Working Hours
Mon - Fri 8AM to 5PM
FounderPittsburgh SEO Services LLC
1Meet the Founder
Jonathan Crain — Founder of Pittsburgh SEO Services LLC
25+ Years of Hands-On SEO, Website Design & Digital Marketing Experience
Jonathan Crain is the founder and owner of Pittsburgh SEO Services LLC, a family-owned digital marketing company serving businesses throughout Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania and beyond.
Jonathan has spent more than 25 years working directly with businesses on search engine optimization, website development, Google Ads, Local SEO and digital marketing.
During that time, he has been involved in hundreds of website projects and SEO campaigns, helping small and mid-sized businesses improve how they are found online.
Unlike an agency model where a business owner may speak with a salesperson before their account is handed to someone else, Jonathan remains directly involved in developing digital marketing strategies for Pittsburgh SEO Services clients.
His experience includes working through major changes in search—from the early days of website optimization and search engines to Google Maps, mobile search, voice search and today’s AI-powered search experiences.
Request a Free Consultation →2About
About Jonathan Crain
Jonathan founded Pittsburgh SEO Services in 2001, before Google, smartphones and social media became such a large part of how customers find local businesses.
What started with website development and early search engine marketing has changed considerably over the years.
SEO today involves much more than putting keywords on a webpage.
Jonathan’s work now brings together technical SEO, Local SEO, website architecture, content development, Google Business Profile optimization, reputation management, digital advertising and newer areas such as Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
One thing has remained consistent: the goal is to help businesses get found by the people who are actually looking for what they offer.
3Experience
Digital Marketing Experience
Jonathan’s experience includes hands-on work in:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Local SEO
- Technical SEO
- Keyword research and search-intent analysis
- Website design and development
- WordPress development
- Google Ads and PPC management
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Content strategy
- Online reputation management
- Conversion-focused website improvements
- Competitive search analysis
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
- AI search visibility
Pittsburgh SEO Services currently reports more than 500 websites built, thousands of keywords ranked and hundreds of SEO campaigns managed across more than 25 years in business.
4Perspective
More Than 25 Years of Watching Search Change
One of the advantages of working in SEO for more than two decades is seeing what lasts and what doesn’t.
Search engines have changed dramatically since Jonathan began working in digital marketing.
There was a time when websites could rank through relatively simple optimization techniques. Today’s search environment is considerably more complicated.
A business may need to be visible across traditional Google results, Google Maps, local search results, paid search and AI-generated search experiences.
Jonathan’s approach has changed along with search. That means looking beyond a single keyword or ranking and asking more important questions:
Are potential customers finding the business?
Is the website ranking for searches that can actually produce business?
Does Google clearly understand what the company does and where it operates?
Does the website demonstrate genuine experience and expertise?
Can search engines and AI systems understand the people, services and business behind the website?
Those are the questions that guide the work Jonathan does today.
5Approach
Jonathan’s Approach to SEO
Jonathan does not believe every business should receive the same SEO plan.
A local pest control company, trucking company, roofing contractor, healthcare provider and ecommerce business have different customers, competitors and search behavior.
Before deciding what should change, Jonathan looks at the business itself.
That typically means reviewing the website, existing Google rankings, competitors, search terms, service areas, content, backlinks, Google Business Profile and technical issues.
Sometimes a website needs substantially more content.
Sometimes it already has plenty of content but is targeting the wrong searches.
Sometimes an important service page is sitting on page two of Google and needs additional work.
Other times, the biggest problem isn’t SEO content at all. It may be the website structure, weak trust signals, poor local relevance, technical problems or an unclear conversion path.
The strategy should come from what the website actually needs—not from a predetermined checklist.
6Focus
SEO for Small and Local Businesses
Much of Jonathan’s work has involved small and mid-sized businesses.
That experience has shaped how Pittsburgh SEO Services approaches digital marketing.
A small business usually isn’t interested in traffic for the sake of having more traffic.
A contractor wants project inquiries. A pest control company wants service calls. A trucking company may need drivers, customers or owner-operators. A healthcare practice wants prospective patients.
That is why Jonathan focuses heavily on search intent.
