SEO Montreal

SEO in Montreal: my part is English search

SEO in Montreal starts with a simple fact: most of your potential customers search in French, and Google treats French results as their own market. Many others search in English: people in the West Island and Westmount, students, newcomers who prefer English, visitors. I want to be clear about which side I work on. My SEO work is in English. I research English searches, write English pages and look after your Google Business Profile and the technical side of the site. I do not write, translate or optimize French content, and I do not coordinate French writers. That side comes from your own team or a French-language provider.

For the English side, I research keywords directly rather than guessing. I look at what Google suggests for your services, what competitors in your boroughs rank for and what your English-speaking customers actually say when they call. Then I build a keyword map: one main query per page and related phrases around it.

Structure that Google can read

For any page to rank, it needs its own URL, its own title and description, and a place in the menu, internal links and sitemap. If your site switches language with a script on the same address, Google effectively sees one version, and the other barely exists in search. That matters for your English pages too, so I check it in the audit. If you plan French pages with your own team, ask them about separate URLs and hreflang; my guide to what to prepare with your translator covers the questions to ask.

The map pack in a dense city

In Montreal, the businesses shown on Google Maps change every few blocks, because distance to the searcher weighs heavily. A café in Mile End will not show for someone in Verdun, and it does not need to. What it needs is to dominate its own area. That means a complete Google Business Profile: the right primary category, services listed, opening hours that include holidays like Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, regular photos and a reply to every review.

For service-area businesses covering several boroughs, Laval or the South Shore, I add short area pages with real details: jobs done there, travel fees, typical questions. Not dozens of copies with the borough name swapped. Google filters those out, and customers do too.

Content that answers local questions

Once the foundations are in place, monthly work shifts to content: answering the questions people type before they buy. How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Montreal, what to check before moving day, which permits a terrace needs. I write each article in English, edit it for search intent and link it to the service page it supports. Results build slowly but compound, which is why I often pair SEO with Google Ads in Montreal for the first months.

Contract and reporting

I do not live in Montreal and do not claim to. I work remotely with businesses across Canada and you deal with me directly on Zoom, WhatsApp or email. Every month you get a short report on searches, clicks, calls and forms, and what I did. There is no minimum term; one month's notice ends the work, and all content and accounts remain yours. If you want to start smaller, a free website audit gives you a first look at what is holding the site back.