6 Free Fixes So Customers Can Find Your Business Online
Most customers look you up before they visit. They search on Google, open Maps, or check your Facebook page. In a few seconds they decide: is this place open, is it near, and can I reach them?
If the answer is hard to find, many people move on to the next business.
The good news is that a lot of this is free to fix. You don't need a website for any of the six fixes below. You only need your phone, your business details and an afternoon.
1. Get your business on Google Maps
Many people find a shop, salon or clinic on Google Maps before they go. If your business is not on Maps, those people never see you.
A Google Business Profile is free. Go to google.com/business, search for your business name, and add it if it isn't there yet. If someone already added it, you can claim it. Google will ask you to verify that the business is yours before your changes go live.
While you are there, check three things:
- the pin is in the right place on the map
- the business category is right ("Hair salon", not just "Store")
- your business is not marked as closed
That last one matters more than it sounds. If Google shows your business as closed, people will think you have shut down.
2. Add your opening hours on Google
"Open po kayo today?" is one of the most common questions any business gets.
Customers check Google before they travel. If your hours aren't there, they can't tell if the trip is worth it. Add your regular hours to your Google Business Profile, and update them for holidays like Christmas and Holy Week. Do the same on your Facebook page.
3. Put one phone number everywhere
A customer who is ready to buy wants to call or text you now. If there is no number, you lose them.
Add your phone number to Google and to your Facebook page. Use the same number in both places, and make sure someone actually answers it. If you change numbers, update both on the same day.
4. Give your Facebook page a short username
Look at the address of your Facebook page. If it looks like facebook.com/profile.php?id=1000…, your page has no username yet.
A username gives your page a short address like facebook.com/yourbusiness. It is easier to share in a chat, print on a tarpaulin or a receipt, and remember. It is free. In your page settings, look for the username option and choose a name close to your business name.
5. Keep your prices easy to find
New posts push old posts down. The price list you posted months ago is now far down your feed, so customers send "HM?" and you answer the same question again and again.
Post your current prices or menu as one clear photo or post, and pin it to the top of your page. When prices change, replace it. Don't leave old prices up. A customer who comes in expecting an old price leaves unhappy.
6. Ask happy customers for a Google review
Reviews help people trust a business they have never visited. They also help your listing show up when people search nearby.
The easiest time to ask is right after a good visit. Share the review link from your Google Business Profile in a message, and keep it simple: "Thank you po! If you have a minute, a review would really help us." Reply to the reviews you get, the good ones and the bad ones. People read the replies too.
Use the same details everywhere
One more tip that ties these together. Your business name, address and phone number should be the same on Google, Facebook and anywhere else you are listed. When the details match, customers trust them. When they don't match, people aren't sure which one is right.
When a website helps
These six fixes make you easier to find. A website is the next step, and it helps with what Google and Facebook can't do well: one page that always shows your services, prices, hours, photos and a way to book or message, without the customer scrolling.
That is what we do at DotCity. Send us your Facebook page and we build a website from what you already post. You get the link to a free preview within 48 hours. If you want it live, your first month is free. After that it is ₱1,499 a month, with no setup fee, and you can pay by GCash.
See what to fix first
Not sure which of these your business needs? Our free online audit checks your Google listing, Facebook, Instagram and website, and tells you what to fix first. Much of it, like the six fixes above, you can do yourself for free.
- Try the free audit: https://dotcity.ph/audit
- Or send us your Facebook page on Messenger for a free website preview: https://m.me/dotcity.ph
No pressure. Start with the free fixes, and message us whenever you're ready.