Post Summary
I deliberately destroyed my website's local SEO in June 2025. I rebuilt it from scratch to target completely new keywords, and ranked #1 on Google Maps for all target terms by October 2025. No ads, backlinks, or secret algorithm cheating magic. Just strategic local SEO and 28 years of experience, using a well proven system.
What’s Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing a business website to rank higher in location-based Google searches, like "web designer near me" or "graphic designer Murrieta.”
Local SEO optimizing everything to rank your business higher on Google Maps, preferably within the ‘pack 3’ which are the top 3 results shown in a local business search.
The Google Maps Pack 3 is Displayed Above the Google Search Results (Shared Graphics is my Business)
Why I Destroyed my Website to Prove I Dominated Local SEO
Last year I completely destroyed my website on purpose.
I killed the SEO, tanked the traffic, took it down to nothing, and rebuilt from scratch.
Why would I do that? I had a point to prove…
Why Most Local SEO Agencies Fail
Most SEO agencies don’t really know what they’re doing. Sure, they ‘talk a good fight’ about strategy and SEO, but produce very little results.
All digital marketing agencies SAY they’re great at SEO. But, the truth is… most of them aren’t good at it, at all. And, most don’t understand the different SEO strategies, and when it’s appropriate to use them.
This is because most digital marketing agencies can’t even produce good SEO results or leads for THEMSELVES!
They mostly rely on ads for lead generation, or cold outreach campaigns, and don’t even rank on Google. Meanwhile, business owners waste thousands on SEO that doesn't work.
Simply put, SEO strategy without proof and results, is just noise.
So, I set out to prove I absolutely dominate Local SEO, without any shadow of doubt.
My Experience Working for a Bad Local SEO Agency
I worked for one of the largest Local SEO agencies in the US, with over 90,000 clients today.
My inside experience working for this agency, is they only cared about increasing their OWN monthly revenue.
They aggressively pursue new clients, and their own business growth.
Clients came and went, and very few had any success.
Almost everyone in the agency I worked for, knew very little about real SEO and web design, at all. From the sales people to the management, the design team to the CEO, none of them were experts… and it showed.
The agency was a revolving door of both clients and staff, as soon as either one become disillusioned. It was maximum churn on both the client and staff sides.
In SEO, it can be almost IMPOSSIBLE to know who to trust, considering that even if not one client succeeds, the agency still wins.
I hated this attitude.
It’s rotten to the core, and shows ZERO integrity.
My Own Websites Were Better Than the Agency I Worked For
The websites I was building for my own personal projects, ranked better than the agency I was working for.
My sites ran faster, and were MUCH better designed. They were nicer to look at, easier to use, loaded faster, and passed every single test the agency had.
So, I decided to walk out of the agency, and started Shared Graphics.
It Was Time to Put My Money Where my Mouth Was
I already had the following in place:
- A 60 day guarantee of first page ranking, or you don’t pay my monthly fees until you are.
- My website designs look and feel amazing, are completely custom built, load fast, and convert.
- I can show you proof and results from my clients.
- Testimonials and reviews? I have those, too.
But, instead of just explaining how these things are done, I wanted to prove to business owners just like me that I can do it for ANYONE.
Every single time.
Guaranteed.
So, I decided to do the ONE THING no other SEO agency would EVER do…
…and destroy my own entire website to prove it.
Breaking Things to Build Them Better
This wasn't a small gamble.
I was basically about to kill the rankings I'd already built, stop the phone from ringing, and bet everything on being able to climb back higher than before.
If I failed, I'd have proved nothing… except that I couldn't deliver results.
I decided to completely destroy and rebuild my own website, burn it down to the ground, and rebuild it again.
Only, when I rebuilt the site it would rank higher for every keyword I needed it to, right here in my local city.
I happen to also be in a very competitive industry. What industry could possibly be more competitive for Local SEO, than web design and SEO, in Southern California?
I knew if I could I can do it here, for myself, then I can do it anywhere, for anyone else.
I understand that my clients want to see REAL results after hiring me.
So what better way to prove that, than to act as my own number one client?
A 90 Day Local SEO Deadline
I was so confident I could improve things, I decided to give myself a tight deadline of just 90 days to pull it off.
The goal was MUCH BETTER local SEO results in 90 days, or nothing at all.
