Look, if you own a business today and people can’t find you online, you’re in trouble. I’m not trying to scare you, but that’s just how things are now. When was the last time you looked something up in a phone book? Exactly.
Your customers are on their phones all day. They’re googling everything. “Pizza near me.” “Best plumber in town.” “Hair salons open Sunday.” If you’re not showing up in those searches, they’re calling your competition instead.
Where Your Customers Are Looking
Here’s what happens when someone needs what you sell. They pull out their phone and start searching. Maybe they ask Google. Maybe they check Facebook. Some people look at reviews on Yelp or ask friends for recommendations.
The point is, they’re not driving around looking for signs anymore. They’re not flipping through the Yellow Pages. Everything starts online now, even if they end up walking into your store.
You need to be where they’re looking. All of those places. Because you never know which one they’ll check first.
Starting With the Basics
Your website doesn’t have to be fancy. It just needs to work. People should be able to figure out what you do in about five seconds. They need your phone number, your address, and your hours. That’s it.
Make sure it works on phones. I can’t stress this enough. More than half the people looking at your website are on their phones. If it’s hard to read or takes forever to load, they’re gone.
Google Business is free, and it’s probably the most important thing you can do. When people search for businesses like yours, Google shows a map with local options. You want to be on that map. Upload some photos. Get your customers to leave reviews. It makes a huge difference.
Pick one social media platform and stick with it. Don’t try to be everywhere. If you’re a restaurant, Instagram works great because people love food photos. If you fix cars, Facebook might be better. Just pick one and use it regularly.
Talking to People Online
Stop trying to sell all the time. Nobody wants to follow a business that only talks about how great their products are. Share useful stuff instead.
Let’s say you fix air conditioners. Post about how often people should change their filters. Share what weird noises mean. Give people tips they can actually use. When their AC breaks down in July, guess who they’re going to remember?
Write like you talk. Don’t use big words to sound smart. Don’t write like a robot. If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a customer standing in front of you, don’t put it online.
Keep It Simple With Tools
You don’t need to spend a fortune on fancy software. Google gives you free tools to see who’s visiting your website. Facebook shows you how many people saw your posts. Start there.
The biggest mistake people make is trying to do too much too fast. They sign up for every app and platform, then get overwhelmed and quit. Pick one thing. Do it well. Then add something else.
Being consistent matters more than being perfect. It’s better to post something decent twice a week than to post something amazing once a month and then disappear.
When You Need Help
Sometimes you realize you’re in over your head. Maybe you tried everything and it’s not working. Maybe you’re too busy running your business to learn all this marketing stuff. That’s okay. Lots of successful business owners get help.
Good marketing people know what works and what doesn’t. They’ve seen the mistakes everyone makes. They can save you time and money by doing things right the first time.
Plus, this stuff keeps changing. What worked last year might not work now. Facebook changes their rules. Google updates how they rank websites. It’s hard to keep up with everything when you’re trying to run a business too.
If you’re ready to get serious about growing online, check out helpful resources like Cricsport’s business growth guide. They break down what actually works and can connect you with people who know what they’re doing.
Just Start Somewhere
Don’t overthink it. Just pick one small thing to do this week.
Maybe it’s claiming your Google Business page.
Maybe you post on Facebook a few times.
Maybe you ask your last five customers to leave a review.
Just pick one and do it.
Next week, do another one.
Keep going, one step at a time. Small actions add up.
Watch what’s working. Are more people calling? Are they saying they found you online? That means it’s working.
It takes time, but if you keep showing up and helping people, more customers will come. And they’ll tell others too.
Need a little help? You can boost your online presence with Garage2Global.
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