From Invisible Online to Being a Top AI-Recommended Deck Builder

Deck and dock builder in Raleigh and more of North Carolina.

When Branson Raynor came to us in April 2023, RaynorShine Construction was already three years in, fueled by Branson’s lifelong carpentry skills and relentless work ethic.

But being skilled with a saw didn’t make him visible online. The truth was brutal: just 12 organic clicks a day. In a world where homeowners make decisions on page one of Google, Branson wasn’t even in the conversation.

It wasn’t just about growth. He didn’t want to be the cheapest deck guy in town or run crews cutting corners. His vision was clear: high-end outdoor living spaces that carried his name with pride.

But his small town was poor. Most requests were for $8k wooden decks around above-ground pools. The right clients, the ones willing to invest in composite builds, lived 30–40 minutes north of him.

But without a strong online presence, he couldn’t break into those markets.

Worse, he had just burned $40,000 with another agency. A $12k “professional” website and a $3,500/month retainer that looked polished but produced nothing. “It just looks nice,” Branson said. “Doesn’t do me any good if nobody’s going to it.”

That failure cut deep. He’d trusted the experts. He’d done his part. And all he got in return was silence.

No calls.

No jobs.

No way forward.

That was Day 1.

The day Branson stopped guessing, stopped bleeding money on hype, and chose to build a business that would finally work as hard as he did.

“I spent the money, you know, $10 – $12,000… I can’t remember what it was, on what looks like a nice website. […] But that’s the thing. It just looks nice. Don’t do me any good if nobody’s going to it, nobody’s visiting it, if it’s not doing its thing.”

Branson Raynor – Owner of RaynorShine Construction

Tired of paying for “pretty” marketing that doesn’t work?

Pivot #1: Laying The Digital Foundation

The first battle wasn’t leads. It wasn’t even ads. It was trust.

Branson had already spent over $40,000 on marketing the year before, including $12,000 on a “professional” website and $3,500 a month with another marketing agency.

The site looked polished, but it didn’t rank, didn’t convert, and didn’t feed the business.

So before we could build him a pipeline, we had to rebuild the foundation.

We moved RaynorShine’s website off its overpriced host ($500/month for maintenance that wasn’t happening) and rebuilt it for $3,000 flat. This wasn’t a cosmetic redesign, it was about function:

It gave Branson something he’d never had: confidence that his site was finally an asset, not a liability.

Pivot #2: The First Local SEO Wins

By early 2024, the silence started to break.

For years, Branson had been invisible online. His website was just a brochure nobody saw.

His Google profile was a ghost town.

Unless you already knew him, you couldn’t find him. And that invisibility reinforced the doubt: maybe he really was stuck building $8k decks in a town that couldn’t afford more.

Then the first breakthrough hit. Homeowners in Coats pulled out their phones, typed “deck builder near me,” and there it was: RaynorShine, right at the top.

Not buried. Not on page two. #1.

“Deck builder.” #1.

“Deck installation.” #1.

“Dock construction.” #2.

For Branson, it wasn’t just a ranking. It was the first time strangers, people who didn’t know his family, who hadn’t been referred, were picking up the phone and calling him directly.

That shift gave him something he never had before: certainty.

Certainty that the strategy was working.

Certainty that he could reach beyond his small hometown.

Certainty that he could aim north into higher-value markets where the real money jobs were waiting.

This was the moment he went from hoping to knowing.

And once you know, you can’t go back.

First In Line Where It Matters Most

Ranking #1 for “Deck Builder” in Coats means Branson isn’t one of many options. He’s the first call. Every map search now turns into booked estimates, because trust starts with being seen first.

Showing up #1 for “Deck Installation” proved RaynorShine doesn’t just build nice decks: they’re the default choice for installs too. Visibility and credibility work hand in hand.

While most competitors fight over “deck builder,” RaynorShine quietly claimed #2 for “dock construction.” That win means diversifying services and broadening revenue, with Google doing the introductions.

Pivot #3: Using Ads to Push Growth on His Own Terms

By summer 2024, Branson had proof his business could finally be found.

Organic leads were steady.

