About

Tom Johnston

Tom Johnston founded Integrity Marketing SEO in 2011 and has worked in local SEO ever since: first for small businesses across the US, then building and running lead-generating businesses of his own with the same methods.

What Tom works on

• Local SEO for service businesses: Google Business Profiles, city and service pages, citations.
• AI search: making businesses the clear answer in AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity.
• Lead generation: lead sites, call tracking and pay-per-call programs.
• Data-led content: planning every page from real search demand.

Writing

• Why we replaced 4,000 city pages with fewer, deeper onesWhat 15 years of local SEO taught us: one complete page per city, with a tab per service, beats thousands of near-duplicate keyword-plus-city pages.
• Writing pages that AI search can quoteAI answer engines read the first and last passages of a page most heavily. Here is the simple structure we use on every page we publish.
• Honest comparison pages earn links that lastHow we write "best supplier in a city" comparisons: real companies, verifiable facts, "best for" labels and a disclosed connection.
• AI Search Optimization for Local Businesses: A How-ToHow a local service business can show up when people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google AI for a recommendation: reviews, listings, pages and mentions.
• Call Tracking for Small Business: How It Works and SetupHow call tracking works for small businesses: number pools, dynamic number insertion, keeping NAP safe on your Google Business Profile, and what to measure.
• Exclusive vs Shared Leads: Which Is Better for Your Business?Exclusive leads go only to you; shared leads go to several companies. Compare price, close rates, how marketplaces sell leads and how to judge the real cost.
• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): A Practical GuideGenerative engine optimization explained: how to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI with answer-first pages, clear entities, open crawlers.
• How Much Do Google Ads Cost? Real CPC Data for 16 TradesHow much Google Ads cost for local businesses: how the auction sets your price, plus average cost per click for the main buyer searches across 16 trades.
• Google AI Mode: What It Is and What Businesses Should DoGoogle AI Mode explained in plain English: how the conversational search tab works, how it differs from AI Overviews, and what local businesses should do now.
• Google AI Overviews: What They Are and How to Get CitedWhat Google AI Overviews are, how they appear to choose sources, what they mean for local service businesses, and how to structure pages so they get cited.
• Google Business Profile Optimization: Field-by-Field GuideGoogle Business Profile optimization, field by field: categories, services, service areas, hours, photos, posts, reviews and products, for storefronts and SABs.
• Google Business Profile Suspended? Causes and How to AppealGoogle Business Profile suspended? The common causes, how the appeal process works, the evidence to gather before you appeal, and how to avoid suspension.

All guides →