How to Get Your Business on Google: A Plain-English Guide

"I built a website but nobody can find it on Google." I hear this almost every week. The frustrating truth is that putting a website online does not automatically put it on Google, and even when it shows up, it rarely shows up on page one straight away. Let me explain how it actually works, in plain English, and what you can do about it.

First: claim your Google Business Profile

If you do only one thing this week, do this. A Google Business Profile (the box with your map pin, photos, phone number, and reviews) is free, and for most local businesses in Lagos it brings in more customers than the website itself.

When someone searches "tailor in Surulere" or "plumber near me," Google shows these profiles first. To set yours up:

1. Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account
2. Enter your business name, category, and location
3. Verify it (Google sends a code by post, phone, or sometimes video)
4. Add real photos, your hours, services, and a link to your website

Then ask happy customers to leave reviews. Reviews are one of the strongest signals for showing up locally, and they cost you nothing but a polite request.

How Google actually finds your website

For Google to show your site, two things have to happen:

• Indexing — Google's software has to discover your pages and store them. A brand-new site can take days to weeks to be found.
• Ranking — once indexed, Google decides where to place you among everyone else.

You can speed up discovery by submitting your site through Google Search Console (also free). It lets you tell Google "here are my pages, please look at them," and it shows you which searches are bringing people to you. Any decent developer can set this up for you in minutes.

Why a new website takes time to show up

This is the part nobody enjoys hearing. A new website is like a new shop on a street Google has never walked down. It takes time for Google to trust it, especially when older, established competitors already rank for the same searches.

Realistically, expect a few weeks just to start appearing, and several months to climb for competitive terms. Anyone promising you "page one in a week" is either lying or about to do something risky that gets you penalised. Patience plus consistency beats shortcuts every time. The same realism applies to how long it takes to build a website in the first place.

The basics that actually move the needle

You don't need to be an SEO expert, but a few fundamentals matter a lot:

• Clear page titles — each page should say plainly what it's about ("Wedding Photographer in Lagos," not "Home")
• Real, useful content — pages that answer what your customers are searching for
• Mobile-friendly design — most Nigerian searches happen on phones, and Google ranks mobile-first
• Speed — slow sites rank lower and lose visitors
• Local details — your city, area, and service keywords used naturally

These overlap heavily with SEO basics for Nigerian small businesses, which goes deeper if you want it.

Don't pay for "guaranteed rankings"

You'll get DMs and calls promising guaranteed top spots for a fee. No one can guarantee a Google ranking, because no one controls Google's results. What good help looks like is steady work on content, your Business Profile, and technical health, with honest reporting. Be wary of anyone selling certainty.

Measure what's working

Once you're set up, check Search Console and your Google Business Profile insights monthly. Which searches bring people in? Which pages get visits? This tells you what to do more of. If you want a fuller picture, see how to measure if your website is working.

Takeaway

Getting on Google is mostly free and mostly patience. Claim your Google Business Profile today, ask for reviews, set up Search Console, and make sure your site is fast and mobile-friendly. Then give it time. Steady, honest effort gets you found; shortcuts get you penalised.