If you run a business in Maidstone and you’re not showing up when people search for what you do, it’s rarely one big thing that’s wrong. It’s usually a handful of small things left unfinished. Here’s a practical order to work through them.
Start with your Google Business Profile
This is almost always the fastest win. If you haven’t claimed your listing yet, do that first. Search your business name on Google, and if a profile appears with “Own this business?” underneath it, that’s yours to claim.
Once it’s claimed, the basics matter more than people expect: correct category, correct opening hours, a proper description, and at least a few photos. We’ve written a full guide to Google Business Profile tips if you want the detailed version. Even just getting the basics right this week will put you ahead of a surprising number of local competitors who haven’t bothered.
Check your website actually says what you do
Sounds obvious, but it’s one of the most common gaps. Load your own website and read it as if you’re a stranger. Does it say, clearly, in the first few seconds, what you do and where you do it? If someone has to scroll or click to figure that out, Google’s struggling with the same problem, and so is every visitor who doesn’t stick around long enough to find out.
Make sure your details match everywhere
Your business name, address, and phone number should be identical across your website, your Google Business Profile, and anywhere else you’re listed: Facebook, directories, invoices, anywhere. Even small differences (a missing “Ltd,” a slightly different phone format) can quietly work against you. This is one of those unglamorous jobs that’s easy to skip and genuinely worth ten minutes to get right.
Ask for reviews, properly, not just occasionally
Reviews are one of the strongest signals for local search, and most businesses only get them by accident rather than by asking. After a job’s done and the customer’s happy, send them a direct link to leave a review, not just “please review us,” but an actual clickable link that takes them straight there. The easier you make it, the more people will actually do it.
Keep adding something new
A website and a Google Business Profile that haven’t changed in a year both look the same to Google: stale. Regular activity, a blog post, a GBP update, new photos, signals that a business is active and worth showing to people searching right now. It doesn’t need to be constant. Once or twice a month, done consistently, beats a big effort once and then nothing.
Want help getting all of this sorted properly?
This is exactly what our Local Starter package handles for you: Google Business Profile management, ongoing local SEO, and a website built to actually say what you do, from £79/month.