It was a pretty big challenge. But, it’s also exactly the kind of results local businesses we serve just like yours, would really want.
Could I really rebuild our website with limited pages and content, and dominate Local Google search results better than before, in just 90 days?
I’m so confident I can improve any local businesses Local SEO search results in 90 days, I’m willing to put my own business on the line to prove it.
Here’s how it went…
The Current Version of my Local SEO & AI Optimization Agency SharedGraphics.com
Target Keywords for Local SEO in Murrieta, CA
The city I’m located in, is Murrieta, California.
The services I provide are:
- Web Design
- SEO
- Local SEO
- Strategic SEO & AEO
- Graphic Design
- Landing Page Design
- Logo Design
At the start of this challenge, I was NOT ranking on the first page of Google Maps or Google Search, for any of these terms.
My Website Only Ranked for Logo Design
While working at the agency, I could only design part time. So, my website targeted small graphic design projects, and logo design.
In June 2025, the Shared Graphics website ranked in the top 5-6 positions on Google Maps for ‘logo design near me’. I was getting a few logo designer and branding jobs here and there, without advertising.
This was fine at the time, but things had to change.
My 90 Day Local SEO Challenge
I now needed the website to rank for completely different terms.
So, it was time to rank for keywords like ‘Web Designer Murrieta’, ‘Graphic Designer Murrieta’, or ‘web designer near me’ in my city.
I needed my business to be right in front of my future clients at the most important moment, when they’re searching Google for a local business like mine.
More importantly, I needed this turnaround QUICKLY. So, I decided on a timeline of just 90 days.
The 90 Day Local SEO Challenge was now on; to completely destroy the website and rebuild it to rank for completely different keywords, in the top 3 search results, in just 90 days.
Can You Really Rank on Google in 90 Days?
Yes, I took my destroyed website from zero rankings, to position one of Google Maps, and position 1 on Google SERP, for 6 keywords in less than 90 days.
Here are my results…
Before (June 2025): Ranked position 5-6 for logo design only. No rankings for web design, SEO, or graphic design.
After (October 2025) Position #1 on Google Maps and top 3 in organic search for:
- Web Designer Murrieta
- Web Design Murrieta,
- Graphic Designer Murrieta
- Logo Design Murrieta
- Landing Page Design Murrieta
- Brand Design Murrieta.
Start Date: June 1st 2025
Right around June 1st, we started redesigning the site. As to be expected… …I had a HUGE drop in search rankings.
This is where I destroyed the site SEO and started rebuilding from scratch, targeting web design and SEO.
The phone completely stopped ringing, and the logo design work stopped coming in.
June was a VERY quiet month.
Although just within 30 days or so, everything started to shift, and climb again.
Results on August 30th, 2025
By August 30th I had more than DOUBLED the amount of keywords that Shared Graphics was ranking for.
By August 30th, this website went from ranking for nothing at all, to much more search traffic than ever before.
On August 30th 2025, we ranked in position 2-3, for all the keywords we were targeting for web design.
But, it didn’t stop there…Throughout September and October 2025, this website got MASSIVE gains in search engine results rankings.
My goal was to get to position 3 or higher within 90 days, which I achieved.
But, I wasn’t done there…
Shared Graphics Google Search Rankings October 5th, 2025
I just did some live searches, and here are the things I searched for:
- Web Designer Murrieta
- Web Design Murrieta
- Graphic Designer Murrieta
- Logo Design Murrieta
- Landing Page Design Murrieta
- Brand design Murrieta
For ALL of the above searches, Shared Graphics is now in position number one on Google Places / Google Maps.
It took just 4 short months to go from a completely destroyed website, to get there and hold that position.
Also, below the Google Places Pack 3, the Shared Graphics home page is in position one, or in the top 3 in the organic search results for ALL of these terms.
This gives Shared Graphics two incredibly strong positions on page one of Google.
Does Ranking #1 on Google Maps for Local SEO Increase Revenue?
I’m a huge believer in that none of this matters, unless it gets real results for your business.
Ranking higher on Google is absolutely pointless, unless it produces better results and more revenue. A site that looks great but converts like crap is still a liability.
So, I’m definitely excited to say, as a result of ranking higher on Google for the right keywords I now have been getting a lot more calls. Shared Graphics gets more bookings, and more clients than ever before, all without advertising.
So much so… …this month, I’m actually expanding.
