Free guide for new businesses

Get found online: the starter checklist.

Just opened your doors? These ten steps, in order, help customers find you on Google. Most are free, most take under an hour, and none need tech skills.

Start the checklist

97%

of people read reviews before choosing a local business.1

89%

expect the owner to reply to reviews.1

#1

factor for showing up on Google Maps: your main business category.2

The checklist / 01–10

Ten steps, in order.

Tick them off as you go. Your progress stays on this device.

0 of 10 done

Day one: claim your name

  1. Short, easy to spell, and easy to say out loud. A .com if you can get it. Register it in your own name, so it stays yours. Then set up an email at it ([email protected]): it looks far more trustworthy than a free address.

    About $10–20 a year. Skip stuffing keywords into the name: Google says they make little difference.3

  2. This is the listing that shows up on Google Maps and in "near me" searches. It's the single most important free step. Verify it, so Google knows you're the real owner.

    Free at google.com/business.

  3. Choose the most specific category for what you are ("Plumber", not "Contractor"). Add a few more only if they truly fit. Use your business name exactly as it appears on your sign: no extra keywords or town names, which break Google's rules.4 Work from home or at customers' homes? Hide your address and set a service area instead.

Week one: be everywhere customers look

  1. Hours (including holidays), phone, website, services, a short description, and real photos of your work, team or storefront (not stock photos). Google says complete, accurate information helps you match more searches.5

  2. Not everyone uses Google: iPhone users get directions from Apple Maps and Siri, and plenty of people search with Bing. Each listing is free and quick to set up.

    Free at Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and a Facebook business page.

  3. Write them once and copy and paste them, word for word, into every listing and your website. Mismatches ("St." in one place, "Street" in another, an old number) confuse Google and customers.

Weeks one and two: a website that works

  1. Most local searches happen on phones. You need one clear page per main service, the towns you serve written out, a tap-to-call phone number, and one obvious next step ("Call", "Book", "Get a quote"). Give each page its own title and short description, written for people, not stuffed with keywords.3

  2. It shows which searches find you, tells Google about your pages, and warns you about problems.

    Free at search.google.com/search-console.

From then on: earn trust

  1. Copy the review link from your Business Profile and text or email it right after the job, or print it as a QR code. 68% of people only choose businesses rated 4 stars or more.1

    Never pay for reviews or offer a discount in exchange: Google bans it, and the FTC can fine businesses for fake reviews.6

  2. Thank good reviews, and answer bad ones calmly with an offer to make it right. Once a month, add new photos or a short update, and keep your hours current: being open when someone searches helps you show up.2

Skip these. Google says they don't help.

  • Paying Google for a better spot on Maps. "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking."5 Ads are a separate, paid thing.
  • A "meta keywords" tag, or repeating keywords. Google ignores the tag, and keyword stuffing breaks its rules.3
  • A magic word count. There isn't one. Useful beats long.3
Rather have it done for you?

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Sources

  1. BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026.
  2. Whitespark, 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors (survey of local search experts).
  3. Google Search Central, SEO Starter Guide.
  4. Google, Guidelines for representing your business on Google.
  5. Google, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.
  6. Google, Read and reply to reviews; FTC, rule banning fake reviews (2024).