From my FoundHERS Happy Hour talk

Let's make sure customers can find you.

Everything from the talk is here: the search to try, how to claim your spot on Google Maps, a shot list for your verification video, and every source I quoted. Take what helps. I am in your corner.

Try it yourself, right now

Search the way a stranger would. Open a private window first, so Google and ChatGPT can't tailor the answer to you. Pick whichever app you already use:

Safari (iPhone)

Tap the tabs button (or •••, then All Tabs), tap Private, then +. If it asks for Face ID, that's normal.

Chrome (iPhone or Android)

Tap + for a new tab, then Incognito. No button? Tap ••• (iPhone, bottom right) or ⋮ (Android, top right), then New Incognito Tab.

Google app

Tap Search, flip the Incognito mode switch above the keyboard, then tap Continue.

ChatGPT app

Start a new chat and tap the chat-bubble icon at the top right for a Temporary chat. Then tap Personalized and switch it to Unpersonalized. Or simply open chatgpt.com in your private window without logging in.

Can't find it in ten seconds? Skip it and search on a friend's phone. That is literally what a stranger sees.

1. On Google: do you come up?

[what you do] in Denver (for example: wedding catering in Denver)

2. On ChatGPT: the same question, asked out loud

Who would you recommend for [what you do] in Denver?

3. The lookup: what a new customer finds about you

What can you tell me about [your business name] in Denver?

Not there, or the answer was wrong? That is not about how good you are. It is about what Google and AI can find and read about you. All of it is fixable, and the first fix is free.

Get on the map: claim your Google Business Profile

Your business may already be on Google Maps without you. Anyone can add a place to Maps, and anyone can review it. My experience: mine sat unverified for years and collected reviews I couldn't answer. Claiming it is how it becomes yours.

Source: Google Maps Help, "Add a missing place to Google Maps."

  1. Search Google Maps for your business name. Found it? Tap About > Claim this business > Manage now. Not there? Start at business.google.com/add.
  2. Know which kind of business you are (just below). It decides what you film.
  3. Choose Business video and film it live, inside the Maps app. You can't upload a video you filmed earlier: Google says "pre-recorded videos aren't allowed." My experience: I tried.
  4. Wait up to 5 business days, then check it yourself. My experience: no email ever arrived when mine was approved. The "Get verified" banner was simply gone.

Source: Google Business Profile Help, "Add or claim your Business Profile" and "Verify your business with a video recording."

Which kind of business are you?

Google films each kind differently. Tap yours for its shot list. Each one prints on its own page.

Storefront or hybrid Customers come to you, and your name is on a permanent sign. Hybrid (you also go to them) films the same way. See the shot list Service-area, from home You work from home or a space without a permanent sign, and you serve customers in person. See the shot list Mobile or pop-up You bring the work to your clients: their homes, events, or rented spaces. See the shot list

No permanent sign? Google says: "If your business doesn't have permanent on-site signage, list it as a service-area business instead of storefront." Not eligible at all: online-only businesses, and "an ongoing service, class, or meeting at a location that you don't own or have the authority to represent." A business "must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours."

Source: Google Business Profile Help, "Verify your business with a video recording" and "Business eligibility and ownership guidelines."

The rules for every video

One take
"An unedited, unique, and complete recording with no breaks." Fumble? Start over from the top.
Length
"At least 30 seconds long." Google sets no maximum. My experience: ours ran about a minute and a half.
Never show
"Other people's faces," and "sensitive info like bank account, tax, or ID numbers." So if you film a permit or invoice, cover the numbers.
Two people
My experience: I filmed my first one alone. Holding the phone, walking in and then working on camera in one unbroken take is very hard. Bring a helper: one films, one is the business.

Source: Google Business Profile Help, "Verify your business with a video recording."

The clearest lesson from my own two videos: show the business working, not the paperwork.

RejectedMy business card, license and packaging, laid out neatly on my jeweler's bench.
ApprovedMe at the bench, torch lit, a piece in progress, tools and stones in use.

My experience. Google's own words for proving you run the business: "performing a service."

Shot list 1 of 3

Storefront or hybrid

Customers come to you, and your name is on a permanent sign.

For exampleA spa opening the treatment room and setting up for a session. A boutique unlocking the stockroom. An aesthetics studio at the front desk, booking screen open.

1. Where you are

"street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses, or familiar places around your business."

2. That you exist

"your business name is clearly printed on a permanent fixture, like a signboard, wall, or window."

3. That you run it

"Record things only an employee can access, like opening a cash register, kitchen, storage room, or using a point-of-sale system."

WhenWhat to filmProves
0:00 to 0:15Outside. The street sign or building number, then a neighboring business, then turn to your door.Where
0:15 to 0:30Your sign. Hold steady on your business name until it's readable. It must match the name on your profile.Exists
0:30 to 0:40Walk in. Keep rolling. No stopping.One take
0:40 to 1:10Do the work. Unlock the back room, open the register or booking system, set up the treatment room.Runs it
1:10 to 1:30Your tools and products, in use. Pick something up. Show it working.Runs it
1:30Stop, review, and tap Upload video.
  • Hold on the sign until you could read it from the couch. Blurry fails.
  • Film before opening, so no customers' faces end up in the shot.
Rejected? Tap "Review issues" on your profile. Google asks the redo to include "all the info you showed in your first video," plus what was missing. Timings are our suggestion; Google sets only the 30-second minimum. Source: support.google.com/business/answer/14271705. From redpingeek.com/foundhers.

