As a business owner, that is the nightmare scenario. You work too hard on your product and your service to lose a customer because of a detail you forgot to update on a dashboard three years ago.
This brings me to something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: The power of perfecting your online presence.
And I don’t mean “perfect” in a glossy, Instagram-influencer way. I mean “perfect” in a functional, trustworthy way. Ultimately, you are trying to build two types of trust at the exact same time:
- Trust with the Human: Conveying to a customer that you are real, you are open, and you are ready for them.
- Trust with Google: Conveying to the search engine that your business is active, accurate, and safe to recommend.
If you ignore one, you lose both.
The “Invisible” Cost of an Incomplete Profile
Many businesses fall into the trap of doing the big moves once—launching the website, setting up the Google Business Profile—and then walking away.
But here is the reality: If you don’t have a complete, optimized profile, you are essentially throwing away 40% to 50% of the search traffic that could be turning into leads.
Think about that. Half the people looking for what you do might never even see you because Google doesn’t trust your profile enough to show it.
We see this all the time with the small details. Maybe you originally had “Manufacturing” in your name, but now you’re leaning more into retail. Maybe your legal name has an ampersand (&) but your Facebook page uses “and.” These seem like small things, but to Google, they look like inconsistencies. And inconsistency breeds doubt.
The Review Game (Yes, It’s Hard, But It’s Mandatory)
Let’s talk about reviews. I know—asking for them can feel awkward. It’s tough to put yourself out there.
But think about how you make decisions. If you are looking for a plumber or a lunch spot, what do you do? You check the star rating. The stats back this up: 93% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchase decisions.
If you aren’t managing that process, you are leaving your reputation to chance. By encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews—and actually responding to them—you aren’t just getting a pat on the back. You are feeding Google the fresh signals it needs to keep you relevant.
Visuals Are Not Optional
We talk a lot about “content,” but let’s be real: people look at pictures first.
Great photography of your storefront, your team, and your products dramatically increases engagement. In fact, businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their websites than those without.
This is exactly why we push for strong visuals at Maslow Creative. It’s also why Megan does such a fantastic job with her content photography service—it’s much cheaper than hiring a high-end commercial photographer, but it gets you those custom, authentic shots that actually convert.
We have clients who come to us with profiles that have been sitting dormant for a year. The moment we get in there, update the info, and add real photos, the difference is night and day. Data from Google shows that customers are 70% more likely to visit a business with an optimized profile.
Speed Matters (Because Your Customers Are in a Hurry)
We are entering the age of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). It sounds fancy, but it really just means search engines are getting smarter. They are looking for context.
This means your website needs to do more than just exist.
- It needs to load fast.
- It needs proper schema (code that helps Google understand “this is a price” or “this is an event”).
- It needs to be easy to navigate.
Why the rush? Because local searches happen in the moment. 76% of people who search for a nearby business on their smartphone visit a business within a day. If your site is slow or your hours are wrong, they aren’t waiting around—they are going to your competitor.
Why We Do What We Do
Look, I know you didn’t start your business to worry about schema markup, “local intent,” or whether your hours are updated on Bing. You started it to do what you’re good at.
That’s why we take this stuff so seriously at Maslow Creative. We are a local business, too—heck, we were just voted Best of Reno for 2024 and 2025 (and we are incredibly proud of that).
We focus on the local guys. We don’t really chase the big e-commerce giants; we want to help the landscapers, the dentists, and the local shops right here in Nevada. We know that hiring an in-house marketing person is expensive. For a fraction of that cost, you get a team that is obsessed with these details.
Roughly 46% of all Google searches have local intent. That means nearly half of the people searching right now are looking for a business like yours nearby.
So, if you’ve been letting your online presence sit on autopilot, let’s fix that. Your future customers are looking for you—make sure they find the right version of you.
See It In Action (Watch Megan’s Tips)
We practice what we preach. Check out these quick tips from Megan on our Instagram to see how we handle visuals, reviews, and standing out online:
