We just launched or inherited a website
Confirm your business owns the accounts, then set up the routine checks that keep the site working.
Information · Practical guidance
How customers find you, check you out, and get in touch.
Plain-language guides for small-business owners on keeping your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, measurement, search, and ads working. Each guide explains what you can do yourself, what to ask a provider for, and what no one can promise.
Find where to startStart here
What's going on in your business right now?
Calls or leads have dropped
Check that forms and phone numbers still work before assuming it's a search or ads problem.
We're hiring or replacing an agency
Know what to ask before you sign, and make sure you can leave with everything you paid for.
We're thinking about Google Ads
Work out what a customer is worth and whether your tracking and follow-up are ready before you spend.
We got a bad or fake review
Reply calmly without sharing private details, and report only reviews that break the site's rules.
Our Google profile has a problem
Fix wrong details, regain access, or work through a suspension without making it worse.
Information topics
Or browse by topic.
Pick the area you're working on. Each topic covers who should own it, what to check, and what to watch out for.01 · Ownership, maintenance, security, email, privacy, and handoffs
Website stewardship
Keep your website working after launch: account access, domain and security renewals, backups, updates, accurate information, and the forms and phone numbers customers use.
↗02 · Ownership, accuracy, reviews, photos, suspensions, and multi-locationGoogle Business Profile
Keep control of your Google profile, keep your hours and details correct, handle reviews and photos, and know what to do if the profile is suspended.
↗03 · Requests, replies, disputes, privacy, testimonials, and the FTC ruleReviews and reputation
Ask for honest reviews the right way, reply without sharing private details, deal with unfair reviews, and follow the FTC's rules on reviews and testimonials.
↗04 · GA4 setup, call and form tracking, campaign links, lead quality, and reportingMeasurement and analytics
Set up Google Analytics, test that calls and forms are counted, tag campaign links, and turn real inquiries and booked jobs into a simple monthly report.
↗05 · Technical health, content, local search, AI search, and measurementSearch engine optimization
Help the right customers find your website in Google, including AI Overviews: technical health, useful service pages, local signals, legitimate links, and honest measurement.
↗06 · AI answers, local recommendations, crawlers, business facts, measurement, and AI agentsAnswer engine optimization (AEO)
Help ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Copilot, and other AI assistants find, describe, and recommend your business accurately, and measure what they send you.
↗07 · Readiness, Local Services Ads, tracking, lead quality, costs, and reportingGoogle Ads and paid search
Decide whether Google Ads or Local Services Ads make sense, keep the account in your name, track real leads, and know what a customer costs before you scale spend.
↗Checklists and templates
Tools you can use today.
Free checklists, templates, and a marketing glossary that work across every topic. No sign-up needed.
- Marketing glossary
- SEO audit checklist
- Service page checklist
- Local SEO checklist
- Business Profile checklist
- Migration checklist
- Reporting template
- Questions before hiring
- SEO myths
- Evaluate a proposal
- Search Console guide
- Account ownership inventory
- Agency offboarding
- Review request templates
- Google Ads readiness
- Monthly owner checklist
- Lead tracking sheet
Industry playbooks
Guidance for your kind of business.
Each playbook covers how customers in that industry search and choose, what to show on your website and Google profile, how reviews and ads fit, and industry rules to check.
Three habits behind every guide
Own it, keep it accurate, and judge it honestly.
Keep ownership clear
Your business controls its important accounts. Everyone who helps gets their own login with only the access they need.
Work from verified facts
Hours, prices, claims, and customer quotes should be current, true, and approved by someone who knows.
Measure without promises
Use calls, bookings, and real jobs to decide what to do next. Clicks and rankings are clues, not results.
Questions business owners ask
Start with ownership, facts, and realistic expectations.
01Where should I start if I only have a few hours?+
Start with ownership: make sure your business controls its domain, website, Google Business Profile, and analytics accounts. Then check that your hours, phone number, and services are correct everywhere customers see them, and that your contact form and phone number actually reach you. Those three checks prevent the most expensive problems.
02Who should own a business's marketing accounts?+
Your business should. Keep primary control of your domain, website, Google Business Profile, analytics, advertising, and other important accounts. Staff and outside partners should each sign in with their own login and only the access their work needs.
03Does following these guides guarantee visibility or leads?+
No. Good habits make your information more accurate and your decisions better, but search engines, platforms, competitors, demand, and customer behavior are outside anyone's control.
Rather hand it off?