114 Days of Doing Our Own SEO: What Changed Since the 60-Day Case Study

In September we published a 60-day case study on our own website, and in October we ran the first 30-day check. This is the second check. Every number was pulled again on November 5, 2026, from the same two places: Google’s own search data (United States searches only) and a rank tracker.

The new site went live on July 14, 2026. November 5 is day 114. Google’s search data runs a few days behind, and the newest complete day is November 2. Last month’s “now” window was the 30 days from September 5 to October 4. This month’s window is the 30 days from October 4 to November 2. We re-pulled last month’s window today and it reads the same as we printed it.

One thing up front. This is a visibility update. It shows what Google shows, not what the phone did. Most of the main numbers went up this month. Several single searches went the wrong way, and they are all below.

The Same Numbers, Then and Now

Searches the site ranks for. On the loose count the case study used, 395 last month and 525 now. On the stricter count, where Google showed our site at least once in the window: 310 last month, 382 now.

Searches on page one. Loose count: 166 last month, 244 now. Stricter count, shown at least once and averaging a top-ten spot: 81 last month, 101 now.

Not all 101 are worth having. We sorted them by hand on the same rule as last month. Sixty-one are searches for a service we sell, and three are searches for our own name. The rest are broad one-word searches, searches for other companies, or questions that have nothing to do with what we do. Of the service searches, 15 average first place. Last month that number was 8. A hand sort is a judgment call, so read the 38 we counted last month against the 64 this month as close, not exact.

Times shown in Google results. 2,967 last month, 4,508 now. That is 1,541 more.

Clicks. For United States searches, 11 last month and 22 now. Doubled, and still small.

Tracked terms, the original 77. Last month: fifteen in the top three, twenty-three on page one, twelve in first place, fifty-two not ranking. Now: seventeen in the top three, twenty-four on page one, twelve in first place, fifty-two not ranking.

The full board. We added five terms this month, so the board is 114. Across all 114: nineteen in first place, twenty-eight in the top three, thirty-nine on page one, and 72 not ranking. Last month, on 109 terms, those numbers were 14, 18, 31 and 73. The five new terms are all in the not-ranking group. The tracker’s newest data is dated November 2.

What Went Up

• “Website design Manitowoc WI” was the slip in the original case study. It read 7th on the tracker last month and first today. Google’s own data has it averaging first on 22 showings, up from 11.
• “Online marketing Manitowoc WI” fell to 12th on the tracker last month while Google’s own data said 2nd. The tracker reads first today. Google’s own data still says 2nd, now on 15 showings.
• “AI consultant Manitowoc WI” slipped in both sources last month, and we named it as the next job. The tracker reads 3rd today, up from 5th. Google’s own data moved from an average of 11th on 8 showings to 2nd on 13.
• “Manitowoc SEO agency” 3rd to first. “Dental marketing Manitowoc WI” 10th to 2nd. “Electrician marketing Manitowoc WI” 11th to 3rd. “Google Business Profile Manitowoc” 6th to 4th on the tracker, and 8th to 6th in Google’s own data.
• A new group of searches showed up: owners looking for help with reviews and reputation for electricians, none with a town in them. Sixteen versions of that search are on page one in Google’s own data, shown 139 times between them, five of them averaging first. The pages behind them sit next to our own review follow-up service.

What Went Down

“Contractor marketing Manitowoc WI” slipped in both sources. The tracker had it first last month and 2nd today. Google’s own data had it averaging 2nd on 7 showings and now 5th on 22. The likely read, not a finding: Google is testing it against more searchers, and other pages are getting a turn above ours. Our standing rule when both sources agree is to refresh the page built for it, link to it from newer articles, and post about that service on our Google listing.

“Small business marketing Manitowoc” fell from first to 6th on the tracker. Google’s own data disagrees: an average of 2nd on 17 showings, better than last month’s 3rd. The likely read, not a finding: the tracker’s one fixed check landed on a different page of ours than most searchers see. We watch tracker-only moves for a week before touching a page.

“SEO marketing Manitowoc WI” fell from first to 5th on the tracker. We could not isolate that one search in Google’s own data for this window, so this slip rests on the tracker alone.