Shot list 2 of 3

Service-area, from home

You work from home or a space without a permanent sign.

For exampleA caterer cooking or plating in the kitchen. A maker of spa products mixing a batch and packing orders at a station with branded inventory.

1. Where you are

"you can record landmarks and signs in your immediate neighborhood to verify the address." "Avoid filming empty land."

2. That you exist

"professional tools, equipment, or products you use for work."

3. That you run it

"performing a service or accessing business-only assets," or "a business permit, invoice, or utility bill that matches the name on your Business Profile."

WhenWhat to filmProves
0:00 to 0:15Your neighborhood. The street sign at your corner or a local landmark, then walk toward home.Where
0:15 to 0:25Walk in to where you work. Keep rolling.One take
0:25 to 0:50Your tools and products. Kitchen equipment, your inventory, your packing station with branded packaging.Exists
0:50 to 1:15Do the work. Plate a dish, mix a batch, pack an order with your name on it.Runs it
1:15 to 1:30A document with your business name: a permit or an invoice. Cover any numbers.Runs it
1:30Stop, review, and tap Upload video.
  • Working from home? Google's own example: a plumber who runs the business from a home address should "clear the address from your Business Profile," so your street stays private while you serve an area.
  • Sell only online? Google requires in-person contact with customers during your stated hours, so online-only shops don't qualify.
Rejected? Tap "Review issues" on your profile. Google asks the redo to include "all the info you showed in your first video," plus what was missing. Timings are our suggestion; Google sets only the 30-second minimum. Sources: support.google.com/business/answer/14271705 and /answer/3038177. From redpingeek.com/foundhers.

Shot list 3 of 3

Mobile or pop-up

You bring the work to your clients.

For exampleA massage therapist with a travel table. A caterer who cooks on site at events. Google's own words for this case: "You can still show the place where you provide services, the tools you use, and documents associated with your business."

1. Where you are

"street signs, nearby landmarks, or other identifiers at your business address."

2. That you exist

"professional tools, equipment, or products you use for work."

3. That you run it

"accessing business-only assets, such as unlocking a van that has your business branding."

WhenWhat to filmProves
0:00 to 0:15Your home base. The street sign or a landmark at the address on your profile.Where
0:15 to 0:35Your kit. Unlock your car or van and show what you bring: table, linens, oils, catering gear.Exists
0:35 to 1:05Set up as if for a session. Your hands and your kit only, no client in the shot.Runs it
1:05 to 1:25A document with your business name: a permit, invoice or utility bill. Cover any numbers.Runs it
1:25Stop, review, and tap Upload video.
  • Check eligibility first. Google rules out "an ongoing service, class, or meeting at a location that you don't own or have the authority to represent."
  • Branded van or bag? Unlocking it on camera is Google's own example of proof.
Rejected? Tap "Review issues" on your profile. Google asks the redo to include "all the info you showed in your first video," plus what was missing. Timings are our suggestion; Google sets only the 30-second minimum. Sources: support.google.com/business/answer/14271705 and /answer/13763036. From redpingeek.com/foundhers.

Two more lessons from the talk

One clear page for every service

My advice: a caterer gets one page for weddings and one for corporate lunches, not one page for everything. Each says what it is, who it's for, where, and how to book.

  • Google: organize your site "in a logical way," and "a good title is unique to the page."
  • Start small. Google: "Don't drop everything and start reorganizing your site right now." Fix your best-selling service first.

Source: Google Search Central, SEO Starter Guide.

Your words have rules

  • Claims: FDA's own example: a massage oil "intended for a therapeutic use, such as relieving muscle pain, it's a drug." Describe it; don't promise.
  • Licensed? Check your board's advertising rules. Colorado added website and ad notices for some delegated aesthetic services in 2025.
  • Reviews: since October 21, 2024, federal rules ban fake, bought and undisclosed staff reviews. Google lets you ask, but never with incentives and never only your happy customers. Yelp: never ask.

Sources: FDA; Colorado HB25-1024; FTC, 16 CFR Part 465; Google Maps policy; Yelp Content Guidelines.

You know where you stand. Here's what to do first.

You ran the search and you know which kind of business you are. The hard part now is not information, it's order: which fix actually matters for where you are. Answer one question and get your stage, plus the three moves that matter most for it.

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Your Google profile, your listings and your website all saying the same thing, a clear page for your most important service, the hidden code that tells Google and AI what your business is, and a review request that follows the rules. We start with a look at your business, because that decides the scope.

See what's included

I write every Snapshot myself, so December is limited to 10. Orders from December 15 through January 4 arrive by January 15. New Local Foundation projects start in February. Sell products instead of services? See my store packages.

This is not theory

I have been making jewelry for more than twenty years and running my own small business the whole time, and every step I teach, I tested on my own store first. Bohemi, a Boulder ring studio, saw sales rise 58% after a full rebuild, and its website went from 4% to 44% of sales. My own store reached #1 on Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo, and revenue rose 89%.

See how Bohemi did it

Every source I quoted

Open the full list

Stay close

Each week I send a short, plain-language note on staying findable on Google and in AI. I write it for makers, and it works for any small business. Come along here.

"Nobody should have to be a tech person to be found by the people looking for them."

If you ever want a hand, my door is open. Work with me.
Andrea, Red Pin Geek