Website, Google Profile or Social Media: Where Should a Small Business Start?

Most small business owners I talk to aren't short on ideas. They're short on time. Somebody told them they need a new website. Somebody else said they need to be on Instagram. A rep called about Google Ads.

So where do you actually start?

Here's the order I'd go in for most local businesses, and why.

Start with your Google Business Profile

When somebody needs a plumber, a pool guy or a place to eat tonight, they search on Google, and the map results come up first. That listing is your Google Business Profile.

It's free, and it reaches people at the exact moment they're looking for what you do. That's why I put it first.

Get it fully filled out: the right category, your services, your hours, real photos and a plain description of what you do. Then start asking happy customers for reviews. (I wrote more about showing up on Google Maps here.)

Then get a simple website that works on a phone

Your website doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to do a few things well:

• Say what you do and where you do it, in plain words.
• Show proof: photos of your work and what customers say about you.
• Make it dead simple to call, text or ask for a quote.
• Load fast and look right on a phone, because that's where most people will see it.

A website also gives Google more to work with. When your site and your Google profile tell the same story, you tend to show up better in local search.

And unlike a Facebook page, you own your website. Nobody can change the rules on you overnight.

Then add social media

Social media is great for staying in front of people who already know you and for showing the day-to-day of your business. A finished project, a happy customer or your crew on site builds trust over time.

But for most local businesses, it's not where new customers find you first. That's why I put it third. Pick one or two platforms where your customers actually are, and post consistently instead of trying to be everywhere.

Then think about ads

Ads can be a great way to grow, but they work best once the basics are in place. An ad sends people to your profile or your website. If those aren't ready to turn a visitor into a call, you're paying for traffic that leaks right out.

The thing that ties it all together: tracking

Whatever you do, find out where your calls and leads are actually coming from. Ask every new customer how they found you. Use a tracking number on your website and ads if you can. Check your Google profile insights.

I once worked with a business that thought its Facebook ads were costing about $150 per customer. The real number was about $1,200, hidden by a tracking problem. Once that was fixed, they scaled to more than $1M a month in ad spend. Without good tracking, they'd have been making big decisions on bad numbers.

You don't need to be that big for this to matter. If you don't know what's working, you can't do more of it.

The short version

1. Google Business Profile first.
2. A simple, phone-friendly website second.
3. Social media third.
4. Ads once the basics are working.
5. Track all of it.

Not sure where you stand? Send me a note and I'll tell you where I'd start for your business.

Common questions