What you will find here
These guides explain how Google search works from a business owner's point of view, not a specialist's. What the map pack is and what decides who appears in it. Why a single ranking number an agency reports means nothing and what a rank grid is. What to do when your rankings drop, before you touch anything. What to check on your own profile tonight. Every guide ends with what you can do yourself and when it makes sense to pay for help.
How to use them
Start with the guide on how customers find you on Google and run the five checks at the end. Most businesses find two or three problems in ten minutes. Then read the rank grid guide so you know what to ask any agency for, ours included. If your rankings dropped recently, go straight to that guide and follow the first-hour checklist.
Who they are for
For the owner of a restaurant, a practice, a firm, a service company or a store who wants to understand what is happening with their visibility before paying anyone. No marketing knowledge is needed; every term is explained the first time it appears. If you run marketing for a larger company, the guides also work as a quick check on whether your current agency is doing the basics.
Terms you will see in these guides
- Map pack
- The three businesses Google shows on the map for a local search. Most customers choose from them.
- Google Business Profile
- Your listing on Google Maps and in results: categories, services, hours, photos, reviews. It is what ranks in the map.
- Citations
- Mentions of your name, address and phone on other sites. They must be identical everywhere.
- Rank grid
- A grid of points over your area showing your position from each one. Replaces the single ranking number.
- Core update
- A broad change to Google's algorithm, several times a year, that re-scores the whole web.
- Schema
- Code on your site that describes your business to machines: type, hours, services, FAQs.
