Mobi-Vac
A new site built around keyword planning, with tracking on every phone click and form and an optimised Business Profile. Every enquiry now arrives with its source attached.
Digital marketing for NZ small and medium businesses
Know which ads bring in the work.
I build websites that get found
I'm a digital marketing specialist for New Zealand small and medium businesses. I build websites, run SEO and Google Ads, and track every phone click and every enquiry back to where it came from. So you can stop paying for the stuff that doesn't bring in jobs.
About Obie Digital
Take the guesswork out of your online marketing
Obie Digital is a digital marketing service for New Zealand small and medium businesses. I build your website, then set it up so every phone click and every enquiry can be traced back to where it came from. Websites, tracking, Google Business Profiles, SEO and Google Ads all sit under one roof.
I'm Stephen, and I do the work myself. You deal with the person building your site, you get straight answers about what's worth spending money on, and if something isn't worth it, I'll tell you.
I keep it small on purpose. That means no account manager and no handing you off to a junior, and a report each month in plain English that says what happened and what to change next.
This is how I do it
Obie Digital covers what a New Zealand small or medium business needs to get found online and to know what's working: website design, phone click and form tracking, Google Business Profile, SEO and link building, technical SEO, AI search (AEO), Google Ads management and website hosting. Every build comes with the website, the tracking and your Business Profile sorted. The rest you can add when it makes sense.
SEO and link building
Getting you found on Google for the jobs you want, in the towns you work in. It starts with the basics done properly: page titles, a service page for each job and a page for each town you cover. Then I acquire backlinks, links from trusted local and industry sites back to yours, which show Google your business is worth recommending. Tracked, so you can see what it brings in. SEO takes time, so I'll tell you honestly what will help and what won't.
Google Ads (PPC)
Google Ads management for small business: ads built and run for you, with every enquiry traced back to the ad that got it. If your budget's too small to be worth it, I'll say so. I build the campaigns around the jobs you actually want, write the ads, pick the keywords and keep cutting the spend that isn't working. You see what each enquiry costs, not a page of clicks and impressions.
AEO and AI search
More people now ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity instead of searching Google. AEO (answer engine optimisation) is about getting your business mentioned and cited in those answers. I set up your pages and schema so AI tools can read and trust them, build the citations that get you named, and track the visits and referrals that come from AI tools in your monthly report. It's a small share of traffic for most businesses today, but it's growing.
Website design
Built for phones first, and quick to load on a patchy rural connection. Each page is built around the one thing a visitor should do next, whether that's ringing you, booking a job or asking for a quote. Clear pages, plain language and your own photos, so it looks like your business and not a template.
Technical SEO audits and fixes
A proper check of what's holding your site back in Google, and then I fix it. I look at crawl errors, page speed, redirects, broken links and mobile problems. I also apply the right schema markup, the code that tells Google what your business, services and reviews are, and clean page titles and meta descriptions on every page. You get a plain list of what I found and what I changed.
Website hosting
Fast hosting and a security certificate. I check that the site and your forms are working, so a broken contact form doesn't cost you a week of enquiries before anyone notices.
Tracking and analytics
Every phone click and form logged with the ad, search or listing that sent it. Set up in your own Google Analytics, so the data stays yours. Google Tag Manager (GTM), phone click tracking, form tracking and Google Analytics 4 are set up before the site goes live, so from day one you can see which ads, searches and listings bring in work. You get a report in plain English, and a Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) dashboard you can check any time.
Google Business Profile
Set up properly or tidied up, then kept current with posts and replies to reviews. It's the heart of local SEO, and often where the calls actually come from. That means the right categories, service areas, photos and opening hours, so you show up when someone nearby searches for what you do. For local trades and service businesses, it's often the first thing people see in Google Maps.
So tell me what you need
You don't have to take everything. Pick and choose the services you want and I'll tailor a package that suits your business and your budget.
Talk nowWhat lands in your inbox each month
Every month you get a plain-English report on the numbers that matter. Here's what's in it.
Conversions and leads
Every phone click, form and message, counted and traced back to the ad, search or listing that brought it in. It's the number that matters most, so it comes first in every report.
Traffic
How many people visited (users and sessions), how long they stayed, and where they came from: Google search, ads, social, direct or your Business Profile. So you can see which sources are worth your time.
Ads performance and ROAS
What you spent on Google Ads, what it brought in, and your return on ad spend (ROAS). If a campaign costs more than the jobs it wins are worth, you'll see it here and I'll say what to change.
