How to get your business online, step by step

Many customers look at their phone before they walk in. If your shop is not online, they never see it. Here are five simple steps to fix that. Most of them cost nothing and take one afternoon each.

Think of a customer who has just moved to your area. She needs a tailor. She opens Google Maps and types "tailor near me". She sees three names. Your shop is two streets away, but it is not on the map. So she goes to one of the three.

You did nothing wrong. You were just not there when she looked.

Scan your business. See how visible you are online. After these steps, check how customers nearby see you. Check your online visibility with Viabe Pulse. In minutes, not days.

Cost: nothing. Time: about 30 minutes, plus a few days for Google to check.

This is the most important step. When people search for a shop nearby, Google often shows shops on its map before anything else.

1. Open Google Maps on your phone. Search your shop name first. Someone may have added it already. If you find it, tap "Own this business?" or "Claim this business" and follow the steps. Do not make a second listing.
2. If it is not there, open business.google.com and tap to add your business.
3. Type your shop name exactly as it is on your board.
4. Pick the right category. Choose the word customers use, like "Tailor", "Beauty salon" or "Grocery store".
5. Put the pin on your shop door. Zoom in to check.
6. Add your phone number and your opening hours.
7. Verify. Google decides how you verify. Often it asks for a short video. Record it in one go, from your phone, through your Business Profile. Show your shop board, the street outside, and something that proves you run the shop, like your counter or tools. Sometimes Google offers a phone call, an SMS or an email code instead.
8. Add 5 to 10 real photos: the front of the shop, inside, and what you sell.

If your shop still does not show after this, read Shop not showing on Google Maps? and our Google Business Profile checklist.

Cost: nothing. Time: about 30 minutes.

Most of your customers already use WhatsApp. The WhatsApp Business app is made for shops. It is separate from your personal WhatsApp.

1. Install WhatsApp Business from the Play Store or App Store. Use your shop phone number.
2. Fill your business profile: shop name, category, address, opening hours and a short line about what you sell.
3. Add a catalogue: photos of your main products or services, with prices if you can.
4. Save quick replies for questions you get every day, like your hours or your address.
5. Put the link to your Google Maps listing in your profile, so people can find the way.

Cost: nothing. Time: about 30 minutes to start, then 10 minutes a week.

Some customers check Instagram or Facebook before they visit. A simple page tells them you are real and open.

1. Make a business page with the same shop name as on Google.
2. Add your address, phone number and opening hours.
3. Post simple things: new stock, a happy customer (with their permission), your shop on a festival day.
4. One post a week is enough. Keep it real.

Cost: nothing to start with a simple tool, or a small yearly fee for your own web address. Time: one afternoon.

You do not need a big website. One page with what you sell, your photos, your hours and a call button is enough. Then add the link to your Google listing.

Read our step by step guide: No website? Make a one-page site in a day.

Cost: nothing. Time: a few minutes a day.

New customers read reviews before they choose a shop. Reviews also help Google trust your listing.

1. Ask happy customers to leave a review. Ask at the counter, when they are smiling.
2. Make it easy. Keep a small card with a QR code that opens your review page.
3. Never pay for reviews and never write fake ones. Google can remove them, and your listing can be hurt.
4. Reply to every review, the good and the bad. Stay calm and polite.

Read more: How to get more Google reviews the right way and How to reply to Google reviews.

Your shop name, address, phone number and hours should be exactly the same on Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, your website and any other app you are on. If they do not match, customers get confused, and so does Google.

When something changes, like your phone number or your hours, change it everywhere on the same day.

You have done the steps. But do customers nearby actually find you? Or do they still find the shop next door?

Viabe Pulse scans your business online. It checks Google Maps from four sides around your shop, Google search, AI apps like ChatGPT, your listings, your reviews and your website. Then it shows what to fix first. The full scan comes to your WhatsApp. You can see the price on the Pulse page. In minutes, not days.

[Scan my business](/in/pulse)

Does it cost money to be on Google Maps?

No. Making and keeping a Google Business Profile costs nothing.

I have no shop. I work from home. Can I still be on Google?

Yes. You can make a profile and hide your home address. Google then shows the area you serve instead.

How long does it take to show up on Google Maps?

After you verify, it can take a few days. It may take longer if Google needs to check more.

I am not good with phones. Can someone help me?

Yes. A family member, a nearby shop or a local helper can do these steps with you in one afternoon. Keep your shop phone with you for the codes.

Will these steps bring me more customers?

They make it possible for customers nearby to find you. How many come depends on your area, your shop and your reviews. Nobody can promise a number.