Nine Months In: What Changed for a Wisconsin Flooring Store Since the Seven-Month Case Study

Two months ago we published seven months of local SEO for a family-owned flooring showroom in a small Wisconsin lake town. Last month came the first 30-day re-pull. This is the second. Every number below was pulled on November 5, 2026, from the same sources, with its dates next to it.

This is a visibility update. It shows what Google displays and what people did on the Google listing, not what happened at the counter. This month the map and the listing calls came back. Clicks from search and the store’s first-place searches went the other way.

The numbers, in the same order as the case study

Google search, three months against three months. Before we started (November 2025 through January 2026): 299 clicks, 4,807 appearances in United States searches. The case study’s comparison (June through August 2026): 353 clicks, 12,113 appearances. Last month’s (July through September): 353 clicks, 11,329 appearances. All three still read the same today. The latest three full months (August through October 2026): 333 clicks, 10,058 appearances. The site now shows about 2.1 times as often as before the work. Last month that was 2.4 times.

Single months. February 2026: 126 clicks, 2,047 appearances. August 2026: 123 clicks, 4,576 appearances. September 2026: 121 clicks, 2,263 appearances. October 2026: 89 clicks, 3,219 appearances.

The three “near me” searches, average position in Google’s search data, July through September → August through October:

• “carpet installers near me”: 3 → 2, on 35 appearances (45 before)
• “carpet stores near me”: 1 → 3, on 45 appearances (33 before)
• “flooring installers near me”: 4 → 13, on 23 appearances (13 before)

Searches on page one. We count these with a written rule: average position 10 or better, something the store sells, and not a store name, a manufacturer name, or another business. Last month we printed 83 searches, 22 in first place, for September 7 to October 4. Recounted today on the same rule, that window comes to 82 and 23; a couple of judgment calls on single searches moved. The latest four weeks (October 7 to November 3, the last day Google had data for) come to 72 searches, 5 of them in first place, out of 136 unfiltered. Many were seen only once or twice.

The seven service + their town searches. Last month a rank tracker had four in first place and three in second. Its reading dated November 4: first for local floor installer (up from second), local flooring store and commercial flooring installation services; second for commercial flooring and laminate floor installation (down from first); fourth for commercial flooring installation (down from first); fourteenth for professional flooring installation (down from second, and off page one).

Searched from inside their town. On September 4 the site was first on 15 of 20 tracked searches and on page one for all 20. On October 7 it was first on 12 and on page one for 19. On November 4 it is first on 12 and on page one for 18.

The map grid. October 1 against November 1, same grid both times (49 points, a mile and a half out). Average position per search:

• carpet store: 1.4 → 1.0
• carpet installation: 3.9 → 1.0
• laminate flooring: 2.9 → 1.3
• commercial flooring: 4.6 → 1.6
• waterproof flooring: 1.6 → 1.6
• flooring store: 6.2 → 1.8 (the October reading shows as 6.1 today)

“Carpet,” on its own 39-point grid, read 1.0 again on November 1, as it has at every reading.

The Google listing. From a synced copy of the listing’s numbers, not Google’s own dashboard. September has shifted a little since we published, so both readings are shown.

• Calls from the Google listing: 30 in February, 25 in September, 34 in October
• Direction requests: 66 in February, 77 in September, 70 in October
• Website clicks from the listing: 71 in February, 84 in September (87 as September reads today), 48 in October
• Listing views: 377 in February, 867 in September, 1,028 in October
• Listing search appearances: 307 in February, 764 in September, 873 in October

Reviews. 171 reviews, 4.94 average, every one answered. Two new reviews arrived in October and both have their replies. The reviews are the store’s own work. Ours is the replies, which our reviews and follow-up service covers.

What went up

Calls from the Google listing rose from 25 to 34, above February’s 30 for the first time since July. Listing views rose from 867 to 1,028 and listing search appearances from 764 to 873.

The map came back. Last month the averages dropped on five of seven searches and we said it might be one day’s reading. November’s reading puts every one of them within two tenths of where it stood on September 2: carpet store and carpet installation back to 1.0, flooring store 1.8 against 1.7 in September. That supports the one-bad-day read, though one good reading does not prove it. It is a return to where the store already stood, not a gain we are claiming.

Google showed the site more in October than September, 3,219 times against 2,263. “carpet installers near me” moved from 3 to 2.

