Month 1 is about understanding what you have, deciding what to keep, and laying the right foundation before a single word of new content is written. An untouched website isn't a liability yet — but it will be if a competitor gets there first. We move deliberately, not hastily.
Foundation DecisionWebsite path: refresh or rebuild?
Your existing site was a checklist item. Now it needs to be a strategy. In Month 1 we assess whether the current platform is worth building on, or whether a clean rebuild gives you a better long-term foundation. Either way, we don't touch content until we know what we're working with.
Option A — Recommended if platform is sound
Refresh existing site
Audit current CMS, fix technical issues, rewrite copy, restructure pages. Faster to launch, preserves any existing SEO signals.
Option B — If platform is holding you back
New build (Lovable)
Clean slate on a modern React-based platform. Better long-term control, faster performance, no legacy baggage. Slightly longer Month 1.
SEOKeyword & competitor research
This underpins everything. We find out what Utah GCs and project managers actually search for, and where Mountain Air is invisible.
- Map primary keyword clusters: "masonry contractor Utah," "brick and stone Layton," service-type and city-level variations
- Run competitor keyword gap analysis vs. Maycock Masonry, Thueson Masonry, and other Wasatch Front operators — find terms they rank for that Mountain Air doesn't
- Identify 3–5 "quick win" keywords where a single new page could rank within 90 days
- Build keyword map: assign each keyword to an existing or planned page
- Document pre-engagement rankings as a permanent baseline (the before-state)
TechnicalSite audit
Know exactly what you're working with before touching copy or structure.
- Full technical SEO crawl — title tags, missing H1s, broken links, thin pages, mobile rendering
- Document every existing page: URL, title, word count, current ranking position if any
- Set up GA4 and Google Search Console (under Brett's HUM account, transferred to you at engagement end)
- Confirm site speed and Core Web Vitals baseline
ContentCopy & positioning assessment
Who does your current site speak to? Probably no one in particular. We fix that.
- Score homepage: does it speak to GCs and younger project managers? Does it communicate experience and longevity?
- List all service pages that exist vs. pages that should exist (tuck-pointing, restoration, commercial, residential)
- Assess photography: real project photos vs. stock? Real work is a major trust signal.
- Draft homepage rewrite brief — for your review before anything is published
Competitive IntelCompetitive landscape report
The real competition in local search isn't a single big contractor — it's Yelp, Houzz, and HomeAdvisor aggregators occupying the organic spots that Mountain Air should own. We document exactly where the gaps are before we fill them.
- Analyze top-ranking competitors for Layton/Northern Utah masonry searches: Maycock Masonry, Thueson Masonry, and any others with real content presence
- Identify which search results are dominated by aggregators (Yelp, Houzz, HomeAdvisor) — those are the organic slots Mountain Air can realistically take
- Map 2–3 specific keyword opportunities where a single well-written page could outrank directory listings within 90 days
ClientEnd-of-month check-in
A plain-language summary of findings and Month 2 priorities. No jargon. You'll know exactly what was done, what was found, and what's coming.
- Deliver keyword research summary in plain language — "here's what people search for, here's where you're invisible"
- Confirm website path decision (refresh vs. rebuild) with your input
- Share competitive landscape report
- Confirm any quick fixes you want prioritized in Month 2