Frequently asked questions
Answers about growing your business with data
Straight answers to the questions business owners ask us most: about working with Optimize, research, pricing and timelines, and how growth strategy, conversion optimization, SEO, AEO and GEO actually work.
Working with Optimize
Ready to see where your growth is hiding? Get a free growth audit
What does Optimize do?
Optimize is a research-led growth partner for small and growing businesses. We study your data, market, customers and competitors to find where your next customers will come from, then help you win them through SEO, AI search optimization (AEO and GEO), conversion rate optimization, websites, landing pages, e-commerce, analytics and automation.
What is a growth partner, and how is it different from a marketing or web agency?
A web or marketing agency usually sells one service, such as a website or ads. A growth partner starts from your business goal, researches where growth is most likely to come from, and then uses whichever channels and fixes the evidence supports, measuring the result in leads, sales and revenue.
What is included in the free growth audit?
We review your website, conversion path, search and AI search visibility, tracking and the competition in your market, then send you a short, prioritized list of the opportunities most likely to bring more customers. It is free, with no obligation to hire us.
Who do you work with?
Small and growing businesses in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe and the Philippines, especially service businesses, tourism and hospitality, e-commerce stores, churches and nonprofits.
How much does it cost?
We quote every engagement individually after the free growth audit and a short call, because the right mix of research and channels varies a lot between businesses. You receive a clear quote before any work starts.
Do you guarantee growth or results?
No honest partner can guarantee results, because markets, search engines and AI tools are outside anyone’s control. We commit to research-backed decisions, quality work and transparent monthly reporting on leads, sales and the metrics that matter to you.
What kind of research do you do?
Depending on your goal: analytics and funnel analysis, search demand and keyword data, competitor analysis, review mining, customer surveys and short customer interviews, plus checks of how Google and AI assistants present your business.
What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO helps your pages rank in search engines. AEO (answer engine optimization) helps search engines lift direct answers from your pages into featured snippets and voice results. GEO (generative engine optimization) helps AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini understand and cite your brand.
How long until we see growth?
Research and a growth plan take two to four weeks. Quick wins such as conversion fixes and tracking often show results within weeks, while SEO and AI search build over three to twelve months. We agree targets up front and report on them every month.
Do I need a new website to grow?
Not usually. Many businesses grow faster by fixing their offer, tracking, conversion path and visibility on the site they already have. The growth audit tells you whether a rebuild is worth it.
Do you work with clients outside the Philippines?
Yes. Most of our clients are abroad, in countries such as Australia, the Netherlands, Estonia, Malta and the United States. We work remotely with video calls, shared documents and clear timelines across time zones.
Who is behind Optimize?
Optimize was founded in 2025 by Alvin Jay Diaz Samijon, who has helped businesses grow online since 2019. He leads every engagement and works with a network of specialist partners.
How do we get started?
Request a free growth audit. We review your business online, share the biggest opportunities we see, and, if it makes sense, suggest a clear plan and quote. There is no obligation.
Research
Find where your growth is hiding
What is the difference between a growth audit and a marketing audit?
A marketing audit usually reviews your channels and campaigns. A growth audit looks at the whole path to revenue: the market and demand, your offer, your website and funnel, follow-up and retention. It then ranks the opportunities by expected impact, so you know what to do first.
What data do you need from me?
Access to Google Analytics, Search Console and your ad accounts helps, along with rough numbers on leads, sales and average order or contract value. If tracking is missing, we set up the basics first and fill gaps with research.
How long does a growth audit take?
Most growth audits take two to four weeks, depending on how much data is available and how many customer interviews we run. You get the findings and the 90-day plan in a walkthrough call.
Do I have to hire you to carry out the plan?
No. The plan is yours to keep and is written so your team or other partners can act on it. Many clients ask us to run some or all of it, and we quote that separately.
Can a small business afford market research?
Yes. Useful research does not need a big survey panel. Search demand data, competitor reviews, your own customer inquiries and a handful of customer interviews already reveal most of what a small business needs to know.
How many customer interviews do you need?
Often five to ten conversations with recent customers or prospects are enough to see clear patterns in why people buy and what holds them back.
What do you do with the research?
We turn it into specific actions: which segment to target first, how to describe your offer, which objections to answer on your website, and which channels deserve the budget.
What is the difference between GA4 and Microsoft Clarity?
GA4 measures traffic, sources and conversions across your site. Microsoft Clarity shows how individual visitors behave, with heatmaps and session recordings. Together they tell you what is happening and why.
Is Microsoft Clarity free?
Yes. Clarity is free to use, which makes it an easy first step for small businesses that want heatmaps and recordings.
Do I need a cookie banner for analytics?
If you have visitors from the EU or UK, privacy laws generally require consent before non-essential analytics cookies are set. We set up tracking that respects consent choices.
Acquire
Win more of the right customers
How long does SEO take to work?
Most websites see meaningful movement within three to six months, and stronger results between six and twelve months. Technical fixes can help sooner. New websites and very competitive keywords take longer.
Can you guarantee first place on Google?
No one can honestly guarantee a specific ranking, because Google controls the results. What we guarantee is a clear plan, the work done properly and transparent reporting on rankings, traffic and leads.
Do you work on websites you did not build?
Yes. We work on WordPress, Shopify, custom-coded and most other platforms. The audit tells us what can be fixed in place and what needs a developer.
Is SEO still worth it with AI search?
Yes. AI assistants and Google AI Overviews rely heavily on pages that already rank and are clearly structured. Good SEO is the foundation for AI search visibility, which is why we offer both together.
What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO helps your pages rank in search results. AEO (answer engine optimization) helps search engines pull direct answers from your pages into featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes and voice search. GEO (generative engine optimization) helps AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini understand, trust and cite your brand in generated answers.
