HOUSTON SEO | AI SEARCH | WEB DESIGN | HOSTING | SINCE 1998
Houston SEO and AI Search Company: We Find Out Why Your Website Stopped Bringing In Business
Houston businesses call us when the phone stops ringing: a redesign quietly broke the rankings, a site built with a template or an AI tool never ranked, or Google and ChatGPT stopped naming them. We repair it, keep the URLs that carry your links, and build the pages Google and the AI engines both want to cite.
Start with the free website analysis on this page, the website problems guide, or call 713-703-3030.
Galleria 713-703-3030 | Kingwood 281-852-8253 | Cypress 713-703-3030
Free Website Analysis
See exactly why the phone is not ringing. Search traffic, competitors, rankings and how often the AI engines mention you, emailed in plain English. No cost, no passwords.
Free tools
Find out what is wrong before you spend a dollar
New from Vertical Web
Stop collecting SEO data. Start getting answers on how to rank.
For years our team has run client SEO services out of an in-house console we built ourselves. That console is now a product of its own: an SEO platform built by SEOs, for SEOs.
elev8tor scores your page against today’s Google top 10, estimates where it will rank, and hands you a ranked fix list with the exact sentences and anchor text to add. Rank tracking, AI visibility, keyword research, site audits, lead tracking and white label reports sit in one login.
It is the same tool our team uses on client websites. Try the free demo on your own pages.
Which one is you?
Three reasons people call us. Pick yours.
Proof, not promises
What 28 years in Houston looks like
Our original 1998 client is still with us. Every service is delivered in-house, in Houston, from Galleria, Kingwood and Cypress offices.
Why the phone stopped ringing
A properly rebuilt website never nose dives. When yours did, something was left out.
Beth Guide has taught SEO in Houston since 2003. The pattern she sees most often is a successful site handed to a designer who said “yes, I know SEO.” The new site looks better. Then the title tags become the business name and the word Home, the navigation says Services and Packages instead of words Google can get its hooks into, and the old page addresses are gone, so the links you earned now point at 404s. Within 60 days the traffic chart drops off a cliff.
We put it back. We keep every URL that carries a link, rebuild the title tags, headings and page-to-page connections, and then go after the AI answers your competitors are being quoted in. How a redesign goes wrong, and how we fix it.
This free analysis is the first step to a website recovery. You will know what broke, what it is costing you and what to fix first, before you spend a dollar.
What we do, in one place
Three pillars. One team, all in-house.
Found in AI answers, not just search results
When someone asks ChatGPT for the best SEO company in Houston, we come up. Now we build that for you.
Optimizing for AI has deep roots in technical SEO: clean structure, clear entities, pages that answer one question completely, and a site that tells Google and the AI engines exactly what it is about and where to go next. We do not sell llms.txt files or AI schema tricks. We build the pages that get cited and we prove it in Search Console.
Industries
Industries we serve: web design and marketing built for your business
Every industry buys differently. A law firm needs a page for each practice area. A manufacturer needs capability pages a buyer in another state can find. A restaurant needs a menu that loads on a phone. Pick your industry below to see how we build the website and the marketing for it, or see every industry on the industries hub.
Law Firms
People looking for a lawyer usually need help today, not next month. Your website has to show your practice areas, earn trust fast and make the call easy. We build a page for each practice area and the counties you serve, then do the SEO that brings those calls in.
Medical Practices
Patients compare providers on their phones before they ever call. We build medical websites with clear service and location pages, provider bios, HIPAA-aware forms and the schema that helps Google and AI engines understand what you treat and where.
Dentists
A dental website has one job: get the new patient to book. We pair a fast, mobile-first site with your Google Business Profile, reviews and procedure pages, so you show up in the map pack when someone nearby searches for a dentist.
Real Estate
Agents and brokers need more than a listing feed. We build real estate websites with IDX and MLS search, neighborhood guides and lead capture, then do the local SEO that puts you in front of buyers and sellers in the areas you farm.
Contractors and Home Services
Plumbers, HVAC, roofers, remodelers and landscapers win on the phone. We build service plus neighborhood pages for the areas you actually work, add reviews and quote forms, and tune your Google Business Profile so near-me searches find you first.
Construction
General contractors and builders get judged by their past work. We build construction websites around project galleries, capabilities and safety, with clear paths for owners, architects and subs, plus SEO for the commercial and residential work you want more of.
