CGL Marketing

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Oakland, CA
CGL Marketing

I help local service businesses feel confident in their marketing with a simple, clear plan. I simplify your digital strategy so you can focus on what you love.

Your hands-on partner for visibility and growth. Send a message to get started. I support small business owners, solopreneurs, and local nonprofits in the Bay Area who want to show up online — without getting overwhelmed in the process. I’m Carla Gerardu-Low, and I help make digital marketing feel doable. From social media and branding to content strategy, local SEO, and Google Ads, I share simple

ways to connect with your audience and grow with confidence. You’ll find thoughtful, down-to-earth marketing support designed for the real challenges (and wins) of running a small business.

06/04/2026

Growing up in Colorado, weeding felt seasonal. Moving to California changed that fast. Year-round growth means year-round maintenance.

SEO is a lot like that.

Most people treat it as a one-time setup. But search visibility tends to reward consistency. Pages age, search behavior shifts, competitors update, and your business evolves.

Staying visible usually just means small, steady attention: fresh content, updated info, and making sure your site still reflects your business today.

Does this feel familiar?

06/02/2026

I'll be honest, I'd been telling clients to set up their Google Business Profile for years while quietly avoiding my own.

Video verification. My home address showing up online. No thanks.

Turns out, neither of those things happened. Here's what surprised me, and why it might be easier than you think if you run a home-based business.

(Link in comments)

05/28/2026

Sometimes the biggest problem is not missing information. It is buried information.

Today I was talking with a couple of women about how hectic the end of the school year feels. Emails are flying, calendars are packed, and everyone is trying to keep up.
Their frustration was simple: schools were sending plenty of information, but burying the basics deep in a website. Date. Time. Place. The things people actually needed first.

Sound familiar? Businesses do this all the time.

We add more pages, more features, more content, and assume that more means better. But if people cannot quickly understand where to go, what you do, or what to do next, they stop there.

Clear messaging, simple navigation, and obvious next steps do more for conversion than anything else you could add.

If people are confused, they do not convert.

05/26/2026

Pretty doesn't mean findable.

I recently worked with a client who had invested in a brand-new site that looked beautiful. The design was flawless, but when I ran an SEO audit, the page structure, headings, and content organization were not. Search engines could barely make sense of it.

Drop a 🙋🏻‍♀️ if nobody ever mentioned SEO during your website build.

05/25/2026

Wishing you time today to connect, recharge, and appreciate the moments that bring people together, while honoring the meaning behind Memorial Day.

05/22/2026

A lot of small business owners are putting in real effort with their marketing. Posting, emailing, trying different things.

But if it still feels scattered, effort isn't usually the problem.

Strategy is.

Swipe through to see the three things I look at first when marketing isn't clicking.

05/19/2026

I was searching for a co-working space on Yelp and scrolled through about ten sponsored listings before hitting the organic results, and not one of them was actually a co-working space.

That moment stuck with me. Paid visibility and precise visibility are not the same thing.

In this post, I break down how to evaluate Yelp advertising in a thoughtful way, especially if you're watching your marketing budget closely.

Before you spend money just to "be seen," it's worth asking a few strategic questions.
If you've been weighing your options, this might help.

The link is in the comments, or message "BLOG" and I'll send you the link to my full blog.

05/14/2026

A "great service, highly recommend" review feels good to get. But it doesn't really help the next customer decide.

The reviews that actually move people are the ones with a little detail. What you helped them with. What the experience was like. Sometimes even where they're based.

That kind of review helps a real person picture themselves working with you. And it turns out search engines and AI tools appreciate those details too, so it's a win either way.

You don't have to coach people heavily. Something as simple as "feel free to mention what we worked on or what stood out" is enough to make a difference.
I put together some easy prompts and examples in my latest post if you want to try this with your next review request. Link in the comments.

05/10/2026

Moms rock. It’s really that simple, and it’s a privilege to be part of your world, even in a small way.

Here's to celebrating the moms and mother figures who make the world brighter for so many. Happy Mother’s Day to you all!

04/28/2026

Marketing can look simple from the outside.

A nice website. A few social posts. Maybe some ads.

But once you’re the one doing it all, it starts to feel like a lot. And there’s a reason for that.

In this post, I break down what actually goes into effective marketing, including the parts you don’t see, and why it can feel heavier than expected.

If you’ve ever wondered “why is this so hard?” this one’s for you.

I’ll drop the link in the comments.

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Oakland, CA

Website

https://cglmarketing.com/

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