Portland SEO Agency for Service Businesses: Found on Google and in AI Search
Built for the way buyers actually search in 2026. We help service businesses across the Portland metro get found by Google, cited by ChatGPT, and chosen by the clients searching for them right now.
not a junior team.
What is Just By Design?
Just By Design is a founder-led SEO and AI visibility agency serving Portland service businesses. Founded in 2001 in Bend, Oregon, we help businesses across Portland, Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Tigard, and the surrounding metro get found on Google and recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, all built on our four-pillar visibility framework.
What Portland service businesses actually need from a marketing agency
Portland is a saturated agency market. Most local clinics, real estate teams, trades, and professional firms end up choosing between agencies built for someone else and freelancers who can’t connect strategy to growth.
- Big creative shopsWieden+Kennedy and the national agencies compete for national brands with national budgets.
- Mid-tier agenciesChase lifestyle and consumer accounts, with retainers sized to match.
- FreelancersTalented, but rarely able to tie SEO, design, and AI visibility into one growth plan.
- Just By DesignBuilt for the gap: senior strategy and clean execution for service businesses, without agency-of-record retainers.
Who we work with in Portland
Portland service businesses with strong fundamentals and clear ambition. These three industries are where our work hits hardest in the metro market.
Real estate and home services
Portland buyers research everything before they pick up the phone. We build websites and content that rank for high-intent Portland and metro searches, then turn those visitors into booked appointments.
Medical, dental, and wellness
Portland patients compare providers carefully and often start with AI assistants and Google Maps. We help clinics, dental practices, and wellness providers show up in local search, get cited by AI, and convert visitors into new patient bookings.
Construction, trades, and design
From custom builders to interior designers to specialty trades, metro project budgets are large enough that buyers do their homework. We make sure your site, reviews, and local presence reinforce each other so the right buyers find you first.
Four services, one strategy
Each pillar reinforces the others, so your visibility compounds instead of fragmenting across vendors.
AI visibility and answer engine optimization
We make sure ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and other answer engines can find, understand, and cite your business. Built on our four-pillar framework: structure, authority, citability, and distribution. Most Portland agencies aren’t doing this yet.
Portland SEO and local search
Google is still where most of your future Portland clients start. We optimize your site, Google Business Profile, Maps presence, and citations so metro searches lead to you, not to the agency three blocks over.
Web design that converts
Your website is the deciding factor in most first-time client decisions. We build clean, fast, custom WordPress sites designed for SEO, mobile, and conversion, with no plugin bloat and no template lock-in.
Brand strategy and content
Visibility doesn’t matter if buyers don’t trust what they find. We sharpen your messaging, build content that proves your expertise, and align your brand across every touchpoint before they book.
Clear starting points so you can tell quickly whether we’re a fit. Custom WordPress builds with SEO, schema, and AI visibility structure from day one. Ongoing visibility in Google and AI search. 6-month initial term, then month to month or annual (save 10%). Positioning, messaging, brand voice, and a visual identity refresh that every website and campaign builds on. Ongoing social media management and content that stays consistent with your brand. Every engagement starts with a free 30‑minute consult.
Pricing for Portland SEO and AI visibility
Website build or redesign
SEO and AI visibility
Branding
Social media
How JBD compares to other Portland marketing agencies
| DIY platforms | Freelancer or agency | Just By Design | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You do | Rotating juniors | Justine, directly |
| Strategy approach | Templates | Generic playbook | Custom to your market |
| Local market knowledge | None | Limited | Deep Pacific Northwest experience |
| SEO and AI visibility | Basic or none | Traditional SEO | SEO, AEO, and GEO |
| Who owns the work | Locked to platform | Varies | You own everything |
| Reporting | Confusing dashboards | Monthly PDFs | PDFs plus plain-English overviews |
| Long-term support | Forums and chatbots | Until the contract ends | Ongoing partnership |
How we work together
Discovery and audit
A free 30-minute consult. We learn what you do, who you serve, and where the visibility gaps are. You walk away with insight regardless of what you decide.