Manufacturing
Your next buyer may be a procurement desk in another state. We build manufacturing websites with capability pages, materials and certifications written so engineers and buyers can find you, and so a request for quote is one click away.
Oil, Gas and Energy
Houston is the energy capital, and buyers expect your site to look the part. We build energy and oilfield websites that explain services, safety and coverage clearly, and do the technical SEO that helps national buyers and AI engines find you.
Restaurants and Hospitality
Hungry people decide in seconds. We build restaurant and hospitality websites with menus that load fast on a phone, online ordering and reservations, and a Google Business Profile that keeps your hours, photos and reviews working for you.
Food and Beverage Brands
Food and beverage brands sell to shoppers, retailers and distributors at the same time. We build sites that tell your story, show where to buy, support wholesale inquiries and, when it fits, sell direct with a store you control.
Ecommerce
An online store has to be found, trusted and easy to check out. We build WooCommerce stores on WordPress, connect payments, shipping and inventory, and handle the product SEO and conversion work that turns visits into orders.
Nonprofits
A nonprofit website has to recruit volunteers, raise money and prove impact. We build easy-to-update sites with donation forms, event calendars and stories that move people, so your team spends time on the mission instead of the website.
Political Campaigns
From the smallest election to the national stage, we build campaign websites fast and handle voter outreach in-house: email, peer-to-peer texting with 10DLC verification, robocalls and the search cleanup that controls what voters find.
Government and Public Entities
Cities, water districts and municipalities need websites residents can actually use. We build accessible, easy-to-update public websites with clear notices, meeting information and documents, hosted and maintained by our in-house team.
Schools and Education
Families judge a school by its website before they ever tour. We build school websites with enrollment paths, calendars and staff pages that your office can update, plus local SEO so parents searching nearby find you.
HOAs and Community Associations
Residents want answers without calling the board. We build HOA websites with documents, meeting notices, forms and news in one place, with logins where you need them and hosting and updates handled for you.
Chambers of Commerce
A chamber website works for its members every day. We build member directories, event calendars and sponsor pages that help members get found, keep events full and make joining an easy decision.
Professional Services
Consultants, accountants and other professional firms sell expertise. We build websites that explain what you do in plain language, show proof, and make a consultation easy to book, with SEO aimed at the clients you want.
Financial Services
Advisors, CPAs and financial firms have to earn trust before anyone shares a number. We build clean, compliance-minded websites with clear service pages and secure contact paths, plus local SEO for the communities you serve.
Insurance Agencies
Insurance shoppers compare agencies online first. We build agency websites with a page for each line you write, quote request forms and reviews, and the local SEO that puts your office in the map pack.
Automotive
Auto repair shops, dealers and service centers live on near-me searches. We build automotive websites with service pages, online booking and reviews front and center, and keep your Google Business Profile ready for the next search.
Dealers and Distributors
Dealers and distributors carry big catalogs and many brands. We build sites with product catalogs, brand pages and quote requests, organized so customers find the part or product and your sales team gets the lead.
Heavy Equipment
Equipment buyers and renters search by make, model and job. We build heavy equipment websites with inventory, rental and service pages that are easy to search, and SEO that brings in contractors across the region.
Franchises and Multi-Location
Multi-location businesses need one brand and a strong page for every location. We build franchise websites with location pages, consistent business listings and local SEO that helps each location win its own map pack.
SaaS and Technology
Software buyers want to know what it does, who it is for and what it costs. We build SaaS and technology websites with clear product pages, demos and sign-up paths, plus content and AI search work that brings in qualified trials.
Entertainment and Venues
Venues, studios and attractions sell experiences. We build websites with schedules, booking and ticketing, photos and video that show the fun, and the local SEO that brings people in on a Friday night.
Classes
Free SEO and digital marketing classes, in Houston and on Zoom
Live classes every month
The Internet Marketing Clinic meets monthly. Bring your website and whoever maintains it; we read it live, in front of the room, and show you what Google and the AI engines see. On-demand recordings cover technical SEO, local SEO, WordPress, AI and content, and every class becomes a podcast episode with the article and the transcript.
