SEO Ottawa
SEO in Ottawa is two searches running side by side: one in English, one in French, each with its own results and its own competitors. I work in English, on the English results and the map results that decide who gets the call in Barrhaven, the Glebe or Orléans.
Free: a 30-minute call, an action plan and a price range in writing.
Four levers for
Ottawa SEO
Local search in the capital region depends less on tricks and more on being clear, close and complete.
Categories, services, photos, hours for holidays, and answers to every review. For local businesses this is often where most calls come from.
Honest pages for the suburbs you serve, with jobs, details and directions from there, rather than one 'serving Ottawa' line.
I do not do French SEO or write French pages. If French search matters for you, that comes from your own team or a French-language provider.
Directories, associations, suppliers and community sites that already link to Ottawa businesses, kept consistent with your name, address and phone.
Reviews that
win the next customers
Before calling, customers read reviews. I help you collect them and reply in a way that builds trust.
- Review request after the visit
- A reply to every review
- Reviews visible on Maps and in AI
SEO pricing
for Ottawa
Monthly work on your profile, pages, content and technical issues.
- Monthly report in plain language
- No minimum term
- One month's notice to cancel
A one-time look at your site, profile, competitors and English keywords, with a written plan.
- Walkthrough on Zoom
- Priorities for 6 months
What happens
month by month
Month 1
Profile cleanup, technical fixes, tracking, English keyword map
Month 2
Service pages rewritten, first suburb pages, review routine in place
Month 3
Service pages, local citations, first content answering customer questions
Ongoing
New pages where the data shows demand, monthly report, quarterly plan review
SEO in Ottawa: two languages, and my part is English
Google treats English and French searches as different markets. Someone in Orléans typing "plombier urgence Ottawa" sees a different page of results than someone in Kanata typing "emergency plumber Ottawa". For SEO in Ottawa that is worth being clear about. I work in English: I research English keywords, write English pages and work on your Google Business Profile and the technical side of the site. I do not write, translate or optimize French pages, and I do not coordinate French writers.
If French search matters for your business, plan it with your own team or a French-language provider, ideally before we start, so the two sides do not get in each other's way. My article on what to prepare with your translator covers the questions worth asking them.
The map pack decides most local calls
For a dentist, a garage or a renovation company, the three businesses shown on the map often get most of the clicks. Getting into that group in Ottawa depends on three things Google says openly: relevance, distance and prominence. You cannot change distance, but you can be very relevant and quite prominent.
In practice I start with the profile itself: the right primary category, every service listed, real photos added regularly, holiday hours updated before Canada Day and Christmas, and a reply to every review. Then I make sure your name, address and phone match across directories such as YellowPages.ca, 411.ca, Yelp and your industry associations. It is patient, slightly boring work, and it is what usually moves the needle. The Google Business Profile guide on my blog covers the details.
Area pages without doorway pages
The Ottawa region is wide. A business in Barrhaven is a long drive from Orléans, and people know it. If you really serve several suburbs, short pages for each one, with jobs done there, typical questions and travel details, help both customers and Google. If you only serve the west end, the site should say so, and I will not build pages for areas you do not cover. Google has become good at spotting copies with the town name swapped, and it ignores them.
What I need from the website
SEO needs a site with one clear page per service and room to add more. If your site is built on a template that cannot do that, patching it month after month is usually more expensive than a new build. In that case I will quote web design in Ottawa first and start SEO when the new site is live, keeping your domain and redirecting old pages.
Reporting and contract
Each month you get a short report: which searches you appear for, clicks from Google and Maps, calls and forms, and the work I did. I work remotely with businesses across Canada, so reviews of the plan happen on Zoom during Eastern business hours. There is no minimum term. If you would rather see a full picture before committing, start with an SEO audit.
SEO in other cities
and related pages
SEO in Ottawa:
what owners ask
How long does SEO take in Ottawa?
Fixes to your Google Business Profile can show within weeks. New pages usually need two to four months before they settle in the results, and competitive services in central Ottawa take longer. I do not promise positions; I show you each month which searches you appear for and how many calls and forms came from Google.
Do you do French SEO in Ottawa?
No. My SEO work is in English. If francophone customers in Orléans, the east end or Gatineau are a big part of your business, French SEO would come from your own team or a French-language provider. I will look at your call and booking data and say honestly whether English-only SEO is a good fit.
Can I rank across the whole city from one address?
In the map results, Google weighs how close you are to the person searching, so one address will not show everywhere. Area pages, reviews that mention locations and a strong website help you reach further. For a service-area business, I set the profile to show the areas you serve rather than a storefront.
What do I need to give you?
Access to your website, Google Business Profile and Search Console, a list of services and areas, real photos of your work, and a quick reply when I send copy for approval. That is usually an hour or two a month of your time.
What does SEO cost in Ottawa?
My monthly SEO and Google Maps work starts at $1,000 CAD. A one-time audit and strategy is $2,400. There is no minimum term and you can stop with one month's notice. Everything I create, from pages to profile content, stays yours.
See where you stand
in Ottawa search
Send me your website and the three searches you most want to appear for. I will reply within one business day with what I see and what I would do first. Or book a free 30-minute consultation.