If you’re a freelancer or small business owner, you’d probably love it if the website you worked hard on showed up on Google search. More than 53% of all website traffic comes from organic search, so if you’re not visible, you’re probably invisible.
Whether someone’s searching for a logo designer, a local coffee roaster, or a plumber who shows up on time, that search almost always starts with Google. That’s your shot to connect in the exact moment a customer needs you.
In this post, we’ll get into how to show up on Google search using practical, no-fluff SEO tactics. These are things you can actually do without needing to hire an agency. We’ll talk about mobile optimization, keywords that customers actually type, winning the local search game, and tools like Google My Business that give you an edge.
If you’re already using Bookipi to build your website, showing up on Google is how you can actually start getting traffic and turning searchers into paying customers.
How do you show up on Google search?
To show up on Google Search as a small business owner, focus on a few key actions that give you the most impact for your time.
- Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile. This is free and ensures your business appears in local searches, maps, and “near me” queries. Add photos, correct your hours, and encourage happy customers to leave reviews.
- Make sure your website is clear and mobile-friendly. List your services, location, contact info, and what makes you different. Use simple language that matches what your customers would search for (“dog grooming in Sydney” instead of just “dog grooming”).
- Keep your information consistent everywhere online. Your business name, address, and phone number should be the same on your website, social media, and business directories.
- Ask for reviews and respond to them. Positive reviews help you rank higher, and responding shows you care about your customers.
- Post updates or offers on your Google Business Profile. Even quick updates signal to Google that your business is active.
We’ll go through some of these in detail in the coming sections. Before that though, let’s first tackle a key concept you’ll need to know if you want to master local search and show up on a Google search in your area: keyword research.
What is keyword research and why does it matter for a small business?
Keyword research reveals how people use search engines to find businesses like yours. Yes, even (and maybe even, especially) small businesses. Keyword research analyzes the language your potential customers type into Google, exposing patterns, intent, and opportunity.
Targeting precise keywords aligns your content with user intent. That alignment tells Google, “This content answers that question,” which in turn lifts your pages in rankings.
Whether you’re a bakery in Denver or a dog groomer in Austin, you’ll only show up when you’re using the right terms at the right places.
Free and paid tools to conduct keyword research
Several platforms help unearth the phrases your audience types into search. Each offers unique strengths and levels of detail. Combine tools to cross-check relevance and volume.
- Google Keyword Planner: Directly connected to Google Ads, this tool offers estimated monthly search volume, competition levels, and keyword suggestions based on your URL or seed keyword.
- Ubersuggest: Provides keyword ideas, content suggestions, and SEO difficulty scores. Its visual interface makes research more intuitive for first-time users.
- Moz Keyword Explorer: Focused on organic SEO, Moz delivers keyword difficulty, opportunity scores, and SERP analysis that show who ranks and why.
Use local intent to attract nearby customers
Want nearby searchers to find you? Prioritize keywords with local intent. These include geographic qualifiers (“in Chicago”), informal proximity signals (“near me”), and service-specific terms (“plumber open now”).
To find these, enter base keywords into your research tool and look for modifiers. For example, searching “pizza” in Ubersuggest will return variations like “best pizza near me,” “pizza delivery Boise,” and “late night pizza downtown.”
Next, analyze monthly volume and CPC to spot high-reward phrases. Include high-probability keywords-those with decent volume but low competition-to capture searchers you can realistically win.
Strategically place your keywords across your website
Stuffing your content full of keywords no longer works. Placement matters more than frequency.
Focus including keywords in these high-value areas on your website:
- Headings (H1, H2): Google pays special attention to headings. Include your primary phrases there to signal page relevance. For your website, this can be the main heading on your homepage.
- Body Content: Use your target keywords naturally within the first 100 words of a page. Then, pepper them throughout different pages using variations and semantically related terms.
- Alt Text for Images: Alt text not only keeps your site accessibility-friendly, but it’s also a great place to sprinkle in your target keywords.
- Meta Title and Description: These fields shape how your link appears in search results. Clear, keyword-based descriptions increase click-through rates. With Bookipi’s AI website builder, an SEO-optimized meta title and description is done for you, but you can always make tweaks as you see fit.
The result? Pages that match searcher questions, stand out in rankings, and pull in qualified, actionable traffic.
How to claim and optimize your Google Business Profile to show up on Google search
If you’re a freelancer or small business owner, your Google Business Profile is your shot at free visibility in local search results.
When someone searches for your business name or a service you offer near them, your profile is what shows up on the right side of Google, in the Maps pack, and directly on mobile. It’s your digital storefront on Google.