Keyword rankings and organic positions
Where you show up on Google for the searches that matter to your business, and how that's moved since last month. Rankings take time to shift, so the report shows the trend, not just one number.
Google Business Profile performance
How often your profile appeared in Google Search and Maps, and how many people called, asked for directions or clicked through to your site from it.
AI referrals and citations
Visits that come from AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, and whether they're mentioning or linking to your business. It's a small number for most businesses today, but worth watching as more people ask AI instead of searching.
Recent work
Here's what I've built so far. Each job starts with one question: which enquiries do you want more of? From there I build the site, set up the tracking and run the ads around the answer.
Mobi-Vac was the first, an exterior cleaning business in Christchurch. Every phone click and form now arrives with where it came from, so they can see which ads are worth paying for and which aren't.
- Every phone click and form tracked back to where it came from
- Keyword planning, so the site and ads target what customers actually search
- Business Profile optimised, with Google Ads set up to match
- A monthly report on what's working
Want the same for your business?
Escea
I helped launch their new Webflow website. Then I ran a technical audit to make sure the right schema markup and meta information were applied on every page across seven country locales.
Your business could be next
Tell me which jobs you want more of and I'll show you how I'd track them.
Talk to me
Talk to this guy
Stephen, Obie Digital
Originally from Invercargill, I moved to Dunedin to study Marketing Management at Otago University. I worked in Dunedin for the last 8 years before jumping the ditch to try living overseas in Australia for a little bit. With 9+ years of experience in digital marketing, I have taught myself a lot of tools and skills that can help any business get the clarity and information they need to make the most of their digital presence. When you work with Obie Digital, you are working with me. The same guy delivering the day to day will be the same guy making the plans and picking up the phone.
- Website development, hosting and technical auditing, so the site stays fast and secure
- Improve organic ranking with a proper SEO strategy for the jobs and towns you want
- Tracking and reporting through GTM and GA4, so every phone click and form is traced to its source
- A Looker Studio dashboard with your Google Analytics, Business Profile, Search Console and Google Ads data in one place
- No account managers, no hand-offs. The strategy always stays aligned
- One focus: making sure that when you spend money, you make money
Tell me which jobs you want more of
And roughly what one of those jobs is worth to you. From there I can tell you what's worth spending, and whether I'm the right person for it.
Questions people ask
What do you actually do?
I'm a digital marketing specialist for New Zealand small and medium businesses. I build websites and set them up so every phone click and enquiry can be traced back to where it came from. That covers website design and hosting, tracking and analytics (GTM and GA4), Google Business Profiles, SEO and link building, technical SEO audits, AI search (AEO), and Google Ads. Every build comes with the website, the tracking and your Business Profile sorted. The rest you can add when it makes sense.
How can I get in touch?
However suits you: email, a Zoom call, or I'll ring you. I'm on the Gold Coast in Australia, two to three hours behind New Zealand, so I'll work around your day. Use the form above, or email stephen@obiedigital.co.nz.
Which searches can you help my business rank for?
The ones your customers actually type: the job you do plus the town you work in, like "roof washing Christchurch" or "first-home conveyancing Hamilton". I build a page for each service and each area you cover, then track what it brings in. SEO takes time, and anyone promising page one in a week is guessing.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Small and medium businesses across New Zealand, especially those with a local service: trades, cleaners, accountants, lawyers, dentists and similar. If people ring you or fill in a form to ask for a quote, I can probably help. Lawyers and dentists have advertising rules, so I'll check what you're allowed to say before it goes on the page.
How does pricing work?
The build is a one-off job: half up front, the rest when it goes live. After that, an optional care plan on a 3, 6 or 12 month term keeps the site up to date and the reports coming. Hosting, SEO and Google Ads can be added on. I'll quote it once we've talked about what you need.
Who owns the website and my data?
You do. Your domain and your Google accounts (Analytics, Ads and Business Profile) stay in your name, and the code is yours once it's paid for.
Do I need to give you access to my Google accounts?
Yes, at least Google Analytics. That's how the reports work, so it's the one thing I need. If you don't have a GA4 property yet, I'll set one up in your name during the build.
How will I know it's working?
You get a dashboard you can check any time (a Looker Studio dashboard with your Google Analytics, Business Profile, Search Console and Google Ads data) and a plain-English report each month, with the one change worth making next.
What if my ad budget is too small?
I'll tell you. If it's too small to be worth running Google Ads, I'd rather say so than take your money. Often the site, your Business Profile and SEO are the better place to start.