Everyone and their moms are concerned about visibility.
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Viksen Creative
The Strategy Drop · Issue 01
Strategy Tips Right In Your Inbox
80% of you said the same thing. Let's fix it.I ran an International Women's Day giveaway and asked one simple question to enter: what's your biggest concern with your digital strategy right now? The responses came in fast. 80% of you said the same thing: visibility. The other 20% split between "my systems are a mess and I can't keep up with leads" and "I don't have a strategy at all." Today we're tackling visibility. And I'm going to tell you something that might surprise you. This Issue's Strategy Tip
You're so focused on being found online, you forgot about being found locally.Here's what I see constantly: established service businesses pouring energy into Instagram, obsessing over their follower count, wondering why their reach isn't growing, while completely ignoring the thing that could move the needle fastest. Local visibility. The internet made us think everything has to be global to be valuable. But if you're a service business, like a photographer, a real estate broker, a consultant, a therapist... your next 10 clients are probably within 30 miles of you, actively looking for you. And Google knows exactly how to get you in front of them. Most businesses just aren't set up to take advantage of it.
46%
of all Google searches have local intent
76%
of local searches result in a visit or contact within 24hrs
Google loves to surface local businesses, but only when they signal clearly that they are one. That signal comes from three places most service businesses are underusing: 1. Your Google Business Profile. This is not optional. It's one of the highest-leverage free tools available to a service business, and most profiles are either incomplete, abandoned, or haven't been touched since they were set up three years ago. Your GBP is what shows up in the map pack (those three businesses that appear at the top of a local search before any website results). If you're not there, you don't exist for that search. 2. Local keywords on your actual website. "Wedding photographer" is a hard keyword to rank for. "Wedding photographer in Palm Springs"? That's a different conversation. Your service pages need to include the specific neighborhoods, cities, and areas you serve. Not stuffed in awkwardly, but naturally woven into your copy and meta data. Google is connecting searches to location signals, and your site needs to give it something to work with. 3. IRL presence as a digital signal. This one surprises people. When you speak at an event, get featured in a local publication, partner with another local business, or get mentioned on a local website, those backlinks and mentions tell Google you're a real, active presence in your community. Local press, local directories, local collabs: all of it feeds your local search authority. The IRL and the online are not separate strategies. They feed each other. You don't need to go viral. You need to be the obvious choice for the people already looking for exactly what you do, exactly where you are. What I'm Watching
Google's local search algorithm continues to weight proximity, relevance, and prominence. And "prominence" increasingly includes activity signals: recent reviews, updated photos, and posts on your Google Business Profile. Businesses that treat GBP like a set-it-and-forget-it tool are losing ground to ones that treat it like a living listing. If you haven't posted to yours in 60+ days, it's worth a look this week. Your Action Item This Week
Audit your Google Business Profile in the next 20 minutes.Search your business name on Google right now. What comes up? Is your profile claimed? Is it complete with hours, services, photos, website link? When was the last time you posted an update or responded to a review? If your profile is incomplete or hasn't been touched in a while, that's your visibility fix #1. Before you touch your website, get your GBP in order. It's free, fast, and Google will reward you for it. If you read this and realized your digital presence has bigger gaps than just your GBP, that's exactly what a Growth Diagnostic Audit is for. I look at your full digital footprint and tell you exactly where the leaks are. See how it works → |