We teach it, so you can check our work
Since 2003 Beth has taught SEO for the SBA, the University of Houston SBDC, Lone Star College and HCC, and runs a free monthly clinic that is now a podcast and a YouTube library. Every page here is shaped by what she has said in those rooms, not by what an AI scraped off the internet. Business owners come to the clinic to learn. Doctors, lawyers and manufacturers come to find a company that can explain what it is doing and why.
Political campaigns
Campaign websites and voter outreach for Texas candidates
Campaigns run on deadlines that do not move. We build campaign websites fast and handle voter outreach in-house from Houston: voter data, email, peer-to-peer texting with 10DLC verification, robocalls and digital advertising. We also clean up what voters find when they search a candidate’s name, so the right position statements show up first.
Many political consultants get paid whether the candidate wins or loses, and it shows. We advise candidates so they win, and we care whether they do.
Partners and press
The companies we work with and the places you have seen us
From the blog
What we are telling clients this month
Website Structure for AI Search: How to Build a Site the AI Engines Can Find
Are AI Images Copyrighted? Canva, Shutterstock, Image Claims and Your Website
Can AI Engines See Your Business?
One agency, not five vendors
A Houston SEO and web design company that also builds, hosts and markets your website
Most businesses end up with a web designer, a separate developer, a hosting company, an SEO agency and someone for social media. When traffic drops, each one points at the others. Since 1998, Vertical Web has kept all of it under one roof: web design, web development, web hosting, SEO and digital marketing all come from one in-house team.
That matters because web design and SEO are the same project. The way a page is built decides whether Google and the AI engines can read it. A designer who does not know SEO can launch a beautiful new website that loses half its traffic in a month. It is one of the most common calls we get, and it is why our design service starts with your rankings, not a mood board.
Your strategy starts with one question: what does the website have to do for the business? Phone calls, quote requests, ecommerce sales, appointments, applicants. We design every page, every form and every call to action around that goal, then measure the result in Google Analytics and Search Console so you can see your growth, not just hear about it.
What a small business website needs
SEO web design services: what your website should include
Whether you are a small business, a professional practice or a growing ecommerce brand, a website that brings in work has the same building blocks:
- A clear page for every service and every area you serve, so each one can rank on its own.
- Clean structure: one H1, headings that match what customers search, title tags, meta descriptions and schema.
- Fast, secure hosting that passes Core Web Vitals on a phone.
- Branding that matches your Google Business Profile, signs and social media, so customers trust what they see. Our branding services sit with the same team.
- Conversion paths: a phone number one tap away, short forms and a reason to act today.
- Room to grow: WordPress, so you own the site and can add pages, a store or ecommerce on WooCommerce later without starting over.
Already have a site that is not performing? A website redesign can fix speed, structure and messaging while keeping the URLs that already rank.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Yes. About half of our web design and SEO clients are outside the Houston area. Our offices are in the Galleria, Kingwood and Cypress, and we host and support sites nationwide.
Usually, and the faster you act the more comes back. We first check whether the old URLs were preserved, then title tags, headings, navigation words and internal links. If the old site is still available, we often recommend putting it back while we rebuild correctly.
WordPress is our platform of choice because we can control every ranking signal on it, and we host it ourselves. We also convert Squarespace, Wix and Shopify sites to WordPress and keep the rankings during the move.
Title tag, heading structure, navigation words, schema, speed, mobile rendering and whether AI engines can read the page. You see the problems. The fixes are what we do.
Both, and that is the point. We built our own hosting in 1999 because the big hosts could not support a web design business, and we have tuned it for search ever since. Hosting clients get the knowledge base, the support line and a free audit on request.
It depends on the number of pages, the features and who writes the content. We give you a written quote after a free review of your current site and your goals, and we will tell you if a smaller site will do the job.
Yes. We keep the pages and URLs that already rank, fix speed and structure, rewrite what is not working, and 301 redirect anything we combine so your traffic carries over.
Showing up in Google’s organic results is free; nobody pays Google for those spots. The work to earn them, from technical fixes to content and links, is what you pay an SEO company for. Paid ads are a separate channel we also manage.
Most of our clients are in the Houston area, from Katy and Cypress to Kingwood and The Woodlands, but we build and market websites for businesses across Texas and nationally.
Ready to find out what your website is really doing?
Request your free website audit or call 713-703-3030. Galleria, Kingwood and Cypress offices, clients nationwide.
Galleria 713-703-3030 | Kingwood 281-852-8253 | info@verticalweb.com