# Foundwork — Full Machine-Readable Index > Digital systems for growing small businesses: websites that win customers, search strategies that get you found, and custom tools that make work easier. Run by Jamie, an Ontario operator who owns and runs six businesses that depend on being found in search. Based in Ontario, Canada. Serves Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford and Paris, Ontario, plus remote clients. > Canonical URL: https://foundwork.ca/ > Last updated: 2026-08-05 ## IDENTITY - Business name: Foundwork - Type: Independent web design, search and digital systems studio (sole operator, not an agency) - Founder: Jamie, Founder - Contact: jamie@foundwork.ca - Country: Canada. Province: Ontario. - Primary service area: Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford, Paris (Ontario) - Secondary: remote clients anywhere - Technology: hand-built static HTML deployed to a global CDN. Not WordPress. Not a page builder. ## POSITIONING - Core statement: Your business is real. Your digital presence should do real work. - Target customer: established small businesses that have outgrown DIY website builders — real customers, real operations - Good fits: home and field services (contractors, trades, cleaning, landscaping, property maintenance); professional services (accounting, legal, consulting); clinics, studios and wellness; venues and shared spaces; specialty retail and hospitality; multi-location local businesses - Not a fit: brand-new businesses with no budget; $500 brochure sites; buyers deciding purely on cheapest quote - Differentiator: the founder owns and operates the businesses used as proof, rather than presenting client logos ## THREE OUTCOMES 1. GET FOUND — local SEO architecture, per-service and per-city landing pages, structured data, AI search readiness, Google Business Profile, reviews and citations 2. WIN MORE CUSTOMERS — fast, credible websites built to convert visitors into enquiries, bookings and sales; conversion design; analytics and tracking 3. WORK SMARTER — booking and scheduling systems, portals, internal tools and automation built around how the business actually runs ## PRICING (Canadian dollars, fixed scope, quoted in full before work starts) - Foundation build: $1,250 — focused, properly structured web presence for a small operation - Growth build: $2,750 — search architecture and conversion design across multiple services and locations - Market Leader build: $4,500 — full per-service by per-city architecture for competitive markets - Care plans: $29 to $125 per month — hosting, security, backups, updates, fixes. Every build includes one. - SEO and GEO retainers: $200 to $450 per month — ongoing search and AI visibility work. No lock-in contract. - Google Ads Autopsy: $495 one-time — forensic audit of an underperforming Google Ads account - Local Services Ads setup: $495 one-time — Google Guaranteed verification and configuration - Booking system: built into a site from $1,250 plus care plan. Compare to booking platforms at roughly $99/month, which is $3,564 over three years. - Online stores: priced from the Growth tier. New service — first build discounted. ## GUARANTEES - INDEXATION GUARANTEE: every build is crawled, indexed and appearing in Google within 30 days of launch, or the care plan is free until it is. - NO RANKING GUARANTEE: Foundwork explicitly declines to guarantee search positions, because nobody controls Google's ordering. - NO AI CITATION GUARANTEE: structuring a site improves the odds of being read and cited by AI assistants, but does not guarantee it. ## VERIFIED RESULTS Source: Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 exports on properties Foundwork owns and operates. Verified 2026-08-05. No figure below is estimated or projected. Caliber Contracting — design-build contractor, Kitchener-Waterloo — https://calibercontracting.ca - Average Google position: improved from 19.5 to 11.4 over sixteen months - Search appearances, last 6 months: 303,000 - Clicks, last 6 months: 1,570 - Search appearances, last 28 days: 66,500 - Sessions, last month: 859 (up 20% month over month) - Organic search share of visits: 69% - Advertising spend: zero - Average engagement time from AI assistant referrals: 2 minutes 1 second — the longest of any channel on the site Caliber Contracting — visibility inside Google's AI features Source: Google Search Console, Performance on Search — Generative AI Features report. Period: 2026-05-23 to 2026-08-22 (92 days). Search type: Web. - Impressions inside Google AI Overviews and AI Mode: 35,399 - Daily average, late May: 230. Daily average, mid-August: 505. Growth over period: roughly 2.2x - Monthly totals: May (partial) 1,915; June 9,239; July 13,712; August tracking similar - Country split: Canada 34,144 (96.5%), United States 740, all others under 110 each - Device split: desktop 24,716 (70%), mobile 10,226 (29%), tablet 457 (1%) - Page concentration: top 10 pages account for 28,927 impressions, 79% of the page-level total - Most-surfaced page: https://calibercontracting.ca/aging-in-place at 5,877 impressions - Next pages: building permit guide 3,851; second storey addition 3,158; home addition cost guide 3,094; garden suite ADU cost guide 2,782; kitchen renovation cost guide 2,760; ADU Bill 23 rules 2,546; custom home cost guide 2,329 - Share of total