Our Team

The People Behind the Process

Local SEO is not theory.

We built this site because Durham business owners are drowning in generic marketing advice. You do not need another article explaining what a backlink is. You need to know why your HVAC competitor in Woodcroft ranks above you despite having fewer reviews. You need to understand why your Google Business Profile vanished after an address change. We answer those exact questions.

National agencies apply cookie-cutter templates to local markets. We reject that approach entirely. We test local search strategies. We track algorithm shifts. We publish the exact tactics working in North Carolina right now. No fluff. Just data.

Meet the Team

Jeric Cestina, Lead SEO Specialist

Jeric spent four years deep in academic research before pivoting to the raw data of search engine algorithms. For the past two years, he has operated strictly in the trenches of local SEO. He does not guess. He tests.

He runs the core strategy at Durham Local SEO. His focus is brutal and narrow. He breaks down proximity signals, audits NAP consistency across hundreds of directories, and optimizes Google Business Profile Q&A sections to capture featured snippets. He knows exactly what it takes to push a Durham service provider from page three into the top three map pack.

Jeric built his methodology on hard numbers. He tracks review velocity. He monitors local link profiles. He maps out content silos that force Google to recognize local authority. When a core update hits, Jeric is the one running grid trackers across Durham to see which local businesses gained ground and which ones lost their map pack rankings. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Mateo Vargas, Technical SEO Lead

Mateo fixes the broken foundations. He audits site architecture, repairs toxic backlink profiles, and strips out bloated code that slows down local business sites. If your site takes four seconds to load on a mobile device in downtown Durham, Mateo is the one who diagnoses the exact script causing the bottleneck.

He specializes in local schema markup. Mateo ensures search engines understand exactly where you are located, what services you provide, and what areas you serve. He builds the technical infrastructure that allows Jeric’s content strategies to actually rank.

Sarah Jenkins, Local Content Manager

Sarah controls the narrative. She builds hyper-local service pages that actually convert traffic into phone calls. She also manages our citation networks, ensuring your business data matches perfectly across 50+ tier-one directories. She hunts down rogue listings. She fixes them.

She understands the exact friction points local customers experience. Sarah writes copy that addresses those objections directly. She also handles local PR outreach, securing mentions from local Durham publications that send massive geographical relevance signals to Google.

Our Editorial Standards

We do not publish theory. Every tactic we share on this site goes through a strict vetting process.

• We test it first. We run strategies on live local sites before recommending them. If a new GBP feature rolls out, we test it on our own assets before telling you to use it.
• We show the math. If we claim a tactic improves map pack visibility, we explain the exact mechanism behind it. We use real rank tracking data to back up our claims.
• We update constantly. Google changes its local algorithm without warning. When a strategy stops working, we update the guide. We kill old advice.
• No outsourced fluff. Every word is written by someone who actually works in local SEO. We do not hire ghostwriters. We do not spin content.

What We Do Not Cover

Trust requires boundaries.

We do not cover national e-commerce SEO. We do not write about enterprise-level technical audits for million-page sites. We do not cover social media management or paid ads. We focus entirely on organic local search and map pack domination for service-based businesses in North Carolina. If a topic falls outside that scope, we ignore it.

Work With Us

We talk to Durham business owners every single day. If you have a specific question about your Google Business Profile, or if you noticed a sudden drop in local rankings, reach out. We read every message. We respond within 24 hours.

We are always looking to connect with other local SEO practitioners. If you have a case study or a specific tactic that is working in the North Carolina market, send it our way. We love comparing notes.