Can you make ChatGPT recommend my business?
No one controls what an AI model says. What we can do is make your business easy to understand and easy to cite: consistent facts across the web, clear answers on your site, structured data and content that other sources reference. That raises the chance you are mentioned and described correctly.
How do you measure AI search visibility?
We track a fixed set of prompts your customers are likely to ask across major AI assistants, note whether and how your brand appears, and watch referral traffic from AI tools in your analytics.
Do I still need SEO if I do GEO?
Yes. AI search tools lean on pages that are already crawlable, well structured and trusted in search. GEO builds on SEO rather than replacing it.
What is the Google Map Pack?
It is the box of three local businesses with a map that Google shows for searches with local intent. It sits above most organic results, so appearing there is one of the fastest ways for a local business to win calls.
Can I do local SEO without a physical address?
Yes. Service-area businesses such as cleaners or contractors can hide their address on Google Business Profile and list the areas they serve instead.
How do reviews affect local rankings?
The number, recency and quality of reviews, and how you respond to them, are among the strongest local ranking and conversion factors. We help you ask for reviews consistently and within Google’s rules.
Do you use AI to write content?
We use AI tools for research and first drafts where they help, but every piece is planned, fact-checked and edited by a person who understands your business. Google rewards helpful content, not the way it was produced, so quality control is what matters.
How many blog posts do I need?
Fewer, better posts usually beat many thin ones. A focused cluster of 8 to 20 strong articles around your core services is a good start for most small businesses.
Can you write in my brand voice?
Yes. We start with a short voice guide built from your existing material and customer language, and we refine it with your feedback on the first pieces.
Why not send ad traffic to my homepage?
A homepage speaks to everyone and offers many choices. A landing page matches the promise of the ad and asks for one action, which usually converts better and lowers your cost per lead.
What makes a landing page convert?
A clear headline that matches the ad, a specific offer, proof such as reviews or results, answers to common objections, a fast page and one obvious call to action.
Can you build landing pages in my existing website?
Yes. We can build them inside WordPress, Shopify or your current platform, or as separate fast-loading pages on a subdomain.
Convert & scale
Turn attention into revenue
What is a good conversion rate for a small business website?
It depends on the industry, the offer and the traffic source, so the most useful benchmark is your own current rate. Many lead generation sites convert somewhere between 2% and 5% of visitors. The goal of CRO is to raise your rate steadily and measurably, not to hit a universal number.
Do I need a lot of traffic for CRO?
No. Low-traffic sites can still benefit from conversion research, usability fixes and clearer messaging. A/B testing needs more traffic to reach reliable results, so for smaller sites we prioritize research-backed changes and track the impact over time.
How long does it take to see results from CRO?
Quick wins such as fixing broken forms, slow pages or unclear calls to action can show results within weeks. A structured testing program usually runs for at least three months to build reliable, compounding improvements.
What is the difference between CRO and SEO?
SEO brings more qualified visitors to your website from search. CRO turns more of those visitors into leads and customers. They work best together: there is little point in doubling your traffic if the site cannot convert it.
How much does a website cost?
Every project is quoted after a short discovery call, because a five-page service site and a multilingual site with bookings are very different jobs. The free audit and call give you a clear, fixed quote with no obligation.
How long does it take to build a website?
A typical small business website takes four to eight weeks from discovery to launch. Larger sites, e-commerce and custom features take longer. Most delays come from content, so we help you plan it early.
Which platform do you build on?
We choose the platform that fits your needs: WordPress with Elementor for easy editing, Shopify for stores, or custom code for speed and special features. You always own your website and content.
Will my new website be SEO friendly?
Yes. Clean headings, fast loading, metadata, schema markup, a sitemap and redirects from old URLs are part of every build, so you do not lose rankings when you relaunch.
Shopify or WooCommerce: which is better?
Shopify is usually simpler to run and very reliable, with a monthly fee. WooCommerce runs on WordPress and offers more control, but needs more maintenance. We recommend one after looking at your products, budget and team.
How can I reduce cart abandonment?
Show shipping costs early, offer guest checkout, add trusted payment options, reduce form fields and make returns clear. An audit of your checkout shows which of these matter most for your store.
Can you improve my existing store instead of rebuilding?
Yes. Many stores gain more from targeted conversion and speed fixes than from a full rebuild. The free audit tells you which route makes sense.
What kind of web apps have you built?
Examples include MyBibleQuiz, a live game-show style quiz that players join with a PIN, and a live overall standings board for a university medicine week. You can see them in our portfolio.
Is a web app cheaper than a mobile app?
Usually, yes. One web app works on phones, tablets and computers, and updates reach everyone instantly without app store reviews.
Who owns the code?
You do. On completion you receive the source code and access to the hosting, and we document how it works.
Which tools do you work with?
Common ones include Zapier, Make, n8n, HubSpot, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp and most CRMs with an API. We prefer to connect the tools you already pay for.
Is an AI chatbot right for my website?
Only if it answers real questions well. We train assistants on your own content, set clear limits and hand complex questions to a person, so the chatbot helps conversions instead of frustrating visitors.
How fast should I reply to a new lead?
As fast as possible. Replying within minutes rather than hours makes it far more likely you reach the person while they are still interested, which is why instant acknowledgement and routing are usually the first automations we build.
Why does my website need maintenance?
Software, plugins and browsers change constantly. Without updates, websites become slow, break, or get hacked through known vulnerabilities. Regular care is far cheaper than an emergency fix.
Do you maintain websites you did not build?
Yes, after a short onboarding check to review the setup, take a first backup and fix anything urgent.
What happens if my website goes down?
Uptime monitoring alerts us, we investigate and restore service, and we tell you what happened and how we will prevent it.