Hey, it's Matt.

I spent the morning auditing the local search results for "tattoo shop near me" in Denver, CO 80203. What I found is a perfect lesson in why you are likely losing bookings to shops miles further away than you.

In today’s issue:

👀 ICYMI

🗞️ Industry News

Want your work featured next week? Reply to this email with a link to your Instagram post. I might pick yours. 😊

A reader picked up my Fix Your Instagram in 30 Minutes guide last week and sent me this:

This is exactly what the guide is built for.

Most tattoo artists have at least one thing broken on their profile right now. A missing CTA. A bio that says nothing. A link that goes nowhere useful.

The guide fixes all of it. In 30 minutes.

Most artists think proximity wins on Google Maps.

If a client is standing a block from your shop, you'll show up first. Right?

Wrong.

Google doesn't care where your shop is on the map. It cares about trust. It cares about relevance. And it rewards the businesses that send the right signals.

Of course location matters too. But it’s not important factor.

I searched "tattoo shop near me" in the 80203 area in Denver. Three shops came up at the top: Ink By Outer, Bound By Design, and Landmark Tattoo.

At least five other studios were physically closer to the search location. All of them ranked lower.

Here's why those three won.

This one surprised me. Ink By Outer has 128 reviews. The shop ranked second has 1.1k.

So how is he first?

His profile is built for one thing: getting people to book. Perfect 5.0 rating.

Listed as a "Tattoo artist" instead of just a "Tattoo shop" so he shows up in person-specific searches. His website is just a name, a portfolio, and a booking form.

That's it. No bloat. No confusion.

Google sees people click his link and go straight to booking. That tells the algorithm he's the right answer.

The second result wins on volume and history.

1.1k reviews. Over 30 years in business. Google treats established businesses as safe bets. They're not going anywhere.

Their reviews also mention things like "clean and sterile." Google pulls those keywords. It's not just the rating that matters. It's what people are saying.

The third result did something most shops never bother with.

They listed every specific style they offer. 3D photo-real tattoos. Mandala tattoos. Celtic symbol tattoos. A massive list in their profile.

When someone searches for a specific style, Landmark shows up. Most shops just write "Tattoos" and wonder why they're invisible for half the searches in their city.

Almost every shop that ranked lower had under 50 reviews.

In Denver, 50 reviews is the floor. It's the minimum to be taken seriously. If you've got 14 reviews from two years ago, Google assumes you're either closed or not worth the trip.

You need a system to collect reviews consistently. Not just after big sessions. Every. Single. Client.

I wrote a full guide on how to do this without it feeling awkward.

Read it here: How to Get More Google Reviews as a Tattoo Artist

Ink By Outer proves this. No $5,000 custom build. Just a clean page with his work and a way to book.

That's your benchmark.

I'm putting together a free starter website template built exactly like the top-ranking Denver shops. Clean, fast, converts. You'd only need to cover hosting costs, around $50 a year max.

Before I finish building it, I want to know how many of you actually want it.

Hit the poll below if you want me to set one up for your shop.

1. Audit your Google Business Profile. Go add every style you do. Fine Line, Traditional, Realism, whatever you offer. Don't leave it blank.

2. Set a goal of 50 reviews. If you're under that, you're not in the game yet. Start asking clients today.

3. Check your website link. If it goes to a broken page or a cluttered Instagram, you're hurting your own ranking.

Google is a referral engine. It wants to send people to the business most likely to give them a great experience.

You can't move your shop to a busier street. But you can out-review and out-optimize every shop around you.

The artists in the top 3 aren't smarter than you. They just got their digital presence right.

That's the only thing separating you from them.

Google Maps isn't a mystery. It rewards trust, relevance, and a clean digital presence.

Fix your profile. Stack your reviews. Make your website simple.

Do those three things and you'll outrank shops that have been in the game longer than you.

See you next Friday.

P.S. If you're going to send people to your Instagram from your Google profile, make sure it doesn't lose them. A weak bio, no CTA, wrong link, it undoes everything.

My Fix Your Instagram in 30 Minutes guide fixes all of it for $15.