Deciding from a couch in Los Angeles or the Bay. Reads everything, compares four places, books before arriving. Almost never sees your pin, because the pins are drawn where they are sitting.
Won in the pagesLocal SEO in Santa Barbara for the customer who is already standing outside
The three pins above the results are not for the person planning a trip in March. They are for the one who is here now, holding a phone, deciding in the next twenty minutes. That is a smaller slice of this town than the planning market, and it closes faster than anything else you own.
Free, and we read it ourselves. No pitch, no obligation, and 805.243.8321 if you would rather talk.
20 Minutes to decide The map answers people in a hurry 12 Months of reviews And only five of them busy 30+ Years in business Serving the web community No Contracts Nothing to sign, nothing to cancel
One search from the sidewalk, and only two parts of it can be earned.
Say it is "dinner near me", typed by somebody standing on State Street. Google writes an answer over the top, the ads go under that, then the map, then the list. The map and the list are the two parts nobody can buy.
- AI overview First, before the page The AI answer Google writes a short answer over the top and names a few places in it. A visitor in a hurry may never read past it.
- Ads Then whoever is paying Paid Businesses bidding to sit above the map. The spot lasts exactly as long as the budget does.
- Maps Then the three pins The map pack Three places under a map, each with photographs, a rating and directions. For somebody already in town it is most of the decision, and reviews are part of what decides who is in it.
- Organic Underneath all of it The list The pages Google trusts for those words. Nobody buys a place here either. It is earned by the pages on your own site.
The map and the list are the two places on that page you can own.
Two customers. One town. Only one of them is holding a phone here.
Most of the money in this county is decided by somebody a long way off, weeks in advance, reading pages. That customer barely sees the map at all. The map belongs to the other one, and the two need completely different work.
Off the train, out of a hotel, between two things, hungry or late or needing a trade today. Opens the map, taps one of three, and is inside somewhere within the half hour.
Won in the pinsThis page is about the second one. The first is a different job with different work behind it, and it is what our Santa Barbara SEO page is for.
Your reviews arrive in August. Your season is decided in March.
Recency is part of how the three spots get ordered. A seasonal business collects almost all of its reviews in the months it is full, and then goes quiet for a winter, so the profile is at its weakest in exactly the months somebody is choosing where to spend the summer. Nobody notices, because the phone is quiet then anyway.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
- People searching for what you sell
- Reviews actually arriving
The fix is not more reviews. It is reviews in February, from work you did in February, so the profile is strongest at the moment it is being compared.
The one star review is not written for you.
Every owner wants the bad one taken down and almost none of them can be. What almost every owner misses is who the reply is for. It is not the person who complained, who has gone and is not coming back. It is the next reader, deciding whether a business that got one thing wrong handled it like an adult.
- Within a day Reply while it is the top review An unanswered complaint sits at the top of your profile for as long as it takes you to notice. Speed is most of the work.
- In public Answer the thing, not the person No defence, no history of the argument, no explanation of what they got wrong. What happened, what changed because of it, and who to ask for next time.
- The result The next reader decides you are fine A calm reply under one star sells harder than the five stars above it, because anybody can collect praise and almost nobody handles a complaint well.
A profile with a bad review and a good reply outperforms a profile with no bad reviews at all, because the second one looks curated and everybody has learned what that means.
45 seconds · Unscripted
Watch what he has to say.
The owner of Primary Pool Services, in his own words. We did not tell him a word of it.
Playing · Dillon Brooks, owner
The proof
Are you going to be a pool guy, or the pool company?
Forty pools and twelve Google visits a month. That was Primary Pool Services in May 2024, found for two searches, both their own name. Today, for one search, swimming pool service near me, they are first in 24 of 25 places across Thousand Oaks.
| Measure | Increase | Against what |
|---|---|---|
| growth in 15 months | 400% | Forty pools on the route became more than two hundred |
| more calls from Google Ads | 162.5% | The month the Turtle Tim campaign ran, against the month before |
| revenue in year one | 25%+ | Revenue. Not clicks, and not traffic |
Read the Primary Pools case study 400% growth in 15 months
The Primary Pools page shows the working.
What actually moves a map spot, and how long each part runs for.
Some of this is an afternoon and some of it never finishes. The bars are time rather than money, because the expensive part here is not the work, it is the habit.
- Fixing the profile itself
- Getting the photographs right
- Answering every review, including the bad one
- Building a habit of asking on the day
- Being mentioned by other local sites
What clients say about working with us.
