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Module 4Getting found

How customers find local businesses now: search, maps, reviews and AI answers. Learn SEO basics in plain English and see where you stand.

Lesson 1 3 min

Understand how people find businesses online now

Search results, maps, reviews, social media and AI answers all play a part in who gets the call.

  • 1Customers search Google, check the map, read reviews, look at your social pages, or ask an AI tool.
  • 2Most of those places pull from the same basics: name, address, phone, hours and what you do.
  • 3When those basics are complete and match everywhere, every channel works better for you.
  • 4Start by searching for what you do in your town, the way a customer would.
Common mistakes
  • Having different hours or phone numbers on different sites.
  • Assuming customers find you the same way you'd look for a business.
  • Never searching for yourself, so you don't know what customers see.
Lesson 2 4 min

Get your business showing up when people ask AI for a recommendation

AI tools recommend businesses based on what they can find about you online, so clear, consistent information helps.

  • 1AI tools answer from what they can find: websites, business listings, reviews and articles.
  • 2A website that plainly says what you do, where, and for whom gives them something to work with.
  • 3Listings that match your website, and real reviews that mention your services, help too.
  • 4This work is sometimes called AEO or GEO. Nobody can promise you a spot.
Common mistakes
  • A home page full of slogans that never says what you do or where.
  • Reading too much into one AI answer on one day.
  • Paying someone who promises to get you 'ranked' in AI answers.
Lesson 3 3 min

See what a website can look like, built with AI's help

Use AI to plan pages, draft copy and sketch a layout before you spend money on a website.

  • 1Ask AI which pages a business like yours needs and what each should say.
  • 2It can draft first versions of your copy for you to edit.
  • 3Some AI tools can sketch a rough page or mockup from a description.
  • 4A finished site that loads fast, works on phones and gets found takes more than a first draft.
Common mistakes
  • Publishing AI copy with services, areas or guarantees that aren't true.
  • Building ten pages when four clear ones would do.
  • Mistaking a quick mockup for a finished website.
Lesson 4 4 min

Understand SEO basics in plain English

SEO means helping search engines understand your business so the right people find you.

  • 1SEO means helping search engines understand what you do and where.
  • 2Give each main service its own clear page, and mention your town naturally.
  • 3A fast, phone-friendly site and a complete Google Business Profile both help.
  • 4It takes steady work over time. Nobody can guarantee a top spot.
Common mistakes
  • Stuffing pages with keywords until they read badly.
  • Putting every service on one page, so none of them stands out.
  • Believing anyone who guarantees first-page rankings.
Lesson 5 3 min

Check what customers are saying about you online

Use AI to sum up your reviews so you can spot patterns in praise and complaints.

  • 1Reading reviews one at a time hides the big picture.
  • 2Paste in a batch and ask AI to group what people praise and what they complain about.
  • 3Ask for one thing to fix and one thing to highlight in your marketing.
  • 4Do it every few months as an honest check-in.
Common mistakes
  • Pasting only the good reviews and getting a rosy picture.
  • Leaving reviewers' full names in when you don't need them.
  • Reading the summary and never acting on it.
Module challenge

True or myth?

Seven things people say about getting found online. Sort each one: true, or myth?

1 of 7
Your business name, address, phone and hours should match everywhere they appear online.
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When you want to know what's actually working

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