Word of mouth and local SEO can work together long before someone sends an enquiry. A happy customer passes on your name. Their friend looks you up. What they find can help them feel confident about getting in touch — or leave them with questions.
That doesn’t mean every referral starts with a Google search. Some people will call straight away. Others will ask for your number or follow a link their friend sends.
But when someone does Google you, is your online presence backing up the recommendation?
The recommendation has already done something valuable
“Try her. She did a brilliant job for us.”
For a local business, that is a lovely introduction. Someone has experienced your work and feels comfortable putting their name behind it.
You have earned that trust. Your website didn’t create it, and a Google review cannot replace the personal connection behind it.
The person receiving the recommendation may still need a few practical details, though. Their friend might know you are a great electrician without knowing whether you cover the next town. They may recommend your Pilates classes without knowing whether you offer sessions for complete beginners.
A recommendation opens the conversation. Your online information can help answer what comes next.
The next step: “Let me look them up”
Imagine someone hears about your business over coffee, then searches for you on their phone that evening.
They may simply want to check:
- Is this the right business?
- Do they offer the service I need?
- Do they cover my area?
- What have other customers said?
- How do I get in touch?
They might read your Google Business Profile, open your website or visit a social page that appears in the results.
This is where word of mouth and local SEO connect. Local SEO helps people find your business in local searches. Clear, useful information also supports people who already have your name and want to take the next step.
Those are different situations, but both benefit from the same basic care.
The details that help someone feel reassured
You don’t need a huge website or a new social post every day to answer those questions.
Start with an accurate description of your services and the places you cover. Someone should be able to work out whether you can help without having to piece it together.
Relevant reviews can add reassurance. A review describing a job similar to theirs gives them something more specific than a star rating alone.
Examples of recent work can help too. A few genuine photographs, a short project description or an explanation of how you work can make your business easier to understand. Get permission before sharing customer details or identifiable images.
Then check the practical information. Your business name, phone number, opening hours and location or service area should make sense wherever someone finds you.
Google’s own guidance recommends keeping Business Profile information complete and accurate, alongside responding to reviews and adding useful photos. These are sensible foundations for helping customers understand your business.
The small frustrations that make enquiring harder
Now imagine that same potential customer finds a different phone number on your website, a service page that never mentions their area and a contact button that doesn’t work on their phone.
They still have the recommendation. But they also have extra work to do.
Perhaps your website lists a service you stopped offering last year. Perhaps your profile links to an old page. Or your social bio asks people to message you on an account you rarely check.
None of this proves you are losing every enquiry. It does mean you are leaving questions unanswered.
You know your business inside out. A new customer doesn’t. Information that feels obvious to you may be exactly what they need before contacting you.
A five-minute check: look up your business as a customer
Pick up your phone and imagine a friend has just recommended you. Set a five-minute timer.
- Search your business name. Add your town if needed. Can you easily identify the right business? Look at the public results, rather than just the profile management screen.
- Check your Google Business Profile. Are your services, hours, phone number and website link correct? Is your location or coverage clear?
- Open your website. Without relying on what you already know, can you quickly tell what the business does and where it works?
- Look for reassurance. Can you find relevant reviews, examples of work or a clear explanation of what to expect?
- Follow the enquiry route. Tap the contact or booking link. Check that the form opens, the phone number is correct and the next step is obvious.
This is a customer-experience check, not a reliable test of where you rank for everyone. Google results vary by location and other factors.
Write down anything that makes you hesitate. You don’t need to fix everything today. Start with the gap most likely to stop someone contacting you.
Spotted a gap but unsure where to start?
If your Google Business Profile needs attention, my Google Business Profile Power Hour gives us time to look through it together and work out what to tackle first.
You’ll leave with clear advice and practical next steps for your business.
Find out more about a Google Business Profile Power Hour.
You’ve worked hard to earn those recommendations. Make it easy for the person receiving one to take the next step.