Word for word, and the rest are in the reviews archive. Read them all on Google
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We are very pleased with the website that the team at the Final Code created for us and with the training they provided on how to control our site. Our customers are also impressed with our site and comment on how good it looks.
Kaylor Painting Google review, Jul 9, 2016 -
I started my business about 6 months ago and couldn't get my key words anywhere in search engines after burning through a few hundred dollars trying google adwords with no results I went to the Final Code. Now I am on page one or two of every category I am attempting and moving up all of they time. Larry and his crew teach you what you need to maintain a competitive web site that brings results. They are fun to work with. You could spend thousands on an outside company to optimize your website of a fraction of that with Final Code and learn how to do it yourself. Highly recommend them
Nancy Barna Google review -
This company saved my sanity! I was looking for a company that allowed me to have the freedom to do what I needed/wanted to do with my website and also offer excellent customer service. I struck gold! The Final Code team is super supportive. They never leave me hanging if I have questions or need assistance. Their software allows me complete control of our site. It has made having a website fun again! I would highly recommend them!
Channel Islands Sportfishing Google review -
Several web companies have created and hosted my website over the last 20 years. Never before have I received the service, support, and training that The Final Code provides. They respond immediately to my needs and sincerely want me to succeed. The Final Code has designed my site so that I have access to all my pages. I am able to make immediate changes to the text and images, whenever I desire. I love playing with my beautiful website and I love the Final Code for making it possible!!! PS I am grateful for the great response to my site from new clients. People are finally finding me because of The Final Code's SEO.
Nomi Wagner Google review, Jun 29, 2016 -
Everyone at The Final Code has been so helpful .. Larry is always just a phone call away. Not being very computer savvy I am always relieved that Larry is willing and able to make the changes and additions to my website keeping all of my Surfcat Cafe & Adoptions followers up to date. As a nonprofit we were very grateful that they were understanding about our financial situation and were very reasonably priced. Thanks Final Code!! Leslie Weiss Surfcat Cafe & Adoptions
Leslie Weiss Google review, Jun 17, 2016 -
In our line of work we get SEO/Web Marketing calls all day and to say the least my least favorite of calls. However We have been working with the Final Code for Almost 2 years now and they are top notch in customer service and know exactly what they are doing. My SEO Stats prior to the final code i thought was impressive for a small company of our nature, however after the final code.. WOW. My numbers have almost tripled this year alone and the business reflects those numbers. The team at the final code is top notch and extremely friendly. With their web code program i can go in and create, edit and screw up any page of my website in a flash (not recommended!) and the best part is these guys are always right on the button to fix my mistakes same day. We have had a great working relationship and if you truly want Free Google Placing, SEO tracking and of course local 805 business they are the guys to contact. We highly recommend them!
Channel Islands Helicopters Google review -
Working with Larry and the rest of The Final Code team has been fantastic! We originally had our website built by an independent web developer and it was a nightmare dragging on for months. It got to the point where we fired the guy and started looking for a professional web development company to finish the project. We found The Final Code and from the very beginning the process went so smoothly and the website was up and running in just weeks! I’ve worked for and with other web development agencies before and by far The Final Code has exceeded all my expectations – very professional, quick turnaround times, and Larry was beyond knowledgeable on building the best website to attract the most traffic. The best part was how the website was built so I can maintain it myself and Larry is there to teach me all that I need to know. I highly recommend The Final Code for all your website needs!
Macy Homes Google review, Jul 2, 2016
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These guys are great! I have 5 million questions and they are quick to help. Check them out!
Molly Carroll Google review, Feb 19, 2016 -
I was referred to The Final Code by a support person at Xero Accounting, an online accounting app I use and support for clients. I had a website up and running for over 2 years, and knew that little or no search traffic was driven to the site, datapro.la. I spoke first to Larry Murphy, and then with Carlo Godoy and James Nisky. They spent a good deal of time with me, going over what they offer, and after takig a look at my existing site, made some recommendations. I am quite computer-literate, but website-dumb. They were patient with me, explaining until I had a good preliminary understanding. Feeling that I was in good hands, I decided to move forward with them redoing, and educating me on how to redo what I could to the website. A great decision on my part, as this group has come through for me in a spectacular fashion. Although not complete, as ongoing tweaking by me, with their assistance, to optimize content, add blog material, etc., datapro.la has a much more professional look and feel, and more importantly, has added what it takes to drive traffic to the website. I cannot fully describe how very happy, and confident, I am dealing with this group. I know they have my back, and are very responsive to questions and requests. Stupid cliche, buy you are in good hands with The Final Code. It is a great feeling to know this is true.