“Local SEO Manitowoc Wisconsin” went from 2nd to 4th on the tracker. Google’s own data went the other way, from 4th to first. Same likely read as above.

“Marketing consultant Manitowoc WI” slipped in Google’s own data. It averaged first on 6 showings last month and 12th on 16 now, just off page one. The tracker reads 6th, up one. The likely read, not a finding: more people saw it, and the extra showings came in lower spots. If both sources agree next month, it gets the same page work as the contractor search.

A short version of our own name slipped again, from 11th to 13th on the tracker. Other companies share those three letters.

Small moves down: “web design Manitowoc Wisconsin” 7th to 8th and “business marketing Manitowoc Wisconsin” 6th to 7th on the tracker. Google’s own data has the first of those averaging first.

What did not move. Twelve of the original 77 in first place, same as last month. Fifty-two of the original 77 still do not rank. The reputation search that sat 12th on the tracker still sits 12th. One broad AI consulting search has read 30th since August. And the five electrician reputation terms we added return nothing from a check run in our own town, even though Google’s own data shows us on page one for versions of them across the country. Both of those are true at once, and we will keep reporting both.

What We Are Doing Next

The contractor search is this month’s page job, because it is the only slip both sources agree on. We are still not adding new pages aimed at town searches we already hold. The work stays on the local SEO pages that exist.

For searches with no town in them, the case study said three to six months. Seventy-two tracked terms still do not rank, and day 114 does not let us shorten that.

We will pull all of this again in about thirty days and add it to the case studies, up or down.

Common Questions

Why did clicks double but stay so small?

Clicks went from 11 to 22 in 30 days, for United States searches. They stay small because our town is small. The searches we rank first for are typed a handful of times a month. Twenty-two clicks is real progress on our own site, but it is not a full calendar, and we would rather say that than dress it up.

Why do the rank tracker and Google’s data disagree so often?

The tracker checks one search, from one fixed spot, once in a while. Google’s data averages every real person who searched over 30 days, from wherever they were. They often disagree by a few places. We only call a slip real when both sources move the same way. This month that happened on one search, and that search is the one we are working on first.

What do you do when one of your rankings drops?

We first check whether both sources agree. If they do, we refresh the page built for that search, point newer articles at it, and post about that service on our Google listing. If only the tracker moved, we wait a week and check again. We do not build a second page for the same search, because two of our own pages competing is how one of our earlier slips started.

Why does the number of searches on page one keep changing how you count it?

It does not. We print two counts every month. The loose count includes searches Google still lists for us even when it did not show us during the window. The strict count includes only searches where we were shown at least once. The strict count is the one we stand behind. Both are printed so nothing from the original case study is swapped out quietly.

Why did you get found for electrician reputation searches without a town?

We do not know the exact reason yet, and we are not guessing in print. What we can see is that Google started showing our site to owners across the country for those questions. That is different from ranking in our own town, which is why our tracker, checking from here, finds nothing for the same terms. Showing up nationally for a narrow question is useful. It does not mean we rank for broad, national marketing searches, and we are not claiming that.

Is going from 2,967 to 4,508 times shown a big deal?

It is a good sign, not a result. Times shown is how often Google put us on a results page, not how often anyone called. The increase is spread across many searches rather than one big one. What it tells us is that Google is testing our pages with more people. What turns that into business is the next step: a click, then a call that gets answered.

How long before searches without a town name start ranking?

On our own site, longer than 114 days. Seventy-two of our 114 tracked terms still do not rank, and nearly all of them are searches with no town in them. The case study said three to six months for those. Nothing in this month’s numbers lets us promise faster, and we would be guessing if we did.

Would you show me these same numbers for my business?

Yes. Search terms, page-one terms, times shown, clicks, and the ones that went the wrong way, pulled from your own Google data and laid out the same way. If people find you but nobody answers the phone, that is a separate problem, and it is the one our AI receptionist exists for. The audit covers both.

If you want to see where your own business stands, book your free audit or call (920) 383-3387. You get the numbers that went up and the ones that did not.