Get Found on Google: Local Business Basics

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is the box of information that appears on maps and next to local searches. Claim it, verify it and fill in every field: business name, categories, hours, phone number, website, service areas, a description in plain language and real photos of your work, your team and your location. Pick the main category carefully, since it tells Google what you are.

Keep it current. Update holiday hours, add photos regularly and answer the questions people ask. An unattended profile with old hours and no photos tells customers, and Google, that the business may not be paying attention.

Reviews are the proof

Reviews influence both who calls and how you rank. Ask every happy customer, soon after the job, with a direct link that takes them to your review page. Make it a normal part of finishing: “If you were happy, a review would mean a lot, and here is the link.”

Reply to every review, good or bad, in a calm, human voice. A thoughtful answer to a complaint can win more trust than a page of praise. Never buy reviews or write them yourself. It violates the platform’s rules, it can get your listing penalized and customers can tell.

A website that says what you do and where

A site does not have to be large, but it should be clear. The home page should say who you are, what you do and where, within a few seconds. Each main service deserves its own page that explains the work in depth: what it involves, how you do it, what affects the price, photos of finished jobs and the questions customers usually ask.

If you serve several towns, a page for each one that speaks about that town honestly, with real projects, real neighborhoods and real details, helps customers there find you. Pages that only swap the city name in a template do not help anyone, and search engines have learned to spot them. Write each page as if it were the only one.

Make the site fast on a phone, easy to read and easy to act on. A phone number that taps to call and a short form that works are worth more than any animation.

• Home page that states who, what and where
• One page per main service, written in depth
• Pages for the areas you really serve, each one unique
• Your phone number and a simple form on every page
• Reviews and photos of real work

Keep your listings consistent

Your business name, address and phone number should match everywhere they appear: your site, your Google profile, directories and social pages. Small differences, like an old phone number or a suite number that changed, create doubt. Pick one version and use it everywhere.

Search takes time. Do the basics well, keep adding real content and real reviews, and look at your results monthly instead of daily.