People ask why someone who ran campaigns for Nike, the Golden State Warriors, and Rosetta Stone spends his days helping HVAC companies show up on Google Maps. It sounds like a step down. It isn’t. Here’s the whole thinking, plus the specific systems I use. Every door was opened by someone else I represented California in the National Spelling Bee …
How to Manage Your Google Local Services Ads
Most LSA accounts aren’t underperforming because of budget. They’re underperforming because nobody is working them. Leads pile up unrated, photos stay stock, and the one report metric that actually predicts lead volume goes unwatched. Here’s the full process I use, start to finish. Start with verification and budget Before anything else, go to Business Verification on the left-hand side and …
How AI Is Collapsing Marketing for Contractors
AI is going to revolutionize and upend digital marketing for contractors in the next 12 months. I’m going to show you what’s going to happen, why it’s going to happen, and what you need to do to be prepared. I’m Dennis Yu, and every week I walk through marketing principles as the Marketing Mechanic so you can understand what’s coming …
Building Your AI Foundation That Lasts
AI tools change every week. Claude Mythos, Gemini 3.0, Grok, ChatGPT. There’s always something new. But chasing the latest tool is a trap. What you need is a framework that stays the same no matter which AI you use. Everything you build should be portable. Here’s the system I use, broken down into four stages. Start with your why Before …
How to Scale a Local SEO Agency with Real Proof
If you’re running a local SEO agency, building websites, or serving small businesses, I want to show you what’s actually working right now. Not theory. Not some magic ChatGPT prompt. Real examples from the last few days that are driving real results. I’m Dennis Yu. I was one of the first search engine engineers at Yahoo. I built the analytics …
Why Dan Antonelli Says Your Brand Is Costing You Money
I’ve been doing technical SEO, digital, and website work for over 35 years. Every couple of years there’s a new thing that’s supposed to change everything. ChatGPT. AI answers in Google. TikTok. And every couple of years, the same pattern holds: the thing that actually moves the needle for a local service business isn’t the tech. It’s the brand. So …
How to Get .Gov Backlinks for Free with Lewis Vandervalk
I recently sat down with Lewis Vandervalk, the founder of Blue Crocus, a digital marketing agency specializing in home services. Lewis has built an impressive operation with 685 YouTube videos and a strong backlink profile driven by client sites and podcast guest appearances. What stood out most was his approach to getting high-authority backlinks from government and university websites without …