Search Your Business Name on Google: A Five Minute Check
When was the last time you looked up your own business on Google?
It’s one of the first things a new customer sees, and it’s easy to let it slide out of date. Maybe your hours changed for the season, or you switched phone numbers and forgot to update it. If someone shows up while you’re closed or calls a number that doesn’t work, they might not try again.
One tip before you start: use a private or incognito window. When you're signed in to the Google account that manages your listing, Google shows you the owner view, with edit buttons and your own search history mixed in. An incognito window shows you something much closer to what a new customer sees.
In Chrome, that's "New Incognito window" (or "New Incognito tab" on your phone). In Safari, it's a "Private" window or tab.
Here's what to do:
Open an incognito or private window and search your business name on Google. Try it on your phone too, since that's where most of your customers are looking.
Look at your hours. Are they right for this week?
Tap the phone number and make sure it calls you.
Tap the website link and make sure it opens your site.
Scroll through the photos. If the newest one is a few years old, it might be time to add a fresh one.
If something's wrong, close the incognito window, sign in to the Google account that manages your listing, and you can usually fix it in a few minutes from your Google Business Profile.
If everything looks good, great! Set a reminder to check once a month, and any time your hours or information changes.
If you're not sure which account that is, or you can't get in, reach out or book a free call. Sorting out access is one of the most common things I help with!
Your Google listing is just one part of the picture. Your website and social pages are working for you too, even when you're closed. If you'd like to see how all of it is doing, take my 10-question quiz, How's Your Online Team Doing? You'll see your results right away, no sign-up needed.
