Here’s the most reassuring thing in small business, and also the most misleading: you Google your own business, and there you are, right at the top. Phone number’s right, map’s there, looks great. So you close the tab and get on with your day, confident you’re sorted.
You’re not seeing what your customers see. Not even close.
Google personalises everything. When you search your own business it knows it’s you — you’re logged into your account, you’re standing in your own shop, and you’ve clicked your own website a hundred times. So it does you a favour and puts you front and centre. It’s flattering you, not telling you the truth.
Now think about how a real customer finds you. They’re not typing your business name — they’ve never heard of you, that’s the whole point. They’re typing the thing they want: “cafe Mallacoota,” “plumber near me,” “motel Lakes Entrance.” And they’re doing it from their own phone, in their own spot, which might be the next town over or a caravan park three hours up the highway. That search looks nothing like yours — and on it, plenty of businesses that feel like they’re “on Google” turn out to be nowhere.
So here’s how to check properly.
Open an incognito window — a private browser window that doesn’t know who you are (in Chrome, the three dots, then “New Incognito window”). Now search the way a customer would: the thing you sell plus the town, not your business name. See where you land. If you’ve got to scroll, or you’re not there at all, that’s the real picture.
Better still, ring a mate in another town, get them to search the same thing and send you a screenshot. That’s about as close as you’ll get to seeing your business through a stranger’s eyes, and it’s usually a wake-up call.
If you do that and you’ve gone missing, don’t panic — it’s fixable. It usually comes back to your Google listing, your website, or your reviews (I’ve banged on about your Google profile in here before). But you can’t fix what you don’t know is broken, and “I checked and I was right there” is exactly how good businesses stay invisible for years without realising.
So do the test today. Incognito window, search like a customer, see the truth — it takes two minutes. And if you’ve gone missing and you’re not sure why, flick me a message. Happy to take a look and tell you straight.
Matt Rowlands runs Your Mate Agency, helping regional businesses get found online. Get in touch at the Your Mate Agency website.