Ranking #1 for a phrase that nobody searches—or that doesn’t match what the business sells—isn’t nearly as useful as being visible when a potential customer is actively looking for that company’s service.
7Local SEO
Local SEO Experience
Local search has become an especially important part of Jonathan’s work.
For businesses serving specific geographic areas, SEO needs to establish both what the business does and where it does it. That can involve:
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Local keyword research
- Service-area optimization
- Location and service pages
- Local business citations
- Customer reviews
- Locally relevant content
- Internal linking
- LocalBusiness structured data
- Consistent business information
- Original project and service-area content
Jonathan works with businesses throughout Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, as well as companies serving markets in Ohio, West Virginia and other parts of the United States. Pittsburgh SEO Services itself identifies its primary footprint as Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
8AI Search
SEO in the Age of AI Search
SEO is changing again.
People increasingly use conversational searches and AI-powered tools to research businesses, services and products. That includes Google AI experiences, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity and other answer engines.
Jonathan’s approach to AI search isn’t to abandon traditional SEO.
Instead, Pittsburgh SEO Services works on making businesses easier for both search engines and AI systems to understand through stronger entity information, useful first-hand content, clearly defined services, authoritative business information, structured data, local relevance and demonstrable experience.
Traditional SEO, Local SEO, AEO and GEO increasingly overlap.
The underlying goal remains the same: make it clear who the business is, what it does, where it operates and why its information deserves consideration.
9Website Design
Website Design Experience
Jonathan’s digital marketing background also includes website design and development.
Pittsburgh SEO Services reports having built more than 500 websites.
That website experience is important because SEO and website design shouldn’t operate independently.
A website can look good but perform poorly in search.
A website can also rank well but do a poor job converting visitors into customers.
Jonathan’s approach combines the two disciplines by considering search visibility, usability, page structure, content, calls to action, mobile performance and conversions when developing or improving a website.
10Educational Content
Content Written by Someone Who Does the Work
Jonathan is also the primary author behind many of the educational resources published by Pittsburgh SEO Services.
He has written hundreds of articles about website design, SEO and digital marketing.
The purpose of that content is not simply to publish more pages.
Where possible, articles are based on questions, problems and situations that come up while working on actual websites and marketing campaigns.
Topics include SEO strategy, Google rankings, Local SEO, website optimization, content development, digital marketing and changes in search technology.
View Jonathan’s Latest Articles →11Industries
Industries Jonathan Has Worked With
Over the years, Jonathan and Pittsburgh SEO Services have worked with businesses across a wide range of industries.
Experience includes businesses in areas such as home services, construction, healthcare, transportation, professional services, automotive services, travel, ecommerce and other local service industries.
Working across different industries provides an important perspective: the same marketing strategy does not work equally well for every business. The customer, location, competition, sales cycle and search intent all need to be considered.
12Results
Real SEO & Website Results
SEO experience should be supported by results.
Pittsburgh SEO Services maintains examples of previous website and SEO projects so prospective clients can see the type of work the company has performed.
Rather than judging an SEO campaign solely by the number of keywords ranking, Jonathan looks at whether the website is becoming more visible for searches that matter to the business. That may include improvements in:
Important keyword positions
Non-branded Google visibility
Local search visibility
Website traffic from qualified searches
Calls and contact-form submissions
Google Business Profile visibility
Conversions and leads
13The Company
Founder of Pittsburgh SEO Services LLC
Jonathan founded Pittsburgh SEO Services in 2001. The company was formally incorporated in 2005 and remains a locally operated, family-owned digital marketing business.
Today, Pittsburgh SEO Services provides services including:
Search Engine Optimization
Local SEO
Generative Engine Optimization
Answer Engine Optimization
Website Design
WordPress Development
Google Ads Management
Digital Marketing Strategy
Reputation Management
Jonathan remains directly involved in client strategy rather than simply serving as the public face of the company. The company’s About page states that he works hands-on with every client account.
Work With Jonathan Crain
If your website isn’t generating the visibility, rankings or leads you expected, Jonathan can review where it currently stands and identify opportunities for improvement.
Pittsburgh SEO Services offers businesses a free website consultation and Google search ranking report.