I have more web design work than I can possibly do myself.
And so, now I’m looking to hire web designers. I’m building a team so that I can help even more local businesses get better results, and more revenue.
Leadership, Courage, and Proof
As a strategic growth operator, it’s my job to create growth in businesses, especially my own.
Strategic growth sometimes takes a bold decision to stop doing things the way you are, and rebuild a much better mousetrap.
Shared Graphics wasn’t built to 100% dominate local search, so we completely destroyed it and start over. We weren’t going to be happy until we dominated the local market, and made sure to document the process, as it happened.
This wasn’t just about SEO, or making our rankings better.
This time, it was a matter of positive leadership, and having the courage to make the right decision.
If I wanted to provide proof of our capabilities beyond a shadow of a doubt, to any future clients, this was the only way.
We also needed to build a much stronger foundation for the marketing and growth for Shared Graphics.
What I Learned (and Why You Should Care)
Strategy without proof or evidence might well be completely useless. It often gets treated as theory, unless proven.
Over the years, I’ve lost count of just how many polite nods I’ve received, in response to speaking about marketing strategy.
As a growth leader, the mindset needs to be about proving to the world in no uncertain way that you’re 100% capable of what you say you can do.
Before you can take risk for others, you must first establish trust in your own credibility.
It’s sometimes more about SHOWING something, instead of SAYING something.
This is also why you must never listen to what people say, but rather watch what they do, the actions they take, and how they execute.
People that don’t know what they’re doing, always lack depth.
So, showing and demonstrating your capabilities beyond any doubt, and backing it up with data and evidence, is a powerful statement to make.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to rank on Google for local searches?
With the right strategy, 60-90 days is realistic. I hit position #1 in under four months after a full site rebuild.
Do you need hundreds of blog posts to rank locally?
No. Strategic on-page optimization and proper Google Business Profile setup matter more than content volume.
What's the Google Local Pack 3?
The Local Pack 3 is the box of three business listings that appears at the top of Google search results for local queries. It shows the business name, reviews, address, and a map.
Getting into this box is the primary goal of Local SEO because it's where most clicks happen.
Can you rank locally in competitive industries?
Yes. I proved this by ranking #1 in Southern California for web design and SEO, one of the most competitive local markets.
I also have clients ranking for Pest Control in Murrieta, a local bakery in position #1 in Temecula, and also 2 companies for hot tub maintenance & repair in San Diego.
What's the difference between Local SEO and regular SEO?
Regular SEO focuses on ranking nationally or globally. Local SEO focuses on ranking in your specific city or service area, primarily in Google Maps and the local pack 3.
For local service businesses, Local SEO is usually what drives actual calls and revenue.
Why do most SEO agencies fail to deliver real results?
Most agencies focus on vanity metrics like impressions and traffic volume instead of rankings for keywords that actually generate leads. They also use outdated strategies that take years instead of months.
They often recommend strategies like buying backlinks or publishing blog posts.
This costs a lot of money each month, and does very little to nothing for Local SEO.
This is to increase the agency's monthly revenue, not for your Local SEO benefit.
Here's how business owners waste thousands on SEO and what to do instead.
Do Google Ads help with Local SEO?
No. Paid ads and organic rankings are completely separate. Running ads won't improve your organic position.
However, ranking organically for Local SEO can mean vert often you can reduce or eliminate ad spend over time.
Many of my clients don't spend any money on ads at all.
Can I do Local SEO Myself?
Yes, but it takes time to learn and execute properly. If you have the bandwidth, start with optimizing your Google Business Profile, getting consistent reviews, and making sure your website clearly states what you do and where you do it. If you want faster results or don't have the time, hire someone who can prove they've done it before.
How much does Local SEO cost?
It varies, but most legitimate Local SEO services range from $500 to $2,000 per month depending on competition and scope.
Be cautious of agencies charging $5,000+ monthly for local campaigns, or those promising results for $99-$300.00/month. Both are big red flags.
Want Results Like This?
I documented everything. Rankings, traffic, timeline, the whole process.
If you want to see exactly how I did it, check out the full case study at SharedGraphics.com.
If you're tired of SEO agencies that talk but can't deliver, let's talk. Book a call and I'll show you what's actually possible in 90 days.
If you want me to look at your website and tell you exactly what's broken, book a Roast & Rescue call.