How to Get Your Business Found on Google in 2026 — A Complete Beginner's Guide

Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important action any local business can take for Google visibility. It is free, relatively quick to set up, and has a direct, measurable impact on whether you appear when people search for businesses like yours in your area.

Creating your Google Business Profile

Verifying your profile

Google requires verification to confirm you are the legitimate owner of the business. Verification options include:

• Postcard by mail: Google sends a postcard with a verification code to your business address. Takes 5–14 days. Most reliable method.
• Phone or email verification: Available for some businesses — Google calls or emails a code you enter immediately.
• Video verification: Google may request a short video showing your business location and equipment. Becoming more common in 2026 as Google combats fake listings.
• Instant verification: Available if your website is already verified in Google Search Console and the email addresses match.

Fully optimising your profile — the complete checklist

Once verified, the completeness and quality of your profile information directly influences how highly you rank in local results. Profiles that are fully completed outrank incomplete ones, all else being equal.

Your website is the home base that Google links to from your search listings. Before any SEO work can be effective, your website needs to meet a set of baseline requirements that allow Google to properly find, understand, and trust it.

Does your website have HTTPS?

Look at your website's URL in a browser. If it starts with https://, you have an SSL certificate installed and your site is secure. If it starts with http://, your site is flagged as "Not Secure" in browsers, Google treats it as a lower-trust site, and many visitors will leave immediately when they see the warning.

Almost all modern website hosting providers include a free SSL certificate (via Let's Encrypt). If your host does not, or you are unsure how to enable it, contact your hosting provider — it is a standard request that should take minutes to resolve.

Is your website mobile-friendly?

More than 60% of Google searches happen on mobile devices. Google uses mobile-first indexing — meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of your website to determine rankings. A website that looks fine on desktop but is broken, hard to navigate, or very slow on mobile is being ranked on the basis of that poor mobile experience.

Test your site at search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly. If it fails, your website theme or template is likely the cause — switch to a responsive theme (one that automatically adapts to different screen sizes). All modern website builders (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow) offer responsive themes by default.

Essential pages your website must have

Google uses the content of your website to understand what your business does, where it operates, and whether it is a legitimate, trustworthy business. The following pages are the minimum required foundation:

• Homepage: Clearly states what you do, who you serve, and where you operate — in the first screen of content, without scrolling. Includes your primary keyword naturally.
• Services pages: A dedicated page for each main service you offer. Not a single page listing everything briefly — individual pages allow each service to rank independently for its own keywords.
• Contact page: Full business name, physical address (even a service-area address), phone number, email, and a contact form. This NAP information must match your Google Business Profile exactly.
• About page: Who you are, your background, your experience. Google's E-E-A-T guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) reward websites that demonstrate genuine human expertise.
• Privacy Policy: Required by UK GDPR law for any website that collects user data (even just through a contact form or analytics). Required for Google Ads if you ever run them. Affects trust signals.

Your NAP must be consistent everywhere

NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. These three pieces of information must be absolutely identical on your website, your Google Business Profile, every directory listing, and every other online mention of your business.

Even small inconsistencies — "Street" vs "St", a missing space in the postcode, a landline on one listing and mobile on another — reduce Google's confidence in your business's legitimacy and suppress local rankings.

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google that shows you exactly how your website is performing in Google Search. It tells you which queries are showing your pages, which pages are indexed, what errors Google has found, and how your Core Web Vitals scores compare. Without it, you are working blind.

What to check in Search Console regularly

• Performance report: Shows which queries are showing your site, your average position, and click-through rates. Look for queries where you appear in positions 5–20 — these are pages with good potential that more optimisation could push to the top.
• Coverage report (Index): Shows which pages are indexed and which have errors. Fix any "Page not found" (404) errors or pages blocked from indexing that should be accessible.
• Core Web Vitals: Shows whether your pages meet Google's performance thresholds. Pages failing Core Web Vitals are flagged here with specific URLs to fix.
• Manual actions: If Google has taken a manual action against your site (penalising it for a policy violation), it appears here. For a new, legitimate business site this should be clean — but worth checking.

On-page SEO is the process of optimising the content and HTML of individual pages so that Google clearly understands what each page is about and can match it to the right search queries. Done correctly, it ensures that when someone searches for what you offer, your pages are the ones Google considers most relevant.

Keyword research — finding what your customers search for

Before optimising any page, you need to know which keywords to target. Keyword research is the process of identifying the specific phrases your potential customers type into Google when looking for your services.

Optimising your title tags — the most important on-page element

Your title tag is the HTML title of a page — the blue clickable headline that appears in Google search results. It is one of the most significant on-page ranking signals and directly influences whether people click your listing.