How do you set up or claim your Google Business profile?
- Go to https://www.google.com/business/.
- Log in with the Google account you use for your business.
- If your business shows up, you can request to claim it. If not, click “Add your business to Google.”
- Make sure your business name, category, and location are accurate.
- Choose how you want Google to verify you. This could be via mail, phone, or email.
Verification can take a few days, depending on how you choose to do it. But once you’re in, you’ve got control over a pretty powerful way to attract nearby customers.
What are the best practices for optimizing your Google Business profile?
- Keep your business hours updated, especially during holidays or peak seasons.
- Select the right business categories. You can choose a primary category and a few additional ones. Be specific. “Graphic Designer” is better than just “Designer.”
- Add high-quality photos. Include your logo, team, workspace (if it’s relevant), and your products/services in action.
- Use the business description field wisely. Describe what you do, who you serve, and anything that makes you stand out, using plain language people actually search for.
Check in every few weeks. Are your hours still accurate? Got new images? Share updates so your profile feels alive and real because Google likes that.
Why does consistent contact info matter to show up on Google search?
Your Name, Address, and Phone number (called NAP data) must match exactly across your website, Google profile, and online directories.
If your website says “Suite 300” but your Google profile says “Ste. 300,” Google sees that as a mismatch. It can hurt your local ranking.
Keep track of changes and update them fast wherever your business lives online.
Submit your site on any popular online directories that you think customers in your area use. Some examples:
- Yelp: Still a go-to for service-based businesses, especially restaurants, freelancers, salons, and home services.
- Bing Places: Microsoft’s version of Google Business Profile. It helps you capture desktop searches and users on Microsoft Edge.
- Apple Maps: iPhone users rely on Apple Maps more than ever. Don’t skip this just because you’re team Android.
- YellowPages: It might sound retro, but it’s still indexed by search engines and ranks well for certain categories.
Can user reviews impact your search ranking on Google?
Google considers several factors for local search ranking, including relevance, distance, and prominence.
Prominence is influenced by how well-known a business is, and one of the signals Google uses to determine prominence is the number and quality of user reviews.
More reviews and positive ratings can help your business stand out and improve its local ranking in Google Search and Maps. Google weighs them heavily in its local ranking algorithm.
More reviews means more credibility. Higher star ratings means more clicks. And reviews that include keywords you’re targeting? Even better in Google’s eyes.
When customers search for your services, your average rating, total number of reviews, and big review keywords (like “logo design,” “custom woodworking,” “fast delivery”) can all boost you in the local pack.
Not to mention: reviews just build trust among customers. As high as 77% of consumers “always” or “regularly” read reviews before deciding to buy or hire, according to this Brightlocal report.
And the same study cites that up to 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all of its reviews. This means you should make it a habit to reply to every review to build that trust with would-be customers, not just to show up on Google search.
If you really want your business to show up on Google, then your Google Business profile is a great and easy place to start. Whether you’re booking gigs as a freelancer or running a busy coffee shop, showing up on the map makes sure people can actually find you.
What’s the right way to ask for online reviews?
- Pick your timing: Ask after a successful delivery, project wrap-up, or service that made a client smile.
- Be human: Your request shouldn’t sound like corporate PR. Bring it up in casual conversation like, “Hey, if you liked working with my business, would you mind writing a quick review on Google? We’d really appreciate it!”
- Link them in: Make it drop-dead easy to leave a review. Send your unique Google review link via email or SMS.
One thing I do? I always personalize the ask. Mention the work or result they got from us, and why their opinion might help others like them.
How should you respond to online reviews?
- Always say thank you: Even a simple “We appreciate your kind words!” goes a long way.
- Use first names if possible: Adds a personal touch.
- Be concise but specific: Acknowledge what they praised or pointed out.
- Address negative feedback professionally: Don’t get defensive. Apologize when it’s fair. Explain how you’re making things better. It’ll show you care.
Where should you send people to leave reviews?
Google is the top priority, but it’s not the only platform that counts. Depending on your industry, different platforms matter.
- Trustpilot or Yelp. Especially useful for service-based businesses or product sellers.
- Facebook. Still relevant for businesses with a social presence.
How can you reuse customer testimonials?
Turn strong reviews into conversion-boosting testimonials that you can use as marketing tactics. Real examples build instant credibility.
- Pull snippets. Take one-liners from 5-star reviews showing how your service helped them save time, get paid faster, or look more professional.
- Share reviews on social media. Customers aren’t just looking for info about businesses on Google. Social media can be a powerful channel to reach and engage with prospective customers, so use reviews as easy content ideas.
