service area, your competitors.