In the tracker, local floor installer + their town went back to first, and in town “flooring stores near me,” vinyl flooring and flooring contractor all went back to first. Floor covering + their town, which fell to fifteenth last month, is back on page one at sixth.

What went down

Clicks from Google search fell in October: 121 → 89. The three-month total slipped with it, 353 → 333, and the site now shows about 2.1 times as often as before the work, down from 2.4. The likely read, not a finding: October starts the slow season for flooring, and the summer month that dropped out of the three-month window was a strong one. We will know more when November and December are in.

Website clicks from the listing nearly halved: 87 → 48. The likely read, not a finding: some people who would have tapped through to the website called instead, since calls rose by nine in the same month. We cannot check that, because calls that start on the website are not counted anywhere.

First-place searches fell from 23 to 5, and page-one searches from 82 to 72, on the same rule. Many searches that were first a month ago now read second or third: “carpet stores near me,” laminate floor installation + their town, floor installer + their town (now fourth). “flooring installers near me” fell from 4 to 13 in Google’s data and to twelfth in the tracker. The likely read, not a finding: a lot of these are searches seen a handful of times, where one or two showings move the average. But the direction is the same across most of them, and that is not nothing.

Three of the seven service + their town searches dropped, professional flooring installation the hardest, from second to fourteenth. In town, hardwood flooring + their town fell from fourth to eighteenth and “flooring installers near me” left page one. The likely read, not a finding: the pages Google picks for these searches keep changing (for hardwood flooring it now shows a vinyl product page), which usually means no single page is clearly the answer.

Direction requests eased from 77 to 70. Still above February’s 66. The likely read, not a finding: ordinary month-to-month movement.

What we are doing next

The slipped searches all point at the same job: one clear page per service, so Google is not choosing between a product page, the about page and the home page. That is ordinary local SEO work and it comes first. The map grid gets read again in early December on the same points.

The two open items from the case study are still open: product pages that share one generic title and need the website provider to fix them, and calls that start on the website not being counted. The option on the table is a tracked phone line on the website, the same kind our own AI receptionist runs on. That is the owner’s choice. This month is a good example of why it matters: listing calls went up, website clicks went down, and without it nobody can say whether the phone rang more overall.

We run the same monthly re-pull on our own site.

Common Questions

Did the store get more calls this month?

From the Google listing, yes. Calls from the listing’s call button were 34 in October, against 25 in September and 30 in February. That counts only taps on the Google listing. Calls that start on the website are not counted anywhere yet, and website clicks from the listing fell the same month, so the full picture is still unknown.

Why did clicks from Google search drop in October?

We don’t know for certain. Clicks went from 121 in September to 89 in October while Google showed the site more often, 3,219 times against 2,263. The likely read is the season: flooring slows down heading into winter. That is a read, not a finding. November and December will show whether it is the season or something on the site.

Is the store back on top of the map?

Close to it. On November 1 the averages were back within two tenths of where they stood on September 2 for every search we track: 1.0 for carpet, carpet store and carpet installation, 1.8 for flooring store. October’s drop looks like one bad reading, but one good reading after it does not prove that. December’s snapshot will help.

Why would first-place searches fall when the map recovered?

They measure different things. The map grid checks the Google Maps results from points across town. The first-place count comes from Google’s regular search results, and many of those searches are seen only a few times a month, so one or two showings move them. This month many slipped from first to second or third. The direction matters more than any single one.

Why did the page-one count change from what you printed last month?

Because the count involves judgment on single searches, such as whether a product question counts as something the store sells. Recounting last month’s window today on the written rule gives 82 and 23 instead of 83 and 22. We print both rather than pick the better one. The comparison that matters is the same rule on both windows: 82 to 72.

Do these numbers mean the store is selling more flooring?

No. This update shows what Google displays and what people did on the Google listing. It does not show jobs, estimates or sales. Listing calls are up and website clicks are down, and neither tells you what happened at the counter. Anyone who claims more from numbers like these is guessing.

What should a flooring store do when Google keeps showing the wrong page?

Give each service one clear page that answers it, and link to that page from the others. When Google rotates between a product page, the about page and the home page for the same search, it usually means no page is clearly the answer. Fixing that tends to steady the position more than adding new content.

How often will you update this?

Every 30 days, with the same numbers in the same order, pulled on the day and dated. Every update is linked from the original case study, including months like this one where several numbers go the wrong way.

If you want the same kind of read on your own business, with the numbers that went down left in, book a free audit or call (920) 383-3387.