- Create a testimonials page: Highlight results that your customers received or their favorite parts of your service.
On Bookipi AI Website Builder, you can instantly create a customer testimonials section then copy the content from your Google Business Profile’s reviews.
Does a mobile-friendly and fast website help you show up higher on search engines?
Google’s made it clear that speed and mobile usability are ranking signals to show up on search.
So if your site isn’t optimized for smartphones or takes forever to load, you’re not showing up, at least not on page one. And let’s be honest, when was the last time you clicked to page two of search results?
Most people search on their phones. Over 60% of Google searches come from mobile devices in the US. Google knows this, so they use mobile-first indexing. That means the mobile version of your site is what determines your rankings, not the desktop one.
What does mobile-first indexing actually mean for a small business owner?
- Your mobile site is the default version Google checks. If it’s incomplete, clunky, or slow, your rankings take a hit.
- Responsive design isn’t optional anymore. Your site needs to work perfectly across screens, from iPhones to tablets to desktops.
- Speed matters more than you think. According to Google, 53% of mobile users leave a site that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
How do you design a mobile-friendly website?
- Use a clean, responsive layout. Avoid tiny fonts, horizontal scrolling, and overlapping content. Test how your site looks on different screen sizes.
- Declutter your menus. Keep navigation simple with a hamburger icon or dropdown that’s easy to tap.
- Avoid pop-ups that block the screen. They frustrate users and can hurt rankings if they slow things down.
And if you really don’t want to spend hours optimizing and doing it yourself, then build your website using Bookipi’s AI Website Builder. It’ll create a beautiful website in seconds, completely ready and responsive for mobile.
Try it free today and enjoy:
- Automatic mobile optimization. Your site looks amazing on every device without tweaking a single line of code.
- Real-time AI design assistance. Just describe what pages or sections you need, and let our AI create pages with pre-made copy and images ready for you to tweak to your liking.
- Fast load times baked in. No bulky plug-ins or bloated features to slow down your Bookipi website.
Create useful and relevant website content
If you’re trying to show up on Google search, you can’t afford to publish stale or generic content. Google wants to serve real content that answers user questions fast.
And if your website does that better than others, you get better visibility, more clicks, and ultimately more business.
What pages does every small business website need?
You don’t need 100 blog posts to outrank your local competitors, just the right few pages:
- Service pages: Break down each service you offer. Make each one its own page to rank higher on specific local searches.
- About page: Give people a quick overview of who you are, why they should trust you, and what sets you apart. Keep it personal.
- Contact page: This seems obvious, but a lot of people bury it. Use your physical address for local SEO, phone number, form, or live chat.
- FAQ section: Answer the questions your customers are asking before they call or email. Bonus: this can also cut down on repetitive inquiries.
- Testimonials: Write them out or use screenshots. Either way, people want proof that you do good work.
How can you keep your content fresh without spending 20 hours a week?
You don’t need to burn out writing. That’s where AI tools come in. At Bookipi, we built an AI Website Builder that lets you:
- Generate beautiful About, Contact, and FAQ pages in just a few clicks
- Create service descriptions that align with what your customers are actually searching on Google
- Quickly edit anything to suit your voice and audience
Think of it as a sidekick, not a robot replacement. You bring the know-how. AI speeds things up.
What will you try to show up on Google?
Whether you’re a solo freelancer, run a small team, or are still juggling a side hustle, showing up in Google search results puts you ahead of the competition that never bothered to take these steps.
- Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile. Get found in Maps, local packs, and “near me” results.
- Have a mobile-friendly site that loads fast and works across devices. Google ranks speed and usability higher than ever.
- Focus on local SEO. Use localized keywords and create content your community cares about.
- Nail the basics of on-page SEO, from H1s and meta titles to alt tags and internal links to help you optimize your website.
- Create content that actually helps people. Blog posts, how-to guides, service descriptions-answer real questions.
- Get listed everywhere that counts. Build citations on trusted directories to boost your authority.
- Ask happy customers for reviews-and respond to them. Every star counts.
You don’t need to master everything this week. Just pick one thing you can do today, like updating your Google Business Profile. Knock those out first, then work your way down the list. Consistency is where the magic happens.
Let Bookipi help you focus on what really matters
While you work on showing up online, Bookipi can take invoicing, expenses, and time-tracking off your plate.
- Invoice maker. Easily generate invoices with your phone or computer.
- Proposal maker. Instantly generate beautiful proposals for leads to win projects faster.
- eSignatures. Get any document signed electronically to save you and your clients time.
- Appointment scheduler. Get leads and customers to schedule appointments with you, and automatically sync to your calendar availability.