Strategy and roadmap
We map your AI visibility, SEO, and conversion priorities into a clear plan. No bloat. Only the work that moves the needle.
Build and launch
We design, write, and develop the site, content, and search infrastructure your business needs. You stay in the loop. Justine stays on the work.
Optimize and grow
We track what’s working in Google and AI search, refine quarterly, and scale the wins. Most clients stay with us for years, not months.
Just By Design key facts
- Founded
- 2001 in Bend, Oregon
- Service area
- Portland metro, Lake Oswego, Bend, Central Oregon, Coeur d’Alene
- Specialty
- AI visibility for service businesses
- Approach
- Founder-led, no junior handoffs
- Platform
- Custom WordPress
- Engagement
- Retainers from $1,250/month; websites from $6,500
Justine Kingston
Founder and Creative Director, Just By Design
Justine founded Just By Design in 2001 and has spent more than 25 years in digital marketing, SEO, and content strategy. She’s known for combining clear thinking, creative direction, and real-world practicality to help service businesses grow with clarity and confidence.
A University of Oregon graduate who has called Oregon home for over 40 years, she leads every project personally, working with a close-knit team of expert creatives and developers.
Frequently asked questions about Portland SEO
Do you work with Portland businesses?
Yes. We work with service businesses across Portland and the metro, including Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, West Linn, Milwaukie, and Gresham. Most work happens virtually, with the same hands-on, founder-led approach wherever you are.
How long does it take to rank in Portland?
Most of our clients see meaningful movement in 90 to 180 days, with compounding results over the following year.
How is JBD different from Portland’s bigger agencies?
Big Portland agencies like Wieden+Kennedy are built for national brands with national budgets. We are built for Portland service businesses that need senior strategy, clean execution, and measurable visibility without paying agency-of-record fees.
How is AI visibility different from Portland SEO?
SEO gets you ranked in Google. AI visibility gets you cited in answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.
How much does SEO cost with a Portland SEO agency?
Our SEO and AI visibility retainers come in two packages: Growth at $1,250 a month and Accelerate at $1,950 a month. Which one fits depends on how competitive your market is and how many services or locations we’re targeting. Every retainer starts with a 6-month term, then continues month to month or annually, with annual plans saving 10%.
Will I work with you directly, or a junior team?
You work with Justine, the founder, directly. No handoffs, no rotating account managers.
What if I already have a Portland website?
Many of our clients come to us with a site that looks fine but isn’t ranking in Portland search, isn’t converting, or isn’t being cited by AI. We start with an audit that shows exactly what’s holding it back, then decide together whether it needs a fix or a rebuild.
Do you offer month-to-month SEO contracts?
After the first six months, yes. SEO and AI visibility need that initial runway to show results, so every engagement starts with a 6-month term. From there, you can continue month to month or switch to an annual plan and save 10%.
Who is the best SEO company in Portland?
Honest answer: it depends on what you need. National agencies like Thrive serve enterprise budgets. Portland creative shops like Thesis and Watson are great for lifestyle and consumer brands. Just By Design is built for Portland service businesses that want senior strategy, AI visibility expertise, and a founder who answers her own emails. If that fits, let’s talk. If it doesn’t, we’ll point you to the agency that does.
Where we work in Portland and the metro
We serve service businesses across downtown Portland, the Pearl District, and Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Portland, plus the surrounding metro communities.
- Lake Oswego
- Beaverton
- Hillsboro
- Tigard
- Tualatin
- West Linn
- Milwaukie
- Gresham
- BasedBend, Oregon, serving Portland metro clients
- Emailjustinek@justbydesign.com
- Phone541.526.3406
- HoursMonday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM
Ready to be the Portland business buyers actually find?
A free 30-minute consult shows you where your visibility stands today across Google, AI search, and the Portland metro market, and what it takes to move it.