How to Get Your Business to Show Up on Google

Someone hears great things about your business and pulls out their phone to look you up on Google. Your name doesn’t appear. They scroll, shrug, and tap a competitor instead. It happens more often than most business owners realize. Research shows 76% of people who search for a local business visit one within 24 hours^[1]. They visit the one that showed up, not the one that didn’t.

Getting your business to show up on Google isn’t complicated, but it does require deliberate action. Here’s what to do.

Start Here: Claim Your Google Business Profile

The most important step is setting up your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). It’s the free tool that controls how your business appears in Google Search and on Google Maps. When someone searches “IT support near me” or “accountant in Chicago,” Google Business Profiles are what populate those results.

Visit business.google.com and sign in with a Google account. Search your business name to see if a listing already exists. If it does, claim it. If not, create one. You’ll need your business name, address or service area, phone number, website, and business category. Once submitted, Google will prompt you to verify the listing through a video recording, a phone or text code, or a postcard mailed to your address. Verification typically takes up to five business days.

Here’s the opportunity most businesses are missing: 56% of retailers still haven’t claimed their Google Business Profile^[2]. Your local competitors are likely in that group. Getting set up now puts you ahead before they catch on.

Fill Out Every Field (and Why It Matters)

Claiming your profile is step one. Completing it is where the ranking advantage comes from.

Businesses with a complete Google Business Profile get up to 7 times more clicks than those with incomplete ones, and a complete profile is 70% more likely to lead to a store visit^[2]. Google rewards completeness because it helps searchers make a decision.

Business Category

The most impactful field on your profile. Choosing the wrong primary category is the most damaging negative ranking factor in local SEO^[3]. Be specific: don’t pick “Services” when “Managed IT Services” or “Computer Repair Service” is available.

Description

Aim for around 70 words and include relevant keywords naturally. Businesses with keyword-rich descriptions see a 31% improvement in local pack visibility^[2].

Photos

Top-ranking businesses have over 250 images on their profiles^[3]. Start with at least 10 quality photos of your team, workspace, and services, then add more over time. An active, well-photographed profile signals credibility.

Posts and Updates

Profiles with regular post updates appear 2.8 times more frequently in the top 3 map results^[2]. Share promotions, news, or service highlights at least once a month.

Keep your hours accurate, especially around holidays. An incorrect “closed” status during business hours is a fast way to lose a customer before they ever call.

Reviews Are Your Ranking Engine

Ask any local SEO professional what moves the needle most for small businesses, and reviews come up every time. Review signals account for over 15% of how you rank in the local pack^[4], and businesses with 50 or more reviews and a 4.5-star average are 57% more likely to rank in the top local results^[2].

What matters isn’t just the total count. It’s consistency. Darren Shaw, founder of Whitespark, puts it plainly:

If your business isn’t getting new reviews consistently, your competitors will quietly pull ahead of you in the rankings. — Darren Shaw, Founder / Whitespark^[5]

Make asking for reviews a habit. Share a direct link to your review page (available in your Google Business Profile dashboard) with satisfied customers right after a job is done. Businesses that ask consistently tend to see roughly a 30-to-1 positive-to-negative ratio^[5].

Responding to reviews matters too. Businesses that reply to all reviews see conversion rates above 5.1%, and responding within six hours generates 38% more profile engagement^[2]. A short, genuine reply to a positive review (or a professional response to a negative one) tells Google and potential customers that your business is active and attentive.

Make Sure Your Business Info Matches Everywhere

When Google finds your business name, address, and phone number listed differently across the web (one version on Yelp, another on Facebook, a slightly different one on your website), it creates a trust problem. Google can’t confirm which version is correct, so it reduces your ranking potential.

This is called NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone), and 90% of local SEO experts say accurate citations are critical to local search ranking^[6].

Check your listings on Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and any industry directories. Every listing should use the exact same business name, address format, and phone number. If you’ve recently moved or changed your number, updating every directory promptly is essential. Even small inconsistencies like “St.” versus “Street” chip away at your standing.

Tools like BrightLocal or Moz Local can scan the web for citation inconsistencies and flag them for correction. For businesses working with a managed IT partner, this kind of online presence audit is a practical win that doesn’t require in-house technical expertise.

Your Website’s Role in Local Search

Your Google Business Profile and your website work together. Google reviews your website to confirm what your business does and where it operates, which reinforces your local ranking signals.

Start with the basics: include your city and region in your page titles, meta descriptions, and body content. A page titled “IT Support Services in Austin, TX” ranks for very different searches than “IT Support Services” alone. If your business serves multiple cities or neighborhoods, a dedicated page for each location can expand your reach.

Embed a Google Map on your contact page and include your business address in plain text. This reinforces your location to Google’s crawlers. Mobile performance matters more than many business owners expect. Nearly all local searches happen on phones, and a slow or difficult mobile site undermines every other step you’ve taken.

Building local backlinks also helps. A mention or link from your local chamber of commerce, a community sponsor page, or a local news outlet sends strong authority signals. For professional services businesses like law firms, insurance agencies, and accounting practices, this kind of community presence can make a measurable difference in local rankings.

What Is the Google Local 3-Pack and How Do You Get In?

When you search for a local business, a map typically appears at the top of the results with three business listings below it. That’s the Google Local 3-Pack, sometimes called the Map Pack. It’s the most valuable real estate in local search. Those three listings capture 40–50% of all clicks for local intent searches^[7], and businesses in the 3-Pack receive 126% more traffic and 93% more user actions (calls, website clicks, and direction requests) than businesses ranked below it^[7].

Google ranks the 3-Pack on three factors: relevance (does your business match what was searched?), distance (how close are you to the searcher?), and prominence (how well-known and reviewed is your business?).

The good news: a fully optimized Google Business Profile, a steady stream of reviews, and consistent citations can move you into the top three results faster than you might expect, especially in markets where competitors haven’t put in the work.

The stakes are real. 46% of all Google searches have local intent^[8], and 87% of consumers use Google to find local businesses^[3]. If your business isn’t appearing when people search, those customers aren’t waiting around. They’re finding someone else.

Getting set up on Google is something most business owners can handle themselves. Maintaining it (keeping listings current, managing reviews, ensuring website performance, and monitoring citations) takes consistent effort over time. If you’d rather focus on running your business, Inter-Quest’s IT services team works with small businesses to keep your digital presence running the way it should.

Ready to get visible? Contact Inter-Quest and we’ll help you get found where your customers are already looking.