Guides for local business owners
Get found. Get trusted. Get booked.
Practical guides for local business owners, from contractors, repair shops and salons to restaurants, law firms and practices, written by Pierre Venant: how to get more reviews, how to answer a bad one, what to put on your website and how to win more customers.
26 guides
Guides for every local business
How to get more Google reviews for your business
How to get more Google reviews for any local business, free and within Google’s rules: make your review link and QR code, ask every customer at the right moment, reply to every review, and avoid banned shortcuts.
Read guide
How to respond to a bad Google review (with examples)
How to respond to a negative Google review: a calm four-part reply, examples for restaurants, contractors, salons and practices, when you can report a review, and the mistakes that make it worse.
Read guide
What a home service business website needs
What to put on a home service business website, with examples for contractors, cleaners and landscapers: the job and area up front, each service, your service area, real photos and reviews, prices, licensing, a fast quote form.
Read guide
What a restaurant website needs (and what to skip)
What to put on a restaurant website: today’s hours and location up front, a real menu page instead of a PDF, reservations and ordering, photos, private events, and a Google profile that says the same thing.
Read guide
What a salon website needs: booking, prices and your team
What to put on a hair, nail or beauty salon website: a booking button on every page, a clear price list, your team and their specialties, real photos of your work, and the policies clients look for.
Read guide
How to choose a web designer: 12 questions to ask before you hire
Questions to ask before you hire a web designer for your small business: real examples, who writes the words, who owns your domain and files, what the monthly fee covers, revisions, and the red flags to avoid.
Read guide
What a small law firm website needs
What to put on a small law firm website: practice areas and where you practice up front, a page for each area, lawyer bios, how the first consultation and fees work, a safe contact form, and the advertising rules to check.
Read guide
What an auto repair shop website needs
What to put on an auto repair shop website: what you fix and today’s hours up front, booking, certifications, how estimates and approvals work, your warranty, old parts and itemized invoices, and a matching Google profile.
Read guide
How to get more cleaning clients: a practical plan
How to get more house cleaning clients: a complete Google profile, reviews from every client, a one-minute quote form, referrals and local partners, and keeping the clients you win before paying for leads.
Read guide
How to get more lawn care customers: a local plan
How to get more lawn care customers: win whole streets instead of scattered yards, a complete Google profile, reviews and photos, fast quotes, partners, season plans and keeping customers year after year.
Read guide
How to get more plumbing customers (and keep them)
How to get more plumbing customers: be visible when a pipe bursts, a Google profile and website built for urgent calls, never missing a call, clear prices, reviews, and partners who send repeat work.
Read guide
Why isn’t my business showing up on Google Maps?
Why your business isn’t showing up on Google Maps or Search, and how to fix it: verification, recent edits, suspensions, duplicates, address and name rules, and the difference between missing and ranking low.
Read guide
How to deal with a fake Google review (with sample replies)
What to do about a fake Google review: check it’s really fake, what Google removes and what it doesn’t, how to report and appeal, sample replies for unknown reviewers, competitors and former employees, and what never to do.
Read guide
How much does a small business website cost? (Real numbers)
What a small business website really costs: the one-time build, the monthly and yearly costs (domain, hosting, email), what pushes the price up, and the red flags to check before you pay.
Read guide
How to get more roofing jobs (without buying bad leads)
How roofing companies get more jobs: a verified Google profile, a website that proves you are licensed and insured, fast written estimates, reviews, Local Services Ads and partners who send repeat work.
Read guide
How to get more HVAC customers all year, not just in a heat wave
How HVAC companies get more customers: show up on Google when a system fails, a website that books service calls, answering every call, maintenance plans for the slow seasons, reviews and Local Services Ads.
Read guide
How to set up your Google Business Profile, step by step
Set up a Google Business Profile the right way: eligibility, name and category, address or service area, verification (including video), hours, description, photos and your review link.
Read guide
Google Business Profile suspended? How to fix it and appeal
Why Google suspends Business Profiles, what to check first, how to appeal with the right documents, how long it takes, and the mistakes that make it worse, such as creating a new profile.
Read guide
How to get more electrical work: a plan for electricians
How electricians get more work: a verified Google profile, a website that shows your license and services, fast written quotes, reviews, Local Services Ads and builders who send repeat jobs.
Read guide
How to get more handyman jobs (and better ones)
How handyman businesses get more jobs: a clear list of what you do, a Google profile, simple pricing, fast replies, reviews and repeat work from landlords, property managers and real estate agents.
Read guide
How to get more salon clients (and keep them coming back)
How salons and stylists get more clients: booking from Google in two taps, real photos of your work, rebooking before clients leave, reviews asked the right way and referrals from happy clients.
Read guide
How to get your business on Apple Maps (step by step)
How to add or claim your business on Apple Maps with Apple Business, which replaced Apple Business Connect: sign up, verify, add your location, then hours, photos, action buttons and showcases.
Read guide
Google Guaranteed is now Google Verified: how to get it
Google replaced the Google Guaranteed, Google Screened and License Verified badges with one Google Verified badge. What changed, who can get it, the checks involved and how to judge Local Services Ads.
Read guide
Guides for practice owners
How to get more patients for a small practice: a 30-day plan
A practical 30-day plan for small medical, dental and therapy practices: fix your Google listing, make your website answer new-patient questions, ask for reviews the right way and use referrals.
Read guide
What to put on a direct primary care practice website
A page-by-page guide for direct primary care and concierge doctors: explain membership, show your prices, answer the insurance and HSA questions, and make joining easy.
Read guide
Google reviews for medical and dental practices: how to ask and how to reply
How small practices can get more Google reviews without breaking Google’s rules or the FTC’s, and how to reply without revealing patient information.
Read guide