Do the free part yourself first
Some of what helps a local business get found costs nothing. Public programs teach some of it. Do these first, whether or not you ever hire anyone.
Five free steps
- Claim your Google Business Profile (steps). Search for Google Business Profile, claim your business and verify it. Choose the category that matches the main thing you sell. Local search specialists rank the primary category as the top factor for showing up on the map.
- Fill it in. Add your hours, the services you offer, your service area and real photos of your work.
- Use the same name, address and phone number everywhere (how). Your website, your Google profile and each directory should match.
- Ask real customers for reviews and answer the ones you get (how to ask). Do not pay for reviews, write them yourself or ask only happy customers. The Federal Trade Commission has acted against businesses for fake and filtered reviews.
- If you run lodging, dining, an attraction or an event, list it on Arkansas.com. It is the state tourism site, and the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension says listings there are free. A trades company is unlikely to fit there.
Free advising
The Small Business Administration supports small business development centers and SCORE mentors, which advise owners for free or at low cost. Ask your local chamber of commerce where the nearest one meets.
Where the website comes in
A Google profile points people to your site, and a site with no page for the service they searched gives them nothing to read. The other guides cover that, along with what a service page needs and whether your site is fast on a phone: why customers cannot find your website and how to check if AI names your business. The free site snapshot reads your site the way search engines do.
Questions
Do I need to pay anyone to set up my Google profile?
No. The profile is free, and you can set it up yourself.
Do you write or buy reviews?
Reviews have to come from your real customers. We tell you how to ask them.