They also responded to every review—even the one three-star from a woman whose tree roots he couldn’t remove without killing the oak. He wrote: “You’re right. The oak roots made a full trench impossible. We should have explained that upfront. If you ever want the surface channel alternative, it’s on us.” She changed it to four stars.
Marco typed: .
Within a month, he ranked for without ever having advertised it. The Third Trench: The Review Loop Marco hated asking for reviews. Felt like begging. drainage contractors seo
Google’s local algorithm saw the engagement, the keywords in his responses (“trench,” “surface channel,” “oak roots”), and the steady stream of new reviews. His went from #7 to #2. The Floodgates Open Six months later, Marco checked his phone on a rainy Tuesday morning.
“Because they understand digital water flow ,” Elena said. “You understand real water. But Google is a different kind of pipe system.” They also responded to every review—even the one
That night, Marco sat at the kitchen table with a yellow legal pad. On one side, he drew his real-world drainage knowledge. On the other, he tried to map how a search engine worked.
Not completely. The calls that did come were from angry people three towns over who wanted him to “fix the ditch for fifty bucks.” The good jobs—the $15,000 French drains, the foundation waterproofing, the commercial lot grading—those had vanished. We should have explained that upfront
“Type in what you do,” she said.