Most business owners never search for their own business the way a customer does. They type the company name, see their website come up first, and figure everything is fine. But your customers don’t know your name yet. They type what they need and where they are, and they call whoever shows up.
So tonight, grab your phone and give yourself ten minutes. Here’s a simple check any Denver or Front Range business can run, no software needed.
Step 1: Open a private window
Open a private or incognito tab in your phone’s browser. Google tailors results to your past searches and the sites you visit, and since you visit your own site a lot, a normal search can make you look better than you really are. A private window gets you closer to what a stranger sees.
Use your phone, not your desktop. Most local searches for service businesses happen on a phone, often from a driveway or a parking lot.
Step 2: Search like a customer
Skip your business name. Search the way a real customer would, with your service and your area:
- “roofer near me”
- “HVAC Aurora”
- “dentist Castle Rock”
- “plumber Lakewood”
- “emergency electrician Parker”
Try three to five searches. Mix a “near me” search with a couple that name the towns you actually want work in. If you serve Highlands Ranch, Littleton and Centennial, search each one.
Step 3: Check the map pack and the regular results separately
A typical local search shows two different things. Near the top is the map with three businesses listed under it. That’s the map pack, and it’s driven mostly by your Google Business Profile. Below it are the regular (organic) results, which are driven mostly by your website.
Write down where you land in each one. It’s common to show up in one and not the other. A business can rank on page one with its website and still be missing from the map, or the other way around. Knowing which one is weak tells you where to spend your time. If the map is the problem, our post on why Denver service businesses don’t show up in the map pack walks through the usual causes.
Step 4: Note who’s above you
For each search, jot down the businesses that show up ahead of you. You’ll probably see the same few names over and over. Those are the businesses actually winning the calls you want, and they’re not always the biggest or the best at the work. Often they just have a more complete online presence.
Step 5: Compare the details side by side
Tap into your own Google listing, then tap into the top two or three above you. Look at:
- Reviews: How many do they have? How recent is the newest one? Do they reply to reviews?
- Photos: Are they real job photos, or a logo and one stock image? When was the last one added?
- Hours: Are their hours filled in and accurate? Are yours?
- Categories and services: Is their main category a better match for the search than yours?
- Website link: Does it go to a page about that service, or just a generic homepage?
You don’t need to beat them on everything. You just need to see the gaps clearly.
What to do with what you find
Here’s a simple way to sort your notes:
- Missing from the map pack: Start with your Google Business Profile. Fill in every field, pick the right primary category, add real photos, and ask happy customers for reviews. Our guide to the Google Business Profile moves that actually matter covers the order we’d tackle them in.
- Missing from the regular results: Look at your website. Do you have a clear page for each main service, and does it mention the areas you serve? Is the site slow on a phone?
- Showing up, but below the same competitors: Compare reviews and photos first. Those are often the easiest gaps to close.
- Something looks wrong: Old phone number, wrong hours, a service you don’t offer. Fix that first. Wrong info costs you calls today.
Save your notes and run the same searches again in a month. You’ll be able to see whether things are moving.
Want a second set of eyes?
If you ran the check and aren’t sure what it means, we’re happy to look at it with you. Call (843) 582-0690 or request a free audit and we’ll show you where you rank, who’s ahead of you, and the first things we’d fix. You can also see how we work with Front Range businesses on our Denver SEO services page.