Jobs were coming in.

For the first time, he wasn’t chasing every low-margin call; the phone was ringing because people searched, and RaynorShine showed up.

But May was always his busiest month. And this time, he wasn’t satisfied to just ride the wave. He wanted to make it bigger.

That’s when he made the decision that separates contractors from business owners: he chose to take control of demand.

Instead of asking, “Will this season be good?” he asked, “How good can I make it?”

He raised his ad budget deliberately, putting his name in front of more homeowners at the exact moment they were most likely to buy. Not recklessly, this wasn’t throwing money at clicks. It was amplifying a foundation that was already working.

The results weren’t just more calls. Ads became the lever that let him:

It was the pivot from waiting on opportunities to creating them.

From hoping for a good season… to ensuring one.

This was the moment Branson stopped thinking like a contractor grinding through summer and started acting like a business owner steering the entire year.

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Let’s create demand instead of waiting for it.

Pivot #4: From Survival Mode to Real Business Freedom

By mid-2025, RaynorShine wasn’t just busy. It was booked. Leads came in steadily. The schedule stretched months ahead.

For the first time, Branson had the leverage to hire the help he’d wanted for years: a project manager to take weight off his shoulders.

That single move changed the game.

Because stability doesn’t just make you more money. Stability gives you back your time.
For years, Branson dreamed about heading out west to spend time with his brother. But survival mode doesn’t allow for dreams.

When you’re the only one holding everything together, stepping away feels impossible. If you’re not on the job site, you’re answering calls, quoting jobs, chasing referrals, or just hoping nothing slips.

In the fall of 2025, he finally did it. He stepped away. Not because he was burned out. Not because the work dried up. But because he could.

The system kept running in the background:

That’s the real pivot. Not leads. Not rankings. Not even revenue.

The real pivot is when your business stops owning you… and you start owning your business.

For Branson, freedom meant heading out west without fear the house of cards would collapse. For you, it might mean weekends back with your kids, or the confidence to plan a vacation without checking your phone every ten minutes.

Whatever it looks like, the point is the same: business freedom is possible when you build an engine that works even when you’re not.

Pivot #5: From Local Builder to Recognized Authority

Winning your hometown is one thing. Becoming the name technology itself recommends is another.

By 2025, RaynorShine wasn’t just showing up for “deck builder Coats, NC.” When homeowners asked AI tools who to hire, RaynorShine was on the list.

That’s not a fluke. That’s authority.

It’s the difference between competing for attention… and being chosen by default.

For Branson, that authority shifted how prospects treated him. He wasn’t just another estimate. He was the trusted name. That meant less price shopping, higher close rates, and the confidence to expand without fear.

And for contractors reading this, it shows the full arc: you don’t just build visibility. You build a brand that Google, AI, and the market itself start to enforce on your behalf.

Picked As The Go-To In The Age Of AI

When homeowners ask Google what to put under their deck, RaynorShine shows up with the answer. That’s proof of authority. Instead of chasing clicks, Branson now owns conversations before they even reach a competitor.

AI can now highlight RaynorShine by name. That means Branson’s reputation is now baked into the tools homeowners use to choose who they’ll trust. Top-rated, pre-recommended, already believed.

When someone in Fuquay-Varina asked Perplexity who to hire, RaynorShine was the answer. Being listed alongside competitors is one thing. Being chosen by AI as a top recommendation is next-level proof.

The End of One Story, The Start of Another

In April 2023, Branson was invisible online, burned by a $40k mistake, and stuck building cheap jobs in a town that couldn’t afford more.

By 2025, he was something else entirely:

That’s not just more leads. That’s a new identity. From survival mode to freedom. From hoping to knowing.

And here’s the point: Branson isn’t an outlier. He didn’t get lucky. He installed a system that any contractor can install, one that compounds month after month until the business serves you, instead of the other way around.

So ask yourself:

Thirty days from now, you’ll still be thirty days older. The only difference is whether you’ll be thirty days deeper into invisibility… or thirty days closer to being the obvious first call in your town.

Branson made the choice to stop guessing and start owning his market.

What about you?

Move From Builder To Business Owner