David Goldstein Google review -
Everyone at The Final Code has been fantastic. I own a small beekeeping company. Almost all of my business comes from people google searching beekeepers, due to the nature of the trade. Initially I hired a company for $1200 who promised they could get me to the top of google. It was one guy working out of a library. He claimed it would be easy. I needed the work done in six months. He informed me that his method was a secret, and that he used hidden back links to boost my website. Eight months and $1200 later I was congratulated on reaching the fifth page on google, and the first page on bing. Not only was I out the $1200, but I also lost a year of revenue. I started taking work from my biggest competitors to get by since my phone was not ringing. They were getting all of the business in the area since my SEO guy failed. They were receiving twenty to fifty calls per day. I was lucky to even get one. In a final desperate move I asked The Final Code for help. The Final Code was very different than the previous company. I walked into their office. They offered no secret back links, no empty promises. They laid out everything they were going to do, and everything I had to do to improve my results. Within two months I had several key words on not only the front page of google, but a few of them were the top search result, and they had reports which allowed me to see all the key words I need to improve upon to continue growing. The difference in my business has been incredible. I went from nearly going bankrupt in December to hiring my first employee in June, and I am completely overwhelmed with business. The Final Code saved my business. I really can't thank them enough. To top it all off Larry and Amber have been a genuine pleasure to work with. I can't recommend them enough.
Bryan Castro Google review, Jun 30, 2016 -
The Final Code was very patient in trying to fulfill all my requests. Carlo worked with me to set up my website for my tax preparation business and he also provided a good training session to manage my website. I feel confident in using my website and I know I can come to ask Carlo if I have any questions.
Luis Huapaya Google review -
My wife and I operate a company in Ventura County which provides assorted janitorial and commercial cleaning services. We contacted The Final Code because we had several existing websites and various online listings ran by several different people. Our online presence was a mess and were paying a web company for services we couldn't necessarily verify, we couldn't manage our own website if we wanted, we weren't sure if people were visiting our site and it wasn't a great feeling. We met with The Final Code to help us tie up all of those loose ends, built a new website for our company to attract more users to help generate more business. Thankfully, The Final Code was understanding and was able to work within our budget. We now have these issues resolved and the new site is climbing the Google rankings weekly and is now a page one on several main search terms. We received a lot of of valuable advice on SEO, search engine optimization, and they continue to work with us to progress upward in our online presence. I appreciate that The Final Code staff has been so patient and they are always available whenever we have questions or concerns. They have also trained us on how to update and edit our site so that we are free to make changes when necessary. One of the best parts of working with them is that I'm able to walk into their office and know I will be taken care of. This year The Final Code is building several new websites for separate organizations of ours and we're excited to continue collaborating with The Final Code! Thanks everybody for making our company online presence successful and helping to increase business
Ken Duff Google review -
Through my experience, web marketing companies are like used car salesmen... Thousands to choose from, difficult to trust, and are filled with empty promises. The Final Code is exactly the OPPOSITE! Larry, James, and Carlo are always fantastic to work with and know their business inside and out. From SEO to web marketing tactics, I trust them completely with the online presence of my company. They take their time to personally make sure that I am happy with their service and provide REAL statistics (not just Google analytics) behind any changes made to our site They provide valuable insight and ideas on how to grow your online presence and then can execute those ideas immediately (or train you on how to make changes yourself)!. The interface that accompanies their service is easy to use and gives you access to change / update anything that you would ever want to. I highly recommend The Final Code for any of your SEO / Web Marketing needs.
Justin Engelbach Google review -
Larry and the team at The Final Code in Ventura literally breathed life back into my business. At the time I hired The Final Code, I had invested thousands of dollars in ongoing website “optimization” with another company. Despite that effort, my law office website was nowhere to be found when it came to the core of my practice – potential clients searching for either criminal defense attorneys or DUI attorneys in my local area. As soon as The Final Code took over care of my website applying their innovative approach, I experienced a dramatic increase in the number of calls I received for DUI and all other criminal cases. I not only skyrocketed to the very top of DUI searches, I have maintained a consistent, top-ranked placement over the last six months. The Final Code team has a passion for helping clients that is evident in all they do. Larry, Carlo, James and team were always at the top of their game and, I felt, sincerely committed to helping me achieve real results. They went out of their way at all points to help me through the process, to aggressively make results-oriented changes, and to communicate with me in a way that made me feel valued as a client. Most importantly to me as a client, everyone at The Final Code conveyed to me that they truly cared about the welfare of my business and did so in an ongoing way. Recognizing the ever changing nature of internet marketing, the team at The Final Code has gone out of their way to keep my website fresh and at the top through expert monitoring and continual innovation. In the website business, the professionals at The Final Code are people of honor and that’s saying a lot. I whole-heartedly recommend The Final Code. You can trust the team to get you the results you want and to do so with dedication and integrity.
