The short answer
A Fitzroy maker or studio working from home needs an SEO agency that understands online stores, service area listings and small budgets, not just shopfronts. Our agency covers all of that in house, reports on sales and enquiries, works month to month and leaves every account in your name. Ask any agency the same questions.
Workshops in the back room
Behind Fitzroy's shopfronts there's a quieter business community. Ceramicists, jewellers, illustrators, printmakers, textile designers, photographers, freelance developers and small design studios work from spare rooms, back sheds and shared studios in the terraces between Brunswick Street and Nicholson Street. Many sell at the Rose Street market on weekends, supply a few local shops and run an online store the rest of the week.
These businesses don't fit a standard SEO proposal. There's no shop for customers to visit, so a normal map listing is either wrong or impossible. Sales happen online, at markets and through stockists, often in other states. Budgets are small and the owner does everything, from making to packing to posting on Instagram.
What they need from search is specific. Product pages that rank for what they make. A listing, if any, set up as a service area business with the address hidden. And someone who can explain the options plainly without selling a retainer the business can't carry.
What to ask when you work from home and sell online
Do you work with online stores?
Many agencies focus on local service businesses. If you sell products, ask to see how they handle product pages, collections and shopping feeds.
What will you do about my address?
The right answer is to keep it private. If they suggest a virtual office to look like a shop, that breaches Google's guidelines.
How will you measure success?
For a maker, it's online sales and wholesale enquiries. Rankings are secondary.
Can the work fit a small budget?
Ask what they'd prioritise with a limited spend. A good agency will pick a few things and say what to skip.
Who does the work?
Some agencies pass work to freelancers. Ask who writes your product descriptions and who fixes your site.
What happens if I stop?
Your store, content and analytics should stay in your name.
How we'd handle a Fitzroy maker's account
We're a Shopify Partner and work with online stores regularly. We keep your address private, set up a service area listing only if it makes sense, and focus on product and collection pages that match how buyers search. Reports lead with sales and enquiries. Our own staff do the work, retainers are month to month, and if your budget is small we'll say what we'd do first and what can wait. Read more about our SEO services.
Where search helps a studio based business
Most home based makers get little from the map pack, because customers don't visit. The bigger opportunity is organic search for products and techniques, like "handmade ceramic planters" or "custom wedding rings melbourne", which can reach buyers anywhere.
For service businesses, like photographers and designers, a service area listing still helps with local searches around Fitzroy, Collingwood, Carlton and Brunswick. Competition there is mixed, and many creative operators rely on Instagram alone, which leaves room for a well built site.
Other areas we cover
We also work with makers and studios in Collingwood, Carlton, Fitzroy North, Brunswick and Abbotsford, and with businesses in Cremorne. The full list is on our service areas page.
Our first steps with a maker or studio
Look at how you sell
Online, at markets, through stockists, or all three. That decides the priorities.
Audit the store and listings
Product pages, collections, site speed and any listings you have.
Fix and build the key pages
Starting with your best selling products and the searches that bring buyers.
Report on sales and enquiries
Monthly, in plain language, with next steps.
What makes us a fit for small studios
No lock in contracts.
If a market season is quiet, you can adjust your spend month to month.
A skilled development team.
Our developers work on Shopify, WordPress and custom builds, so your store changes don't need a separate supplier.
Real client reviews.
Read our 4.9 from 96 reviews before deciding.
"I'm a one person business. Can I afford an agency?"
Maybe. We'll look at your numbers in the audit and tell you straight if it's not worth it yet.