Your own searches mislead you
Google tailors results to your location, history and device. Searching for your own business name tells you very little about how strangers find you.
When someone nearby searches for what you do, who do they find?
A fixed-fee written review of how your business shows up in local Google search. Every figure carries its source and date, and every recommendation is explained in plain English.
- Fixed fee, no retainer
- Delivered in writing
- 30 days' direct support
- No account access needed
You can't see what your customers see.
Customers search for the job, not your name
"Boiler repair near me." "Roofer in Reading." Those are the searches that bring new customers, and they're the ones we check.
The map results come first
For many local searches Google shows a map with a few businesses above the ordinary results. Whether you're in it, and why or why not, is the first thing we look at.
See where a review would help.
Five quick questions about your business. Your answers stay on this page and aren't sent anywhere.
Everything you receive.
Delivered in writing, so you and anyone who works for you can refer back to it.
Fresh, dated data
Your site and up to 3 local competitors: local results, keywords, links, Business Profile and a homepage check.
The 12-page review
Where you stand, what you're missing, technical fixes, an ads test plan, 30-day quick wins and a 90-day roadmap.
Notes on every page
What each figure is, where it came from, when it was collected and what it means for your business.
Prioritised action list
What to do, who could do it and roughly how long it takes, ready to hand to your web person.
Keyword-to-page plan
Which page on your site should target which search.
Business Profile checklist
Specific fixes for your Google listing: categories, services, photos, details and reviews.
30 days' direct support
Questions about your review by phone or email, answered within 1 working day.
Written re-check
30–45 days after delivery we re-check your main searches and send a short update.
We never need your passwords. Making the changes is up to you or your web person, or we can quote separately.
Inside the review, page by page.
Choose a page to see what it covers and where its data comes from.
Cover
Your business, the area we looked at, and the date the data was collected. Everything after this page refers back to that date.
Source: your details and the data collection date
Summary
The handful of findings that matter most, in plain English, and the first thing to do about each. If you read one page, read this one.
Source: the findings on the pages that follow
What a local customer sees
The actual results, including the map, for your main searches in your area: who appears, in what order, and where you are.
Source: live Google results for your area, collected through DataForSEO on a stated date
Position against local competitors
You beside up to 3 businesses that appear for your searches: how many searches each shows up for, and how strong their websites look to Google.
Source: DataForSEO ranking and link data. Modelled estimates, labelled as such
Google Business Profile and reviews
Your listing against the businesses in the map results: category, rating, number of reviews, photos and details. Gaps are marked.
Source: public Business Profile data, collected on a stated date
Searches competitors appear for and you don't
Searches where local competitors show up and you're absent, with estimated monthly searches. A list of opportunities to consider, not a promise of customers.
Source: DataForSEO ranking data. Search volumes are estimates
Searches you nearly rank for
Searches where you're just off the first page of results. Google already connects you with these, so they can be quicker to improve than searches you don't appear for at all.
Source: DataForSEO ranking data, positions on a stated date
Technical fixes, by impact
What's working and what isn't on your homepage, on a phone: speed, titles, headings and basics. Each fix is marked by likely impact and effort.
Source: automated page checks and Lighthouse, run on a stated date, then checked by hand
Google Ads: a small, controlled test
If ads make sense for you, a capped test you could run: which searches, a daily limit, and what to measure. Budget scenarios, not a forecast.
Source: estimated cost per click from DataForSEO, shown with currency and date
30-day quick wins
The jobs that are quick to do and likely to matter most, in order. Each one says whether you'll need a developer.
Source: the findings on the earlier pages
90-day roadmap
Month by month: what to work on, in what order, and why. Built around the time and help you actually have.
Source: the findings on the earlier pages
Method and sources
Every data source, the date it was collected, and which figures are estimates. Plus the options for help with the work, if you want it.
Source: everything above, listed
Five steps, the same every time.
The method is fixed, so every review is built and checked the same way. Scroll to watch one come together.
Illustration. Shapes only: a real review shows your actual figures, each dated and sourced.
- 01
We search like your customers
We collect live Google results for the searches that matter in your trade, located in your area, and record the date.
- 02
We measure you against who appears
Up to 3 local competitors: what they rank for, their Business Profiles, reviews and links, side by side with yours.
- 03
We check every finding
Every claim about your website is checked on the live site, with the date and page recorded. Every figure is traced back to the data it came from, and a review isn't sent if one can't be.
- 04
We put it in order
Fixes are ranked by likely impact and effort, so you know what to do first, and what can wait.
- 05
We explain it in writing
Plain English, with any technical term explained. You get the review, written notes and an action list, plus 30 days to ask Charlie anything about it.
Every figure carries its label.
Tap the underlined parts of this example sentence to see how each one is labelled in a review.
Searching for on , you appeared at , behind . About people make this search each month.
Pick a part of the sentence
Each figure in a review says where it came from, when it was collected and whether it's an estimate.
- We label every estimate. Search volumes and costs per click come from third-party data providers.
- We don't promise rankings, traffic or enquiries. Nobody can honestly guarantee them.
- Search results change constantly and vary by device and location. A review is a careful, dated snapshot.
- Fieldnote Search is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.
What you can hold us to.
Always
- Every figure dated, with its source named
- Findings checked against your live website
- One fixed price, agreed before we start
- Plain English, with technical terms explained
- A direct line to the person who built your review
- Everything in writing, yours to keep and share with your web person
Never
- Guaranteed rankings or "page one" promises
- Retainers, or anything that renews
- Asking for your passwords or account access
- Pressure to buy anything further
- Automated reports nobody explains
- Naming you as a client without your written permission
One fixed fee.
Agreed before any work starts. No retainer, and nothing renews.
£450
- EmailSend your website and the area you cover.
- BookYou get a payment link or bank details. Work starts when payment arrives.
- ReviewDelivered within 10 working days, with notes and an action list.
- Support30 days of direct support by phone or email.
- Re-checkA short written update 30–45 days after delivery.
Common questions.
What exactly is included?
A fresh data pull for your website and up to 3 local competitors, the 12-page review with notes on every page, a prioritised action list, a keyword-to-page plan, a Business Profile checklist, 30 days of direct support and a written re-check after 30–45 days. The terms list everything.
Where does the data come from, and how accurate is it?
Search results are collected for your area on a stated date. Search volumes, costs per click and traffic figures are modelled estimates from third-party providers, mainly DataForSEO, and are always labelled as estimates. Findings about your website are checked on the live site.
Do you need access to our website or Google accounts?
No. We work from public data and anything you choose to send us. We never log in to your website, Google or advertising accounts.
Can you guarantee better rankings?
No one can honestly guarantee that. Rankings depend on Google, your competitors and what gets done afterwards. The review shows where you stand, what's most likely to help and in what order.
Who carries out the changes?
You, your web person, or us. The action list says who could do each job. If you'd like us to do the work, we'll quote a fixed price separately, with no obligation.
How long does it take?
Within 10 working days of payment and any details we ask you for. If we can't meet that, we'll tell you and you can cancel for a full refund.
Who do you work with?
UK limited companies and LLPs, for one website and one main service area per review.
What if we change our mind?
Cancel before we start collecting your data for a full refund. If we don't deliver what the terms describe, we'll put it right or refund you.
Talk to Charlie.
Fieldnote Search is run by Charlie Broddle, an independent sole trader in Hayes, west London. You deal with the person who builds your review, from first email to final re-check.
Email [email protected] with your website and the area you cover.
Email Charlie