Jennifer Zide Google review
Want to see your profile the way a visitor on the street sees it?
Put the address in and we open the profile on a phone the way somebody outside would, and tell you what they decide in the first four seconds.
- Your review pattern across a year, so the quiet months are visible instead of assumed.
- What the three businesses above you have that you do not, including how fast they reply.
- A way of asking that survives a busy Saturday, which is the only reason review programmes ever work.
No pitch, no obligation, and nothing to sign. Or call 805.243.8321 and ask us straight out.
What lands on your desk before you spend a dollar with us
Four things, in writing, and yours to keep. Hand the whole lot to whoever you use now if you like. It is worth having either way.
What your profile looks like to somebody standing outside
Opened on a phone, from the street, the way a visitor with twenty minutes actually meets you. Almost no owner has ever seen their own profile that way.
Your review pattern, month by month
Not the total. The shape across a year, so you can see the months when nothing arrives and what that costs you in the months when everybody is looking.
Who is holding the three spots in season
The businesses the pack shows for the searches that fill a calendar here, with their review counts, their recency and how fast they reply.
A way to ask that your staff will actually do
The reason review programmes fail is never the wording. It is that asking gets forgotten on a busy day, so the ask has to sit inside something that already happens.
No contract, nothing to cancel. You get the number before you commit to it, and it does not move quietly afterwards.
Why the map picks who it picks.
All 59 SEO articles
Why a Directory Outranks You in Your Own TownType your own trade and your own town into your own phone. Count how far down the page you get before you hit a business instead of a list. That gap is where your next customer goes.Read it 
How Do You Rank When You're the New Business in Town?You opened this year. They have been online since before the iPhone. Here is the part nobody tells you: you are not supposed to fight them yet.Read it 
Why Do People See You on Google but Never Click?Being seen is not the same as being chosen. Google shows your listing, a person reads two lines of it, and in about the time it takes to scroll past they have decided whether you are worth a tap.Read it
What owners on the coast ask about the map.
Who actually sees us in the map pack here?
Somebody already in town with a phone in their hand. A visitor deciding where to eat in twenty minutes, a guest who searched instead of asking the concierge, a resident who needs a trade today. It is the smaller half of this market and it is the half that closes inside the hour, which is why it is worth having even though it is not where most of the money is.
Why do our rankings slip every winter?
Because the reviews stop. Volume dries up from November, recency is part of how the pack is ordered, and a profile that was strong in August is quietly weaker by March. March is when people book your summer. The slip never gets noticed because the phone is quiet in winter anyway, so it looks like the season rather than the profile.
Can we ask customers for reviews?
You can ask, and you should ask every single one. What you cannot do is offer anything in return, screen out the unhappy ones before asking, or run a tablet by the door that posts them all from the same address. Those get profiles suspended. Anybody offering to sell you reviews is selling you a suspension with a delay on it.
Do we have to reply to a bad review?
Yes, and quickly, because the reply is not for the person who complained. It is for the next reader, who is working out whether a business that got one thing wrong handled it like adults. A calm reply under one star does more selling than the five stars above it.
We are in Goleta and sell nationally. Does any of this matter?
Much less, and we would rather say so than sell you something. A buyer sourcing a machined part or a certified supplier is not looking at three pins on a map. Your contest is the pages underneath it, and that is what our Santa Barbara SEO page is about.
Are you actually in Santa Barbara?
We are in Ventura, California, an hour down the 101 and closer than most of the agencies bidding on this work. Somebody drives up and there is no travel line on the invoice for it. Our other office is on Long Island, New York.
Get My Free Review Audit
or call 805.243.8321
The Truth About The Map On The Coast
“Your reviews arrive in August. Your season is decided in March.” The Final Code
We open the profile the way somebody on the street does, show you the year rather than the total, and build an ask your staff will still be doing in November. Learn more at TheFinalCode.com.
The pins are one lane of the wider Santa Barbara programme, alongside the pages that answer a planner and the video that shows the room.
or call or text us
805.243.8321 See what your profile looks like from the street.
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