Get found on Google

When someone nearby searches for "plumber" or "coffee near me," Google shows a short list of local businesses on the map and in the results.

You can't change your distance. You can do a lot about the other two, and most of it is free.

Your Google Business Profile is the box with your name, hours, map pin and photos that shows up in Google Search and Maps. It's free.

Verifying it tells Google you're allowed to represent the business, and Google says that makes you more likely to show up in results. You also need a verified profile before you can reply to reviews.

Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results. So fill in every field you can:

• your address, if customers visit you
• your hours, including holiday and special hours
• your business category
• details like parking, Wi-Fi or accessibility
• real photos of your work, your team and your space

Changed your hours? Update your profile the same day. It saves your customers a wasted trip, and saves you an unhappy review.

Reviews help in two ways. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and they help the next customer decide to call you.

• Make it easy to leave one. Google lets you share a review link or a QR code. Put it on receipts, invoices or a small card at the counter.
• Reply to every review you can. Google says replying shows customers you value their feedback. Replies are public and show under your business name, so keep them warm, even for the tough ones.

Your Business Profile links to your website, and your website does the rest of the convincing. A few basics make a big difference.

A clear title and a short description on every page. Google calls the headline of a search result the title link, and it often comes from your page's title. Google's SEO Starter Guide says a good description is short, unique to that page, and covers its most relevant points.

Real, useful information. List your services, the areas you serve, your prices if you can, and answers to the questions customers ask you every week.

A site that works on phones. Google uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking, so the phone version is the one that counts.

Google Search Console is a free Google service that shows how your website appears in Google. It tells you which searches bring people to your site, how often they click, and whether Google has run into any problems. You don't need it to show up in Google, but it's the best free way to see what's working.

So if anyone guarantees you the number one spot on Google, be careful. We don't make that promise either. What we do is build every site so Google can read it easily, with clear titles, useful pages and a design that works on every phone. Then good, honest work and happy customers do the rest.