Your Google Business Profile
For the map pack and Google's AI Overviews.
Founder & SEO consultant · Libertyville, IL
Chicago SEO Consultant
I'm Izaac Lopez, founder of Spark N Code and a Chicago SEO consultant who works with small businesses across Chicago, Lake County and Gurnee. I personally lead every project. You won't get handed off to a junior account manager, and you won't get a generic playbook written for a national franchise.I work from our office in Libertyville and spend most of my time on the same problems local owners actually face: showing up in the Google Maps pack, getting cited when people ask ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews for a recommendation, and running a website that answers real questions instead of sitting there as a digital business card.
- Owner-led, every project
- Chicago · Lake County · Gurnee
- Local SEO · GBP · GEO · Websites
Est. 2019Izaac LopezFounder · SEO ConsultantLinkedIn
01Who I am
Who I Am
“I've sat on both sides of the table: the strategist pitching the plan, and the operator who has to live with it.”
Client result · IyJ Repairs
Average search position
13.8to6.7
I'm an independent SEO consultant and web developer. Through Spark N Code I handle local SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, generative engine optimization (GEO), and website builds for trades, home services and other small businesses that compete against chains with bigger budgets.
I'm also embedded as a marketing manager with a home services company, while still working full-time through Spark N Code. That day-to-day seat inside a trade business shapes how I advise clients. I've sat on both sides of the table: the strategist pitching the plan, and the operator who has to live with it. The advice I give is the kind of marketing an independent shop can actually keep up with.
For one client, IyJ Repairs, that work moved average search position from 13.8 to 6.7.
Izaac Lopez
Founder / SEO Consultant, Spark N Code · Libertyville, IL
02How I work
How I Work With Chicago Small Businesses
Most Chicago neighborhoods are franchise-heavy. A few blocks in Wicker Park, Logan Square or Lakeview can put three chain locations between you and the customer. Ranking for “near me” on Google Maps is one fight. Getting recommended when someone asks an AI tool what a job should cost is another.
I treat those as separate moments, and I build for both:
Service pages that answer
Cost, timeline and process questions, so AI tools and searchers have something clear to cite.
A site that loads fast
And makes it easy to call or book, through website design for small business when the current site can't carry that load.
If you're looking for a local SEO consultant who already knows this market, start with our Chicago page or the full set of Chicago SEO services.
03Two moments, one plan
Local SEO, Google Business Profile and AI Search
Local SEO for a Chicago small business isn't one ranking anymore. The map decides who's closest and most trusted for “near me” searches. Everything people ask before that — how much it costs, how long it takes, whether it's worth it — increasingly gets answered by AI tools that quote websites.
I've written about both sides of that split: why GEO is still SEO, and how your profile wins near me while your website wins the cost questions. As an SEO expert near me for Chicago-area owners, I focus on the work that shows up in both places, not on vanity dashboards.
That usually means:
- Tightening the Business Profile
- Cleaning up citations
- Adding schema so search engines and AI tools understand who you are
- Rewriting service pages so they actually answer the questions customers ask
The map decides “near me”
Closest and most trusted wins. Profile, reviews, categories and citations.
AI tools answer the rest
Cost, timeline, “is it worth it”. Answered by the website that explains it clearly.
04What it's like
Working With a Chicago SEO Expert
Hiring a freelance SEO consultant or an SEO consultant for small business should feel different from hiring a big agency. Here's how I run it as an SEO expert Chicago owners can actually reach:
You work with me.
I do the strategy, the technical work and the writing. Spark N Code is a small studio, not a call center.
We start with what you already have.
Most businesses don't need a full rebuild. We fix the profile, the pages and the gaps first.
Reports stay plain.
You'll know what moved, what didn't, and what to do next, without a 40-page PDF nobody reads.
The goal is visibility you can keep.
Steady review requests, clear service pages and a profile that stays current beat short spikes that Google's filters undo.
If you want a professional SEO consultant who will tell you when something isn't worth doing, that's the job.
Before you hire
FAQ
The questions owners ask before hiring an SEO consultant in Chicago.
What's the difference between an SEO company and an SEO consultant?
An SEO company usually sells a package delivered by a team. An SEO consultant is the person doing the work and making the calls. Spark N Code is a small studio, so when you hire us you're hiring me as your Chicago SEO consultant, with support behind the scenes, not a rotating roster of specialists you've never met.
How do I hire an SEO consultant in Chicago?
Look for someone who will lead the work themselves, who knows local search (Maps, Business Profile, reviews) and who can explain the plan in plain English. Ask who will actually log into your profile and edit your pages. If the answer is “a team,” clarify who owns the outcomes. You can start with a conversation through Spark N Code's SEO services.
Do I need a freelance SEO consultant or an agency?
For most small businesses, an independent SEO consultant is the better fit. Agencies are built for volume and reporting. A freelance or independent consultant is built for judgment and continuity. If your site needs a rebuild, campaigns across multiple locations, or a full content team, an agency may make more sense. For a single location competing in Chicago or Lake County, hire the person.
Are you a Chicago SEO specialist for Google Maps only?
No. Maps and the Business Profile matter, but so do the website pages that win cost and timeline questions, and the GEO work that helps AI tools cite your business. I cover the full local stack, not just rank grids.
Work with the person doing the work.
Start with a conversation. I'll look at your profile and your pages, tell you what's worth doing and what isn't, and we go from there.
- Free consultation and strategy session
- You talk to Izaac, not a sales rep
- Plain-English plan, no 40-page PDF