30Nov
Why ISN’T My Business Showing Up on Google?
One of the best ways to attract new customers and increase brand awareness is with Google. Did you know this powerful search engine gets 8.5 billion searches every day?
It’s not surprising many small businesses feel frustrated when they don’t see their business come up on searches.
Some of the most common reasons why your business isn’t showing up on Google are:
- You haven’t created a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
- Your Google Business Profile (GBP) isn’t verified.
- You need to index your website through Google Search Console.
- Your website isn’t focused on SEO keywords.
- You need to add a title tag and meta description to website pages.
This article is the ultimate guide to help get your business to show up on Google – so keep reading for quick solutions to these issues.
Why ISN’T My Business Showing Up on Google?
1. Create a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free tool that lets you directly manage and influence your business's appearance on Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping. GBP is an invaluable tool to improve your company’s visibility in Google searches.
Your Google Business Profile provides customers with essential information about your business, like the products and services you offer, your hours of operation, and where and how they can visit your business. Maintain your business profile with up-to-date information – and claim your business listing on Google Maps.
Read More: A Beginner’s Guide: How to Use Google Business Profile
2. Verify Your Google Business Profile
If your Google Business Profile isn’t showing up in search results, it may be because you still need to verify it. When creating your listing (or claiming an existing one), it’s essential to validate it.
There are several ways to verify your listing – phone, email, or postcard. Once verified, you can edit your listing and improve its visibility.
3. Index Your Website Through Google Search Console
The Google Search Console is another free service that Google provides. If you want your website’s contents to be included in search engine results, they need to be in the Google index.
What is the Google index? It’s a listing of all the web pages Google knows about. According to Google, “When Google visits your site, it detects new and updated pages and updates the Google index.”
You can do a Google Web Search for “site:mywebsite.com” to see which pages on your site are in the Google index. If you want more pages included in the Google index, you can submit indexing requests through the Google Search Console.
4. You Need to Add a Title Tag and Meta Description to Website Pages
Title tags and meta descriptions may not be a direct ranking factor, but they are essential for SEO. When used effectively, they optimize your pages and help convince people to click your link.
Title tags (page titles or SEO titles) and meta descriptions are HTML tags in a page’s header. They tell Google what a page is about and are one of the first things crawlers look at on a page.
Precise and well-crafted title tags and meta descriptions tell Google what keywords you want a page to rank for. They also appear as search snippets in search results. And great search snippets attract clicks that can turn searchers into customers.
5. Focus on SEO Keywords
SEO keywords are terms added to online content to improve your Google ranking for those words. Most keywords are discovered during the keyword research process.
Why are SEO keywords important? Your website can rank higher when you optimize your content around words and phrases that people are searching for. And ranking higher in the SERPs helps drive more targeted traffic to your website. Without the right keywords, SEO is almost impossible.
Read More: How to Choose the Right SEO Keywords
Need Help Getting Your Business to Show Up on Google?
At Impact Group Marketing, we have over 25 years of experience optimizing websites for maximum search engine placement. When you partner with us, our expert team will help you build a solid website foundation that ensures you get noticed by Google and other search engines. Contact us today to learn more about our digital marketing, website development, and business printing services. We’d love to help your business use SEO to increase traffic and make an impact in your industry!