Getting Found Locally: Google Business Profile and Website Basics, by Danielle Lemons

People searching for a local business look for a few consistent signals: a complete profile, accurate contact details and a website that matches both. This guide covers the basics to check first.

Confirm your profile exists and is verified

Make sure your Google Business Profile exists, that someone on your team manages it, and that it uses the name customers actually know you by. Verification is usually required before the profile can be fully managed, so finish that step early rather than leaving it for later. Google Business Profile basics for local businesses walks through what to check once the profile is live.

Match your name, address and phone number

Use the same business name, address and phone number on your profile, your website and every directory listing you control. Small differences, such as "Street" in one place and "St." in another, or two different phone numbers, can confuse both customers and search engines. Pick one format and use it everywhere.

Choose categories carefully

Pick a primary category that describes your main business as accurately as possible. Add secondary categories only where they truly fit what you offer. List your services in plain language that a customer would use when searching, not in internal jargon. Review the list whenever the services you offer change.

Keep hours and photos current

Update holiday and seasonal hours on your profile and your website at the same time, so the two never disagree. Add real photos of your storefront, your team and your work. Customers recognize real places and people more easily than generic stock images, and a profile with photos gives them a clearer picture before they call.

Read what your profile shows you

The profile includes insights about how people found your listing, what they searched for and what they did next. Check these every few months, and treat them as clues rather than scores. Reading your Google Business Profile insights explains which numbers matter for a small business and which ones to ignore.

Ask for reviews the simple way

Recent reviews suggest that a business is active and responsive. Ask customers soon after a job is finished, while the experience is fresh, and make the request easy with a direct link. Reply to every review, positive or negative, in a calm and specific way. How to ask customers for reviews offers a straightforward approach you can adapt.

Make the homepage say where you work

A visitor should understand within a few seconds what you do and which town or area you serve. Put that statement at the top of the homepage, with your phone number close by. What to put on your homepage above the fold explains the order to use.

Give each core service its own page

A separate page for each main service helps a person who searched for that service land on the right page. A single page that lists everything makes it harder for both visitors and search engines to match the service to the question. How many pages a small business website needs helps you decide how many pages to build and which to start with.

Check the site on a phone

Many people search for local businesses on their phones, so check your website there first. Load the homepage on cellular data, tap the phone number to confirm it opens the dialer, and submit the contact form. If any of those steps is awkward, fix it before anything else.

Keep the profile and the website in sync

Assign one person to review the profile and the website every month. Whenever the business changes, such as a new address, a new service or a new phone number, update both at the same time. Small mismatches can make a listing look unreliable, and they are easy to prevent.

Next step

If you are not sure where to start, begin with the profile, then fix the name, address and phone number everywhere they appear. To talk through your own listing or site, call Danielle at 615-861-9042 or email danielle@directech.net.

The Websites page describes the work Danielle does for small businesses.

Danielle Lemons is Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect. Her web design business, daniellelemons.com, is woman-owned and veteran-owned.