Is My MarketingWorking? Show me where to start

Practical business guide

Help nearby customers find the right business information

Check Google Business Profile eligibility, fix the free basics and decide whether local-search software would add anything useful.

The short answer

Start with accurate information, not a paid ranking tool. Google Business Profile is free, but it is not for every business.[4] Google generally requires in-person customer contact during stated hours; online-only businesses are among its ineligible examples, with limited exceptions set out in its guidance.[3]

Which route fits?

Google Business Profile: free basics

First choice for an eligible business that needs accurate information on Google Search and Maps; the profile itself is free.[4]

Watch out: Not a route for an online-only business that fails Google’s eligibility rules. Do not expect payment or a tool to buy a better organic local ranking: Google says that is not possible.[3][5]

View the official details

Website information and an enquiry log

Start here for any business, including online-only businesses that are not eligible for a profile. Explain what you sell, where you operate and how to contact you.

Watch out: A manual log is directional evidence, not complete attribution. Do not turn a handful of remembered sources into a precise marketing-return claim.

Use the practical steps

BrightLocal Local Rank Tracker

Consider once the basics are accurate and you need repeatable monitoring of selected local search terms and locations. BrightLocal documents local ranking reports.[10]

Watch out: Skip it if you only need to correct hours or contact details. Monitoring reports do not improve rankings by themselves or establish that new sales came from search.

View the official details

Official links are direct and untracked. No commission is earned from them. These are researched starting points, not hands-on product tests or guaranteed results.

A useful way to start

  1. Check eligibility before creating or changing a profile. If you operate only online, do not invent a customer-facing address; focus first on clear information on your own website.[3]
  2. For an eligible business, review the existing profile before adding another. Correct the real business details, category, phone number and normal and special opening hours. Google recommends complete, accurate information.[5]
  3. If you visit customers but do not serve them at your business address, remove the public address and use your genuine service area. Follow Google’s service-area rules rather than presenting a home as a shop.[6]
  4. Add current photographs and check that the website’s location or service information matches what you actually provide. Check phone, directions and enquiry links yourself; fix broken or misleading details first.
  5. Keep a simple enquiry log: ask how customers found you and record whether enquiries became useful work. Only consider ongoing rank monitoring when you have a specific location or search question to answer. A ranking change alone does not prove more sales.

What this looks like in practice

Illustrative example, not a customer case study: An independent retailer finds that its holiday hours are wrong and its website still shows an old telephone number. Correcting those details is the first job. It only considers paid monitoring later, if it needs to understand visibility for particular product searches in its town.

Sources and limits

Check the provider’s current features, limits and terms before deciding. The example is illustrative, not a customer case study.

  1. Google generally requires in-person contact during stated hours; its policy lists online-only businesses as ineligible and explains exceptions. Source checked 2026-09-07.
  2. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Source checked 2026-09-07.
  3. Google recommends complete accurate information and current hours, and says there is no way to request or pay for better local ranking. Source checked 2026-09-07.
  4. Businesses that do not serve customers at their business address should remove the address and specify a service area. Source checked 2026-09-07.
  5. BrightLocal offers monitoring of local search rankings for selected terms and locations. Source checked 2026-09-07.