Full Transcript
Lauren: Okay, so imagine this. You open a business, you've got the sign up, customers are coming in, everything's going great. But then you Google your own business name, and you're not on the map. Like, nowhere. This actually happens all the time.
Honor: Welcome to the 805 Web Minute with Lauren and Honor... We make interwebs and website stuff make sense... Let's get into it.
Honor: Yeah, that's actually way more common than people think. And it's frustrating because you know you exist. Your store is right there. But Google doesn't seem to know.
Lauren: It's so weird! Like, why? She literally has a business!
Honor: Okay, so the biggest reason, and I mean the number one thing, is that she probably didn't verify her listing. You can create a Google Business Profile, fill in all your info, and think you're done. But Google won't actually show you on the map until you prove you're real.
Lauren: Prove you're real? Like, how?
Honor: They'll send you a postcard, or call you, or sometimes they'll ask you to do a video call where you literally walk around your business showing them the sign and the inside. It takes a few minutes. But if you skip that step, your listing just sits there in limbo.
Lauren: Okay, that's kind of annoying but also makes sense. What if she did verify though and still isn't showing up?
Honor: Then it's probably one of a few other things. A really common one is having a half-empty profile. Like, no description, no photos, no business hours listed. Google looks at that and goes, I don't have enough info to recommend this place to anyone.
Lauren: That makes sense. It's like a store with the lights off and no sign out front. You'd walk right past it.
Honor: Exactly. And here's a stat that blew my mind. 75% of businesses that show up in the top 3 on Google have filled out their profile description. Less than 40% of the ones ranked 11th or lower even bothered. So it actually matters.
Lauren: Okay, what else? You said a few things.
Honor: The other big one is picking the wrong category. Your primary category is literally the number one factor in how you rank locally. If you're a plumber but you picked Home Services as your category, you won't show up when someone searches plumber near me.
Lauren: Oh! So you need to be specific. Like Plumber, not just Contractor.
Honor: Exactly. Hair Salon, not Beauty. Be as specific as Google lets you. You can add secondary categories for other stuff you do, but that primary one needs to be dead on.
Lauren: Okay, what about reviews? Does that matter for showing up on the map?
Honor: Huge. Reviews are one of the three things Google looks at: how relevant you are, how close you are to the searcher, and how well-known you are. That last one, prominence, reviews are a big piece of that. Zero reviews tells Google nobody's talking about you.
Lauren: And 97% of people read reviews before choosing a local business. So even if you show up, no reviews means they're scrolling right past.
Honor: Right. And don't buy fake ones. Google catches them, and the penalty is way worse than just having no reviews.
Lauren: Okay so there's a quick one that I didn't think about. What if your business name or address doesn't match across the internet?
Honor: Oh yeah, that's a sneaky one. Your website says 123 Main Street, Yelp says 123 Main St Suite B, and your Facebook page has your old phone number. Google sees all of that, gets confused, and just doesn't show you.
Lauren: So you gotta make sure everything matches. Like, everywhere.
Honor: Identical. Not close. Identical. Google your business name, check the top 10 results, and fix anything that doesn't match.
Lauren: Okay, so most of this sounds like stuff you can fix yourself in an afternoon, right?
Honor: Honestly, yeah. Verification, filling out your profile, fixing your category, cleaning up your info online. You can knock all of that out today. Reviews take longer, but you can start asking your happy customers right now.
Lauren: And what if someone does all of that and they're still not showing up?
Honor: Then there might be something deeper going on. Duplicate listings, a suspended profile, or just really tough competition in your area. That's when it makes sense to get someone who does this for a living to take a look.
Lauren: That's the quick tip for today.
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Honor: There is zero setup fee, no contract, and it is strictly month-to-month, so there is zero risk. We're local here in AG, and we can get your site online in days, not months.
Lauren: Want to see what your site could look like? Go to YouGrow.pro right now, and we'll design three custom mockups for your business, completely free, no strings attached.
Lauren: Thanks for listening, and keep growing.