How to show up on Google: a plain-English guide for small businesses

Showing up on Google is not magic, and nobody can buy a guaranteed first place. Google itself says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking ^[1]. What you can do is build the right foundations and then be patient. Here is what we would do, in order.

1. Claim your Google Business Profile

This is the free listing that appears on Google Maps and in the box beside local results. Fill in everything: your business name, categories, the areas you serve, opening hours, phone number, website and photos. Google says a complete and detailed profile helps it match you to what people are searching for ^[1].

2. Keep your details identical everywhere

Your business name, phone number and address (or service area) should read exactly the same on your website, your Google profile, Facebook and any directory. Small differences confuse people, and they confuse search engines.

3. Collect real reviews

Google lists reviews and ratings among the things that make a business more prominent ^[1]. Ask happy customers to leave a review straight after the job, and reply to every review, good or bad. A US survey of 1,141 consumers found that 75% say they always or regularly read online reviews and 81% use Google to read them ^[2].

4. Have a website that says clearly what you do

Your website is the one place Google can read about you in detail. Google's own beginner guide recommends a unique, clear title and description for each page, headings that organise the content, descriptive link text and images with proper alt text ^[3]. Each service you offer deserves its own section, or its own page. See how we set this up in our development service, which includes search-friendly structure from the start.

5. Make it fast and easy on a phone

Most local searches happen on a phone. Google and SOASTA found that 53% of mobile visitors leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load ^[4]. A fast, mobile-first site keeps the visitors you have worked so hard to attract. Our web design service is mobile-first for exactly this reason.

6. Get mentioned elsewhere

Links from other reputable websites, such as a local business directory, a supplier or a chamber of commerce, are a sign that you are well known. Google lists links from other websites as part of prominence ^[1].

7. Be patient

Google says that changes can take anywhere from hours to months to show up, and suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change worked ^[3]. It is worth the wait. Backlinko's analysis of more than 4 million Google results found that the first result gets about 27.6% of clicks and that only 0.63% of searchers click anything on the second page ^[5].

Where we come in

We build every site with these foundations in place, and we help with the Google setup. If you would like to know where your business stands today, message us and we will take a look, or read our FAQ on whether your site will show up on Google.