How to get your business on Google (and show up locally)
Getting your business on Google comes down to three things: a Google Business Profile, a website that tells Google what you do and where, and reviews from real customers. The profile is free and takes an evening. The website is what makes the profile rank — and Sorted Online builds that website for you at £15 a month.
Step 1: Claim your Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your name, address or service area, hours, photos, and reviews in Google Search and Maps.
- Go to Google Business Profile and add your business name.
- Choose the right categories — a primary category plus a couple of secondary ones. Be precise: "Electrician", not "Contractor".
- If you work from your van, choose a service-area business and list the towns or postcodes you cover. Do not show a home address you do not want public.
- Add your opening hours and a phone number.
- Verify the profile. Google will ask for evidence, which usually means a code by post, phone, or video depending on the business.
- Add photos of real work, and keep adding them.
Step 2: Point it at a real website — on your own domain
A Business Profile with no website converts far worse, and Google uses the site to understand your business. The domain matters: yourbusiness.co.uk reads as established; a free or shared address does not.
Sorted Online registers your own domain, publishes a website that names your services and your towns, and sets up forwarding email on that domain — so your Google profile, your website, and your email address all match. When they match, customers trust the result and Google can connect the three.
See what a website costs and business email on your own domain.
Step 3: Get reviews, then answer them
Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals, and they are the proof that wins the click. Ask every customer, at the moment the job finishes:
- Ask in person while gratitude is fresh, then send one link by text or email.
- Make it easy: send the direct review link, not instructions to "find us on Google".
- Reply to every review, good or bad. A calm, professional reply to a bad review often does more good than three five-star ones.
Step 4: Keep your details consistent
Use the same business name, address, and phone number on your website, your Google profile, and any directory listing. Inconsistent details split your reputation and confuse Google. A single website on your own domain is the anchor that keeps everything consistent.
Step 5: Post and update occasionally
A Business Profile post when you finish a notable job, plus a fresh photo or two, keeps the profile active. It does not need to be a marketing campaign — one honest update a month is enough at the start.
How long it takes
The profile can be verified in days. Ranking in the local map pack usually takes weeks to a few months, and it compounds: the longer your site and reviews are consistent, the stronger they get. This is why the website matters on day one, not month six.
Next step
Start your website so your Google Business Profile has somewhere trustworthy to point. £15 a month, your own domain and forwarding email included, nothing to pay today.
See also a website for a builder and the help centre for domain and email questions.