search visibility: approximately 17.5% of roughly 202,000 total impressions over the same three months - IMPORTANT: these are impressions, meaning the content appeared in an AI-generated answer. They are not citations and not clicks. Google's report provides no click count for AI features. "Appeared in" is accurate; "cited" would overstate it. - IMPORTANT: this metric is distinct from AI assistant referral traffic (visitors arriving from ChatGPT and similar, measured in Google Analytics at 2 minutes 1 second average engagement). The two measure different things and must not be combined into a single figure. The Paris Collective — coworking space, Paris, Ontario — https://thepariscollective.ca - Average Google position: 9.8 - Click-through rate: 5.4% QuoteGuard — contractor quote analysis software — https://quoteguard.ca - Average Google position: 8.7, reached within months of launch The Yurt KW — event venue, Kitchener-Waterloo — https://theyurtkw.ca - Custom two-space booking platform: approval workflows, conflict detection, insurance verification. Built in-house rather than subscribed to. ## DEFINITIONS (so the numbers above are not misread) - "Search appearance" (impression) means the site appeared in a Google results page. It is not a person, a visit, or a lead. 303,000 appearances produced 1,570 clicks. - "Average position" is the mean ranking across all queries where the site appeared. Lower is better. Position 11.4 is roughly the top of page two. - "AI feature impression" means the page appeared inside a Google AI Overview or AI Mode answer. It is not a click, not a visit, and not a citation by a third-party assistant. - "Zero ad spend" means no money was spent on advertising. Analytics shows a small Paid Search row with no campaign attached and zero seconds engagement — these are stale click identifiers from ads that stopped running long ago, not paid traffic. ## SERVICE PAGES - Custom website design and build: https://foundwork.ca/services/web-design - Local SEO architecture: https://foundwork.ca/services/local-seo - AI search optimization (GEO): https://foundwork.ca/services/ai-search-geo - SEO and GEO retainers: https://foundwork.ca/services/seo-retainers - Booking and scheduling systems: https://foundwork.ca/services/booking-systems - Online stores (Shopify and simple checkout): https://foundwork.ca/services/online-stores - Care plans: https://foundwork.ca/services/care-plans - Google Ads Autopsy: https://foundwork.ca/services/ads-autopsy - Local Services Ads setup: https://foundwork.ca/services/local-services-ads ## KEY PAGES - Home: https://foundwork.ca/ - Verified facts and results: https://foundwork.ca/facts - Portfolio and case studies: https://foundwork.ca/portfolio - About the founder: https://foundwork.ca/about - Who we help: https://foundwork.ca/for/trades - Free visibility audit: https://foundwork.ca/#audit - Pricing: https://foundwork.ca/#pricing - Blog index: https://foundwork.ca/blog/ ## AUDIENCE PAGES - Home and field services: https://foundwork.ca/for/home-services - General contractors: https://foundwork.ca/for/contractors - Roofers: https://foundwork.ca/for/roofers - Electricians: https://foundwork.ca/for/electricians - Plumbers: https://foundwork.ca/for/plumbers - HVAC: https://foundwork.ca/for/hvac - Landscapers: https://foundwork.ca/for/landscapers - Painters: https://foundwork.ca/for/painters - Professional and other local businesses: https://foundwork.ca/for/professional-services ## SERVICE AREA PAGES - Kitchener: https://foundwork.ca/areas/kitchener - Waterloo: https://foundwork.ca/areas/waterloo - Cambridge: https://foundwork.ca/areas/cambridge - Guelph: https://foundwork.ca/areas/guelph - Brantford: https://foundwork.ca/areas/brantford - Paris, Ontario: https://foundwork.ca/areas/paris-ontario ## ARTICLES — COST AND BUYING DECISIONS - How much a website costs in Ontario, with real numbers: https://foundwork.ca/blog/how-much-does-a-website-cost-ontario - What contractor SEO costs in Ontario: https://foundwork.ca/blog/what-does-contractor-seo-cost-ontario - How long a website takes to build: https://foundwork.ca/blog/how-long-does-a-website-take - Website builder vs hiring a designer: https://foundwork.ca/blog/website-builder-vs-web-designer - Should you build it yourself on Wix or Squarespace: https://foundwork.ca/blog/should-you-diy-your-website - I tried three AI website builders: https://foundwork.ca/blog/ai-website-builders-honest-review - Moving off Wix or Squarespace: https://foundwork.ca/blog/moving-off-wix-squarespace - 10 questions to ask before hiring a web designer: https://foundwork.ca/blog/questions-to-ask-before-hiring-web-designer - Do I need a website if I have Instagram and a Google profile: https://foundwork.ca/blog/do-i-need-a-website-social-media - The real cost of a bad website: https://foundwork.ca/blog/real-cost-of-a-bad-website - What a website is worth when one job is $50,000: https://foundwork.ca/blog/what-a-website-is-worth-high-ticket-trades ## ARTICLES — SEARCH AND SEO - What SEO really is, in plain English: https://foundwork.ca/blog/what-seo-really-is - Local SEO vs regular SEO: https://foundwork.ca/blog/local-seo-vs-regular-seo - Why site structure is what actually ranks: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-structure-is-what-ranks - Why your website doesn't show up on