Is Anyone Actually Finding Me on Google? Here's How to Find Out..

It's one of the most common questions I hear from small business owners, usually asked with a mix of hope and dread: "How do I know if people are searching for my business on Google?"

The good news is — you can find out, for free, with the right tools. The slightly harder news is that knowing the numbers is only the beginning. What you do with them is where the real work starts.

Here's exactly how I help my clients answer this question.

Start With Google Search Console - It's Free and It's Essential

The first thing I recommend to every client who asks about their Google visibility is to register with Google Search Console (GSC). It's completely free, it's made by Google, and it tells you things no other tool can.

Once it's set up and your site has been verified, GSC shows you:

• Impressions — how many times your website appeared in Google search results

• Clicks — how many of those people actually clicked through to your site

• Average position — roughly where you're ranking in search results

• Which keywords people used to find you (or almost find you)

• Where in the world your visitors are searching from

That keyword data is genuinely eye-opening. Clients are often surprised to discover they're being found for search terms they never consciously targeted - or that the keywords they assumed they'd rank for aren't appearing at all.

A Real Example: The Dance Teacher With Low Visibility

I recently started working with a dance teacher to improve the traffic and bookings coming through her website. She had a great-looking site, but visibility in Google was the piece we needed to work on next.

So we set her up on Google Search Console and looked at the data together.

The result? She wasn't ranking for "dance classes" at all. Not on page two, not on page five — just not appearing. Zero impressions for her most obvious keyword.

For most business owners, that's a gut-punch moment. But actually, it's the best possible starting point - because it means there's everything to gain, and the reasons are usually fixable. In her case, it came down to content volume. The site looked fantastic, but Google needs words to understand what a business does and who it serves - and there simply wasn't enough written content yet for it to connect the dots. No blog pages, limited service copy, and her location wasn't woven into the right places.

We're now working on exactly that - building out blog content, getting her keywords into the right places (more on that below), and creating pages structured around how people actually search. The improvement is already starting to show.

If You're on Wix, the Built-In Analytics Are Brilliant

Most no-code website builders have some form of analytics built in, but as someone who specialises in Wix, I can speak to how good theirs is, and honestly, it goes further than most people realise.

Beyond just visitor numbers, Wix Analytics shows you:

• Which devices people are using to find you (mobile vs desktop)

• Where in the world your visitors are coming from

• Bounce rate — whether people are landing and leaving immediately

• Time on site — are they actually reading, or just passing through?

And here's something really exciting that Wix has recently rolled out: a section showing how your website is being cited in AI-powered search tools and LLMs (large language models - think AI Overviews in Google, or tools like ChatGPT). As more people use AI to find businesses and services, this kind of visibility is going to matter more and more. It's the kind of insight most website platforms aren't even tracking yet.

Don't Overlook Your Google Business Profile

If you haven't set up a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), stop reading and go do that first.

Here's why it matters for understanding your search visibility: when someone searches for your business by name - or for a service you offer in your local area, like "dance classes in [your town]" - Google can trigger what's called a Knowledge Panel. That's the box that appears at the top of mobile results or on the right side of desktop results, showing your business name, address, hours, photos, reviews, and a link to your website.

But beyond just appearing, your Google Business Profile has its own built-in Insights section that tells you:

• How many times your profile appeared in search

• How many people clicked to call you, visit your website, or ask for directions

• What search terms people used - crucially, whether they searched your name directly (they already know you) or found you through a category or service search (they found you cold)

That distinction between a direct search and a discovery search is one of the most valuable pieces of data a small business can have. A high number of discovery searches means your SEO is working. A lot of direct searches and very few discovery searches means people who already know you can find you - but new customers can't.

Tools for Discovering What People Are Actually Searching For

Google Search Console tells you what's already happening. But what about finding opportunities you're missing entirely?

These free (or freemium) tools are brilliant for that:

• Ubersuggest — great for keyword ideas and seeing how competitive different search terms are

• Answer the Public — shows you the actual questions people type into Google around any topic. Brilliant for blog content ideas

• Google Keyword Planner — free via a Google Ads account, and incredibly useful for seeing real search volume data

• Semrush — more advanced, has a free tool, and great for competitive research

The way I use these with clients is simple: we find out what their potential customers are actually typing into Google, and then we write content that answers those questions. It sounds obvious, but most small business websites are written from the business owner's perspective - not the searcher's.

The Most Common Reason You're Not Showing Up

In my experience, the number one reason a small business doesn't appear for their obvious keywords isn't a technical mystery. It's almost always one of two things:

1. Not enough content. Google needs words on your website to understand what you do and who you serve. If your homepage has three short paragraphs and a contact form, there simply isn't enough for Google to work with.

2. Keywords in the wrong places. The two most important places your keywords need to appear are your title tag (the clickable headline that appears in Google search results) and your H1 (the main heading on the page itself). If "dance classes in [your town]" isn't in either of those places, Google has very little reason to show your page when someone searches for it.

These are often quick wins. A title tag can be updated in minutes. Adding a properly structured service page can start moving the needle within weeks.

High Impressions But Hardly Any Clicks? Here's What's Happening

This is something I see a lot - and I'll be honest, it's something I'm actively working through on my own website too. So if this is you, you're not alone.

High impressions mean Google is showing your site. Low clicks mean people are seeing you and scrolling past. Here's why that happens:

• Your position is too low. Research shows the top three organic search results receive more than two-thirds of all clicks on a Google page. If you're appearing in positions 6–10, impressions add up but clicks are rare. The solution is building more content authority around that keyword to climb higher.

• Your title tag and meta description aren't earning the click. These are the two lines of text people see in the search result before they decide to click. If they're vague or generic, people will choose a result that looks more relevant. Think of them as a tiny ad for your page - they need to be compelling and specific.

• You're appearing for broad terms you can't compete on yet. If your impressions are coming from very general searches ("dance classes" nationwide rather than "adult dance classes in [your town]"), the traffic is unlikely to convert. More specific, locally targeted keywords will bring fewer impressions but far more meaningful clicks.

• Search intent mismatch. Someone searching "what are salsa dance classes" is curious. Someone searching "salsa dance classes for beginners near me" is ready to book. Targeting the latter - even though it has lower search volume - will always convert better.

Not Showing Up At All? Don't Panic.

If you set up Google Search Console and see very little data, or you search your own service and can't find yourself, try not to be disheartened. It just means there's a clear list of things to work on.

Start here:

1. Make sure Google Search Console is set up and your site is indexed (GSC will tell you if it isn't)

2. Set up your Google Business Profile if you haven't already

3. Review your title tags and H1s - are your main keywords actually in there?

4. Think about content - does your website have enough words, enough pages, enough specificity about what you do and where?

5. Consider building out blog content that answers the questions your customers are actually asking

SEO isn't instant - but it is cumulative. Every improvement you make compounds over time. The businesses that show up consistently at the top of Google didn't get there by accident. They got there by taking exactly these steps, consistently.

If you'd like a hand with any of them, from setting up Search Console to a full SEO review of your site - take a look at my services to see how I can help.

Want Help Knowing Where You Stand?

If you're not sure whether people are finding you on Google, or you've looked at the data and aren't sure what to do next, that's exactly the kind of thing I help with. From setting up Google Search Console to reviewing your site's SEO foundations, sometimes a fresh pair of eyes makes all the difference.

Get in touch here, I'm always happy to have an honest conversation about where your website is and where it could be.

Set up a FREE discovery call with me