How Local Customers Actually Find You on Google

Most local customers find you on a phone, in a few seconds, by typing something like “plumber near me.” Google then shows a short list of businesses. What appears next to your name on that list often decides who gets the call. You can’t control the searcher, but you can control a handful of things on your profile.

By Barry Scheurweghs, Sureway Marketing, Peoria, AZ

What do customers see before they call you?

Before anyone opens your website, they see your profile in the results. That usually means your name, star rating, number of reviews, hours, photos and category. If those look thin or out of date, you look like a risk next to a competitor whose profile is full. Google’s help page on local ranking lists business info, reviews, photos and replies to reviews among its tips, so these are the same things Google tells owners to work on.

How does Google pick which businesses to show?

Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance is how well your profile matches the search. Distance is how far you are from the searcher. Prominence is how well known you are, and Google says reviews and links from other websites feed into it. There’s no way to pay for a better local ranking. Google also doesn’t say how much each factor counts, so be wary of anyone who claims to know the exact weights.

What can I fix myself?

Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results. In plain terms, check these:

Category. Pick the one that says what you are. Google’s guidelines say to use as few categories as possible. See how to choose the right categories.

Hours and contact details. They should match what customers find if they show up or call. Our post on keeping your Google hours accurate covers holidays.

Photos. Real ones of your work, your location and your team.

Reviews. Real reviews from real customers, with a reply to each one.

Matching details elsewhere. Your name, address and phone number should read the same across the web. Here’s why matching name, address and phone matters.

Why do new businesses struggle to show up?

Often there are fewer reviews and fewer links pointing to the business, and Google says both relate to prominence. That doesn’t mean a newer business can’t appear. It means you should build a steady habit of earning reviews and keeping the profile complete. We cover that in what helps a new business show up on Google.

What should I do this week?

1. Search for your main service plus your city on your phone, in a private browsing window if you can.
2. Write down what appears next to your name and next to your top two competitors.
3. Fix any wrong hours, phone number or category in your profile.
4. Add at least five real photos.
5. Reply to every review you haven’t answered.
6. Text your review link to three recent happy customers.

Quick answers

Do I need a website to show up on Google?

Not to have a profile. Your profile can appear without one. A website still helps customers learn more about you, and links from other sites feed into prominence, per Google.

Is there a trick to rank first?

No. Google says you can’t pay for a better ranking, and it doesn’t publish the weight of each factor. Complete, accurate, honest information is what Google tells owners to focus on.

Does it matter where I am when someone searches?

Yes. Distance from the searcher is one of the three factors Google names, and you can’t change it.

How do I know what customers see?

Search for yourself on a phone and look at your profile the way a customer would.

Want to see how you look to a searching customer? Get the free marketing report, or read how we work as a Peoria marketing agency. For a closer look at the mix of factors, see how a Peoria business gets found next to Phoenix competitors.