Getting found in Google as a small business
Start with three things: a complete Google Business Profile, real reviews, and a website with clear text that says what you do, for whom and where. No trick, just what works.
Your Google Business Profile is step one
If there is one place with quick wins, this is it. Your Google Business Profile is that card that shows up on the right when someone searches for your business, or for your trade plus your town, with your address, opening hours, photos and reviews. It is free, and for local businesses often more important than your whole website.
Fill it in completely: address, phone number, opening hours, a few good photos and an honest description of what you do. Two things matter here. Use your real business name and do not stuff it with keywords, so not 'Jansen Painter Best Painter Enschede'. Google can even suspend your profile for that. And pick the right main category for your trade, because that is what you get found on.
Then keep the profile a little bit alive. A living profile with new photos and replies to reviews does better than one that has sat there untouched since 2022.
Reviews are your best advertising (and Google knows it)
Nothing convinces a new customer like someone else saying it went well. And Google treats reviews as a sign that you can be trusted, so they also help you rank higher. So just ask for them.
The simplest way is a moment at the end of the job: 'would you leave a review, it really helps me', with a link or a QR code. One thing matters to stay honest: ask everyone, not only the customers you already know are happy. Cherry-picking the happy ones is called 'review gating', and since 2025 it is against Google's rules.
Reply to the reviews that come in too, short and friendly. It shows there is a real person behind your business.
A site with clear text does the work
Your website does not have to be a work of art to get found. Above all it has to be clear. Spell out plainly what you do, for whom, in which region and roughly what it costs. Google reads that text and understands what you deserve to be found for.
A separate page per service, an about page and a short list of frequently asked questions do more than the prettiest homepage full of vague slogans. Write the way you would explain it to a customer, not in marketing speak.
Something else that counts: your site has to load fast, work well on a phone and be tidily built, so Google can read it easily. That is the technical part, and exactly where most business owners drop out. Luckily you do not have to do that yourself.
Being locally relevant, and why tricks backfire
Do you work in a particular town or region? Then just say so honestly in your text, and maybe make a page about the area where you are really active, with an example of a job you did there.
What you should not do is scatter dozens of near-identical town pages for places you never visit. Google calls that 'doorway' spam and penalises it. The same goes for all the other quick tricks you run into online: buying links, hiding keywords, or putting mysterious AI files on your site. It gets you nothing lasting and can actually earn you a penalty from Google.
What does work is boring and honest: a complete profile, real reviews, clear text, and being mentioned in trustworthy places like a trade site or the local news. It takes a bit of time, but it stays put.
And if you have no time or inclination for this
Honestly? Most business owners know this sort of thing well enough, but never get round to it because they are too busy with their own work. That is what we are for.
With every VoidTech website package we take care of the basics: clear, findable text, a site that is fast and tidily built, and we help you get started with your Google Business Profile and asking for reviews. No separate SEO bill, no expensive specialist, no tricks.
Just a site your customers can find you with, for one fixed amount per month that starts at 49 € with us.
Frequently asked questions
How long before I rank higher in Google?
Your Google Business Profile can bring in the first enquiries within a few weeks. Ranking higher with your website is a matter of months, because Google has to build up trust first. Anyone who promises you 'page 1 within a week' is selling you a fairy tale. Building it up calmly and honestly wins in the end, every time.
Do I have to pay for Google Ads to get found?
No, you do not. With a good profile, real reviews and a clear site you get found for free in the ordinary search results. Ads can give you a nudge if you want more enquiries quickly, but it is a choice, not a must. Always start by getting the free basics in order first.
Will I also be found by ChatGPT and other AI assistants?
Increasingly yes, and the good news is you do not have to do anything special for it. AI assistants pull their answers mainly from clear business sites with prices and frequently asked questions on them. Exactly the same clear, honest approach that helps you in Google helps you here too.