Writing meta descriptions that drive clicks

Meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor, but they are the short description that appears under your title in search results — and a compelling meta description significantly improves your click-through rate, which is itself a ranking signal.

A good meta description: is under 160 characters, includes your primary keyword, describes what the page offers, and contains a subtle call to action ("Learn more", "Find out how", "Book today").

Heading structure — H1, H2, H3

Every page should have exactly one H1 — the main title of the page — that includes your primary keyword. Subheadings (H2, H3) break up the content into logical sections and should include variations and related keywords naturally. Think of headings as the outline of your page — they help both users scanning for information and Google's algorithm understand the page's structure and coverage.

Content quality — what makes pages rank

Google's Helpful Content system rewards pages that demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). For a small business service page, this means:

• Content that fully addresses what someone searching for your service needs to know
• Specific, concrete information — not vague marketing language
• Evidence of real expertise — how long you have been doing this, what results you achieve, what your process is
• Trust signals — testimonials, credentials, case studies, your physical location
• Content that is genuinely more useful than competing pages for the same search

A local citation is any online mention of your business's name, address, and phone number — whether that is on a directory website, a social media profile, a review platform, or any other website. Citations are one of the key signals Google uses to validate that a business is real, legitimate, and located where it claims to be.

The more consistent and numerous your citations across authoritative websites, the stronger your local search presence becomes. Inconsistent NAP information across citations — even minor variations — introduces confusion that suppresses local rankings.

The essential UK directory listings to complete

Finding industry-specific citation opportunities

Beyond general directories, there are almost always industry-specific directories relevant to your sector that carry significant authority for local rankings in that niche. To find them, search Google for: "[your industry] directory UK" or "list of [your service] companies UK". Look for established, well-maintained directories with their own Google authority and submit your business to any relevant ones.

Google Reviews are one of the most significant factors in local search rankings — and uniquely among ranking factors, they are something you can actively influence through your own customer relationships. A business with 50 genuine 4.8-star reviews consistently outranks a competitor with 3 reviews, all else being equal. And that same review count is a powerful trust signal for potential customers who find you through any channel.

Why most businesses have very few reviews — and how to fix it

The main reason businesses have few reviews is simple: they never ask. Satisfied customers generally do not leave reviews unless prompted — not because they are not happy, but because it does not occur to them. Asking directly, at the right moment, with a frictionless path to doing it, changes this completely.

Getting your Google Review link

When and how to ask for reviews

The best time to ask for a review is immediately after a successful interaction — when satisfaction is highest and the experience is freshest in the customer's mind. The method that works best varies by business type:

• After completing a service: Send a follow-up message or email thanking them and including your review link — within 24 hours of completion.
• After a positive comment: When a customer expresses satisfaction verbally or in a message, respond warmly and ask if they would mind sharing that as a Google Review.
• On your invoice or receipt: Include a "We'd love your feedback — leave us a Google Review" note with your short link.
• QR code in physical materials: A QR code linking to your review page on business cards, flyers, or printed invoices provides a frictionless path for customers with smartphones.

Responding to all reviews — positive and negative

Responding to reviews is a ranking signal — businesses that respond to reviews rank higher than those that do not, according to multiple SEO industry studies. More importantly, how you respond to negative reviews is one of the most visible demonstrations of your professionalism to potential customers who are reading reviews before making a decision.

• Positive reviews: Respond warmly and specifically. Reference something from their review. Keep it brief — 2–3 sentences. Include your business name and a keyword naturally where possible (e.g. "Thank you — glad our laptop repair service was helpful").
• Negative reviews: Respond calmly, professionally, and without defensiveness. Acknowledge their experience, apologise for any genuine shortfall, and offer to resolve it offline. Never argue. A professional response to a negative review often impresses prospective customers more than the negative review itself deters them.

Every page on your website is a potential entry point from Google. A well-written blog post answering a question your customers regularly search for can rank on the first page of Google and bring in qualified visitors for months and years after it is published — without any ongoing cost or effort once it is live.

What content to create first

For a small business just starting with content, priority should go to:

• Service pages first: Before blog content, ensure you have a dedicated, well-written page for each of your main services. These pages target commercial intent searches — people actively looking for someone to hire.
• Location pages: If you serve multiple areas, a dedicated page for each geographic area — e.g. "Digital Advisory Services Manchester" — allows you to rank in each location's searches without competing with your own pages.
• FAQ content: Pages that directly answer the specific questions your customers ask — "How much does laptop repair cost?", "What is included in a digital advisory session?" — target high-intent searchers who are close to making a buying decision.
• Educational blog content: Guides, tutorials, and explainers around your area of expertise build topical authority and attract searchers at an earlier stage of their journey — people researching before they are ready to buy.

