When someone needs a product or service, Google is still one of the first places they look. This step explains what they see when they search, and what you can do to show up. You’ll hear this called SEO, short for search engine optimisation. It simply means making it easy for search engines to understand, trust and show your business.
What’s on a Google results page?
Search for something like “plumber Geelong” and you’ll typically see a mix of:
- Ads, marked “Sponsored”. Businesses pay for these spots (step 10).
- The map, showing nearby businesses from their Google Business Profiles (step 5).
- Regular results, links to websites that Google thinks best answer the search. You can’t pay for these; they’re earned.
- Sometimes an AI-written summary at the top, called an AI Overview (step 8).
SEO is mostly about the map and the regular results.
The three things that help you show up
1. Relevance: do you clearly match the search?
Google needs to see that you offer what someone’s looking for, in the place they’re looking. Use the words your customers use (step 4) on your website: name your services plainly, mention the areas you serve, and give each main service its own page.
2. Trust: do others vouch for you?
Google looks for signs that real people and other websites trust you: reviews, accurate listings on directories, and links from other reputable sites such as suppliers, local associations or news articles. These build up over time.
3. Technical health: does your site work properly?
Your site should load quickly, work well on phones, be secure (the web address starts with https), and be easy for Google to read. You don’t need to understand the technical detail, but whoever looks after your website should be able to confirm these basics.
SEO takes time
SEO usually takes months, not days, to show results. That’s the trade-off: ads appear straight away but stop the moment you stop paying, while good SEO keeps working once it’s built. Many businesses use both, with ads for quick results while SEO grows.
Be wary of anyone who guarantees a number-one ranking. Nobody controls Google’s results.
A starter checklist
- Claim and complete your free Google Business Profile.
- Ask happy customers for Google reviews, and reply to every one.
- Make sure each main service has its own clear page on your website.
- Mention the suburbs or regions you serve, naturally, in your copy.
- Keep your business name, phone and address identical everywhere online.
- Ask your web person to confirm your site is fast, mobile-friendly and secure.
Back to your two questions
If your answer to question 1 is “show up when people search for what I sell”, this checklist is your starting point. Measure it against question 2: are more of those searches turning into enquiries?
Previous step: What makes a website work
Next step: What is AI search? How ChatGPT and Google’s AI choose who to recommend