Show up on Google

Your site is live, but when people search for what you do, they don’t find you. This guide covers the basics that help Google understand your business and show it to local customers: your Google Business Profile, telling Google your site exists, and using the words your customers actually search for.

Before you start

• Your website, live on your own domain.
• A Google account you’ll use for the business. A shared business account is better than a personal one an employee might take with them.
• Your business name, address or service area, phone number, and opening hours, written exactly the same way they appear on your site.
• An hour now, then ten minutes a month.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

6 out of 10

Estimated completion time

2–3 hours, plus business verification and indexing waits

Skills you’ll need: Edit business profiles and page titles, verify site ownership, and check the published details against your real business.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

Accurate search information helps local customers understand what you do and reach the right website. Clear service pages and working contact details support the next step after discovery.

1. 1

   Step 1: Search for yourself first

   Open a private or incognito window in your browser so your own history doesn’t affect the results. Search for your business name. Then search for what you do and where, the way a customer would, like “plumber in Leeds” or “wedding cakes near me”.

   Write down what you see. Do you appear? Is your opening time, phone number, or address wrong anywhere? Which businesses show up instead of you? This is your starting point, so you can tell later whether things improved.

2. 2

   Step 2: Set up your Google Business Profile

   For a local business, this is the most important step. Your Business Profile is the box with your map pin, hours, photos, and reviews that appears in Google Search and Google Maps.

   Go to Google’s Business Profile page and search for your business. If a listing already exists, claim it. If not, create one. Google will ask you to verify that you run the business, often by video, phone, or post. The steps change from time to time, so follow what Google shows you on screen.

   • Use your real business name, with no extra keywords added. Google can suspend listings that stuff in extra words.
   • Pick the category that best matches your main service.
   • Add your website, phone number, hours, and service area or address.
   • Add real photos of your work, your premises, or your team.

   Tip: Make your name, address, and phone number match your website exactly. Small differences, like “St” on one and “Street” on the other, are fine, but a different phone number confuses customers and search engines.

   Illustrated exampleMake your Business Profile recognisably yours

   Example Business ProfileSmith PlumbingPlumber · Leeds

   Service area

   Leeds

   Phone

   0113 496 0123

   Hours

   Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00

   Website

   smithplumbing.example

   Same business, same details

   Compare the public profile with your website’s contact page.

   • Real business name
   • Correct phone and hours
   • Matching address or service area

   Use your main service as the category. Keep extra keywords out of the business name.

3. 3

   Step 3: Tell Google your site exists

   Google Search Console is Google’s free tool for website owners. It tells Google about your site and shows you which searches you appear for.

   Search for “Google Search Console”, sign in, and add your website. Google will ask you to prove you own it. Your website tool may have a built-in way to connect it, so search its help pages for “Google Search Console” first. That’s often the easiest route.

   Once you’re in, look for the option to submit a sitemap. A sitemap is a list of your pages that most website tools create for you, usually at yourbusiness.com/sitemap.xml.

   Tip: New sites can take a few weeks to start showing in Google. That’s normal. Search Console will show your pages being picked up over time.

   Illustrated exampleFrom your website to Google’s page list

   1. 1
      Add your websitesmithplumbing.example
   2. 2
      Verify you own itFollow your website tool’s Search Console instructions.
   3. 3
      Submit your sitemapUsually: smithplumbing.example/sitemap.xml

   A sitemap lists your pages

   • Home /
   • Boiler repairs /boiler-repairs
   • Contact /contact

   Submitting the list helps Google discover pages. New pages can take time to appear.

4. 4

   Step 4: Give each page a clear title and description

   Every page has a title and a short description that Google often shows in its results. If yours say “Home” or the name of a template, Google and customers learn nothing.

   A good title says what you do and where, plus your name: “Emergency plumber in Leeds | Smith Plumbing”. A good description is one or two sentences that make someone want to click.

   In a site builder, these are usually in each page’s settings, under “SEO”. SEO stands for search engine optimisation, which just means helping search engines understand your site. In an AI tool, use the prompt at the end of this guide.

   Illustrated exampleTurn “Home” into a useful search result

   emergency plumber Leeds

   smithplumbing.exampleEmergency plumber in Leeds | Smith Plumbing

   Leaking pipe or blocked drain? Smith Plumbing helps homeowners across Leeds. Call to check availability and arrange a repair.

   Title

   Emergency plumber says what you do. Leeds says where. Your name comes last.

   Description

   A specific problem, the area you serve, and a clear next action.

   Illustrated preview. Google may display different wording from your page.

5. 5

   Step 5: Use the words your customers search for

   Google matches searches to the words on your pages. If customers search for “boiler repair” but your site only says “heating solutions”, you’re harder to find.

   • Name each of your main services plainly, in the words customers use.
   • Mention the towns or areas you serve, in normal sentences.
   • Give each main service its own section or page, with a few short paragraphs about it.
   • Answer the questions customers often ask you, like prices, timings, and what’s included.

   Tip: Write for people, not for Google. Repeating a phrase over and over makes a page worse, not better.

6. 6

   Step 6: Ask happy customers for reviews

   Reviews on your Business Profile help customers choose you, and they’re part of how Google decides which local businesses to show.

   Your Business Profile has a link you can share to ask for a review. Send it to customers who are happy, soon after the job. Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly.

   Tip: Never buy reviews or offer something in return for a good one. It breaks Google’s rules and can get reviews removed.

Please help my website show up better in Google search. I’m not technical, so explain any changes in plain English.

My business: [what you do, in one sentence]
Where I work: [your town, city, or the areas you serve]
My main services: [list them, in the words customers use]
What customers type into Google to find a business like mine: [your best guesses, for example “emergency plumber Leeds”]

For each page on my site:
1. Write a page title under 60 characters that says what the page offers and where, ending with my business name.
2. Write a description under 160 characters that makes someone want to click.
3. Point out any place where my wording doesn’t match what customers search for, and suggest plainer words.

Don’t stuff in keywords or change the design. Show me the suggestions first and wait for my OK before changing anything.