The content brief — how to write a page that ranks

Before writing any page, answer these questions:

1. What is the primary keyword this page targets? One per page — everything else is secondary.
2. What is the search intent? Informational (want to learn), commercial (researching services), or transactional (ready to buy)? Match your content format to the intent.
3. Who is the top-ranking page for this keyword and why? Search your keyword and analyse what the first-page results cover. Your page needs to be at least as comprehensive — ideally more so.
4. What unique perspective or experience can you add? Google rewards first-hand experience and genuine expertise. Your real-world knowledge of your industry is a competitive advantage that generic content cannot replicate.

Since 2021, Google has officially incorporated Core Web Vitals — a set of specific performance metrics — as ranking factors. These measure three aspects of user experience: how quickly the main content of your page loads (Largest Contentful Paint), how quickly your page becomes interactive (Interaction to Next Paint), and how visually stable it is during loading (Cumulative Layout Shift).

How to test your current performance

The most common speed issues and how to fix them

• Oversized images: The number one cause of slow websites. Images should be compressed before upload (use Squoosh.app — free, browser-based) and saved in WebP format where your platform supports it. Images should never exceed the display size they are shown at — a 4MB full-camera-resolution photo scaled down to 300px wide in the browser is a massive, unnecessary download.
• Too many plugins or scripts: Every WordPress plugin, analytics script, chat widget, and third-party integration adds loading time. Audit your plugins and remove anything inactive or unused. Use Google Tag Manager to consolidate tracking scripts.
• No caching: Caching stores a version of your website pages so repeat visitors do not have to reload everything fresh each visit. Most hosting providers offer caching — enable it. For WordPress, WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache are free and effective.
• Slow hosting: Budget shared hosting is often the cause of persistently slow load times that cannot be fixed by content optimisation alone. If your site scores consistently poorly despite image and plugin optimisation, consider upgrading to a faster hosting provider or a plan with more resources.
• Render-blocking resources: CSS and JavaScript files that load before the visible content of your page delay how quickly users see anything. Google PageSpeed Insights flags these and most are fixable through your hosting or WordPress performance plugin settings.

Backlinks — links from other websites pointing to yours — are one of Google's most important ranking signals. For a new or low-authority website, even a handful of quality backlinks from relevant, reputable websites can make a meaningful difference to rankings. You do not need hundreds of backlinks to start seeing results — you need a few good ones.

Backlink opportunities every small business can pursue

• Local business directories: The citation building in Step 5 generates backlinks as a side effect — every directory listing that includes your website URL is a backlink. Complete all the directories listed in that step before pursuing other link-building strategies.
• Suppliers and partners: Businesses you work with — suppliers, software providers, business partners, trade associations — are natural backlink opportunities. Many suppliers maintain partner pages or case study sections where they link to their customers. Ask whether they would be willing to feature your business.
• Local news and press: Local newspapers and online community publications regularly cover small business stories — new business launches, community involvement, interesting work or services. A well-timed press release or email pitch to your local news outlet can generate a high-authority local backlink and brand visibility simultaneously.
• Trade associations and chambers of commerce: If you are a member of a local chamber of commerce, trade body, or industry association, ensure your membership listing includes a link to your website. These are authoritative, trusted sites that pass significant link value.
• Guest content: Writing a useful article for a relevant blog, industry publication, or local business website in exchange for a link back to yours is an effective longer-term backlink strategy. Focus on websites that genuinely serve an audience overlapping with yours — relevance matters more than raw authority.
• Unlinked brand mentions: Search Google for your business name. If any website mentions your business but does not link to it, reach out politely and ask if they would be willing to add the link. These are easy wins because the site has already referenced you.

Without tracking, you cannot know whether your efforts are producing results, which activities are delivering the most value, or where to focus next. Setting up basic measurement takes less than an hour and gives you the data you need to make informed decisions about your SEO going forward.

The three tools every small business needs

• Google Search Console: Tracks your organic search performance — which queries show your site, click-through rates, average positions, and indexing status. Check the Performance report monthly to see which queries are improving and which pages are getting impressions but not clicks (a sign of good ranking potential that needs better title tags or meta descriptions).
• Google Analytics 4: Tracks overall website traffic and behaviour — where visitors come from, which pages they visit, how long they stay, and which traffic sources drive the most valuable visitors. Connect GA4 to your website via a small tracking code snippet (or a plugin in WordPress) and link it to your Search Console account for combined data.
• Google Business Profile Insights: Built into your GBP dashboard, this shows how many people searched for your business, how many requested directions, how many called from your profile, and which photos get the most views. Track these monthly to see whether your local visibility is growing.

What to track and how often