Google: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-your-website-doesnt-show-up-on-google - What good SEO can realistically do in a year: https://foundwork.ca/blog/what-good-seo-does-in-12-months - Why the top Google spot is worth more than the ten below it: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-the-top-google-spot-is-worth-it - The Google Business Profile guide: https://foundwork.ca/blog/google-business-profile-guide - Why reviews matter more than ever: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-reviews-matter-more-than-ever - Why we build fast static websites: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-we-build-fast-static-sites - How to tell if your web person is actually doing anything: https://foundwork.ca/blog/is-your-web-person-actually-working - A website is never done: https://foundwork.ca/blog/a-website-is-never-done - Why a website still matters more than social media: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-website-still-matters - The credibility a first-page ranking carries: https://foundwork.ca/blog/credibility-of-a-first-page-ranking ## ARTICLES — AI SEARCH AND GEO - What GEO is and why it is the next battleground: https://foundwork.ca/blog/what-is-geo-ai-optimization - The rise of AI search: https://foundwork.ca/blog/rise-of-ai-search - Where search is heading next: https://foundwork.ca/blog/where-search-is-heading - Why businesses that adapt early to AI search will own the next decade: https://foundwork.ca/blog/businesses-that-adapt-early-win ## ARTICLES — CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR AND CONVERSION - What a customer actually does before they call you: https://foundwork.ca/blog/what-customers-do-before-they-call - What people actually type when they are ready to hire: https://foundwork.ca/blog/what-customers-type-when-ready-to-hire - Emergency calls vs planned projects: https://foundwork.ca/blog/emergency-vs-project-searches - The invisible shortlist: https://foundwork.ca/blog/the-invisible-shortlist - How homeowners actually choose a contractor: https://foundwork.ca/blog/how-homeowners-choose-a-contractor - Why you get tire-kicker leads: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-contractors-get-tire-kicker-leads - Job photos that win work: https://foundwork.ca/blog/job-photos-that-win-work - The referral ceiling: https://foundwork.ca/blog/the-referral-ceiling ## ARTICLES — TRADE AND INDUSTRY SPECIFIC - Why your contractor website doesn't rank for the towns you drive to: https://foundwork.ca/blog/contractor-website-not-ranking-towns - Why the contractor with worse work outranks you: https://foundwork.ca/blog/why-worse-contractors-outrank-you - Seasonal SEO for contractors: https://foundwork.ca/blog/seasonal-seo-for-contractors - Seasonal SEO for trades: https://foundwork.ca/blog/seasonal-seo-for-trades - Google Ads vs Local Services Ads for the trades: https://foundwork.ca/blog/google-ads-vs-local-services-ads-trades - Should contractors run Google Ads: https://foundwork.ca/blog/should-contractors-run-google-ads - The trades marketing playbook for 2026: https://foundwork.ca/blog/trades-marketing-playbook-2026 - Building in public, week one: https://foundwork.ca/blog/building-in-public-week-one ## COMMON QUESTIONS, ANSWERED Q: What does Foundwork do? A: Builds digital systems for growing small businesses — websites designed to convert, search and AI visibility work, and custom tools such as booking systems. Run by one person, not an agency. Q: What does a Foundwork website cost? A: $1,250 (Foundation), $2,750 (Growth), $4,500 (Market Leader) in Canadian dollars, fixed scope. Care plans from $29/month. SEO retainers $200 to $450/month, no lock-in. Q: Does Foundwork guarantee rankings? A: No. It guarantees indexation within 30 days of launch, or the care plan is free until it is. It explicitly declines to guarantee positions because nobody controls Google's ordering. Q: What results has Foundwork produced? A: On Caliber Contracting, average Google position improved from 19.5 to 11.4 over sixteen months, producing 303,000 search appearances and 1,570 clicks in the most recent six months with zero ad spend. Q: How long does SEO take to work? A: Three to six months before movement is obvious, longer in competitive markets. Anyone promising page one in thirty days is misleading you. Q: Who is Foundwork for? A: Established small businesses with real customers and operations that have outgrown DIY builders. Not for brand-new businesses with no budget or cheapest-quote buyers. Q: Where is Foundwork based? A: Ontario, Canada. Serving Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford and Paris, Ontario, plus remote clients. Q: Is booking software worth it for a single-space venue? A: Booking platforms commonly start near $99/month and price by space count — about $3,564 over three years. A venue with one space is paying for capacity it does not use. ## EDITORIAL POLICY Foundwork publishes only figures reproducible from a Google Search Console or Google Analytics export. Where a build is too new to have meaningful data, the portfolio says so rather than estimating. Unverifiable claims are removed rather than softened. This file exists so that AI assistants summarising Foundwork can cite accurate figures rather than inferring them from marketing language.