Spine & Leaf Media

07/31/2026

New Bern's Art House Art Studio had 36 business days to launch a new location, a new adult program (the Creative Cafe), and a whole new brand — with summer camp registration deadlines that couldn't move.

Owners Christy and Jennifer got the new facility up and running on schedule. We worked with them to launch their new site two days early, including live class booking, a brand treatment that could hold both audiences, and a new online payment system for the new Cafe...

Oh, and enough SEO groundwork that they ranked No. 1 on Google for their local category!

If you're in town, check out the Art House and the Creative Cafe -- you'll have fun and find you're more artistic than you thought!

Read the full story

In this small business web design case study, Spine & Leaf Media helped New Bern's Art House launch a new site, booking system, and more before a hard deadline.

07/09/2026

Most businesses in New Bern and Eastern North Carolina haven't heard of GEO yet.

That's actually good news for you.

When someone in Havelock searches "best accountant near New Bern" or a homeowner in Morehead City asks ChatGPT for a reliable contractor, the businesses showing up in those AI answers are the ones that built their GEO foundation early.

The window to get ahead of this before your competitors figure it out is still open. But it won't stay open indefinitely.

I've written a plain-English guide about GEO specifically for small businesses in this market — what it is, why it matters right now, and exactly what to do about it.

Read it here: https://spineandleafmedia.com/what-is-geo-small-business/

07/03/2026

Nobody can guarantee that your business will appear in Google AI Overviews next month. Not us, not anyone. Any agency making that promise is overselling what's currently possible.

Google AI Overviews draw from domain authority, review volume, and years of consistent online presence. That takes time to build.

What IS achievable in the near term — 30 to 90 days — is visibility for AI Answers in tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini. These tools respond more directly to the specific improvements that make up GEO compliance.

And here's the important part: the foundation you build for AI Answers is exactly the same foundation that positions you for Google AI Overviews over time.

You're building once, for all of it.

I've written about GEO fundamentals in a post and a DIY guide: what GEO can and can't do for your business and what to implement first.

Read it here: https://spineandleafmedia.com/what-is-geo-small-business/

06/25/2026

Here's a quick test that might surprise you.

Open Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google and ask: "Who is a good [your service] in [your town]?"
See what comes back.

If your business isn't in the answer, that's not a Google ranking problem. It's a GEO problem — and it's affecting more local businesses than most people realize.

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. It's the discipline of making sure AI search tools can find, trust, and accurately describe your business when potential customers ask about your services.

The good news: if you've already invested in your website and your SEO, you're closer than you think.

We've written a plain-English guide to what GEO is, why it matters right now for local businesses, and exactly what to do about it.
Read it here: https://spineandleafmedia.com/what-is-geo-small-business/

What did the AI say about your business? Drop it in the comments — we'd love to know.

AI search is changing how customers find local businesses. What is GEO? Learn why it matters, and what New Bern small businesses can do about it now.

06/15/2026

Most small business owners assume their online presence is doing its job. Often it isn’t. The problems remain invisible until someone looks closely.

The Spine & Leaf Media Online Performance Health Check is a thorough, plain-English assessment of your entire online presence that will tell you what’s working, what needs work, and what’s most critical to address.

https://spineandleafmedia.com/online-performance-health-check/

05/04/2026

⚠️ PSA for every small business owner in my circle.

If you get a call saying "your business is not verified on Google voice search and customers can't find you" — hang up. It's a scam.
Here's why it sounds convincing: Google did recently introduce a real verification process — but it's for people setting up a Google Voice account (their phone service). It has absolutely nothing to do with whether customers can find your business online.
There is no such thing as "Google voice search verification" for businesses. It isn't a product. It isn't a process. Nobody can sell it to you because it doesn't exist.
The callers are counting on you not knowing the difference. Don't pay them anything. Don't give them any information.
If you want to make sure your business is actually findable on Google, the only tool that matters is your Google Business Profile — and it's completely free at business.google.com.

📌 Google's own support community confirms that unsolicited calls asking businesses to verify for voice search are scams:
support.google.com/business/thread/249477491
Tag a business owner who needs to see this.

04/10/2026

To celebrate the launch of the Spine & Leaf Media social channels, we're offering a free Online Performance Analysis to the first 15 businesses to register from New Bern and the surrounding area. A $150 value, yours free.

Register here: https://thoughtful-experimenter-2165.kit.com/2f3b853dba

04/10/2026

Many web designers build the house and leave. You get a website, a handshake, and a wave goodbye.

We do things differently. Spine & Leaf Media builds your site and creates the content that keeps it working — writing, photography, and video that attracts the right people to your door.

04/09/2026

Hello everyone, I'm Derek Cadzow and today we're finally launching social media channels for my new company, Spine & Leaf Media. I invite you, my friends, to join me on this entrepreneurial journey to make the world a better place.