Hey Friends—welcome to Small Business Unplugged! A podcast for business owners who are serious about growth. I'm your host, Phil Tucker, and each week we dive into the strategies, tools, and mindset shifts that help small businesses thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing world. If you're ready to grow your business, yourself, and your influence—you're in the right place.

Let’s be real—most small businesses never audit their online presence. In fact, nearly 9 out of 10 skip this step entirely. That means they miss out on easy, no-cost tweaks that could start attracting more local customers almost immediately.

So if you’re feeling stuck, wondering why traffic is flat or leads aren’t coming in like they should—you’re not alone. And you’re definitely not stuck.

Today, I’m going to show you how to audit your online presence in just 10 minutes. No tech jargon. No special tools. Just plain-English strategies that make a real difference.

Let’s talk about the problem first.

The Problem You’ve probably tried posting more on social media. Maybe even ran some ads or updated your website. But you’re still not getting the kind of engagement or customer flow you were hoping for.

It’s frustrating. You’re doing the work, but it feels like shouting into the void.

That’s because most small business owners don’t realize their digital presence has holes. Outdated listings, missing keywords, or broken links can quietly derail your visibility. And when that happens, Google doesn’t trust you—and customers can’t find you.

But here’s the good news: these problems are fixable. Quickly. With simple steps you can take today.

The Plan: 10 Practical Online Audit Fixes

1. Start with Your Google Business Profile This is your digital storefront. Make sure your business hours are accurate, your categories reflect what you actually do, and your service area is clearly defined. Add high-quality, recent photos that showcase your space or work. Update your business description using local keywords. This profile often appears before your website in search results, so treat it like your homepage.
2. Scan Your Website Meta Titles Meta titles are what show up in search engine results. They need to be specific, include keywords your audience is using, and entice people to click. Use tools like Screaming Frog to pull a list of titles across your site. Update titles to be concise (under 60 characters), include your location, and mention a clear benefit. For example, instead of “Home,” use “Affordable Dog Grooming in Austin | Quick Paws Pet Spa.”
3. Test Your Website Speed Slow sites drive visitors away before your content even loads. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to see how your site performs on both mobile and desktop. Look at suggestions for image compression, removing unused code, or leveraging browser caching. Even shaving off one second can make a big difference in user retention and conversions.
4. Check for Consistent NAP Across Listings NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. These must be exactly the same on every directory and citation site. Check Yelp, Yellow Pages, Facebook, your Chamber of Commerce listing, and industry-specific directories. A small inconsistency—like using "St." on one site and "Street" on another—can confuse search engines and hurt your local rankings.
5. Review Your Top Pages for Clarity Visit your homepage and top service pages as if you were a brand-new visitor. Is it immediately clear what you do, who you serve, and how someone can contact you? Remove clutter, simplify language, and make calls-to-action prominent and direct. For example, swap "Learn More" for "Schedule a Free Estimate."
6. Add Seasonal or Location-Specific Photos Visual content signals that your business is active and relevant. Post recent photos of your storefront, products, or team at work. If it’s summer, show summer products or services. Include neighborhood landmarks to create location context. This helps your Google profile and adds trust with potential customers.
7. Audit Your Customer Reviews Read through your reviews. Are customers mentioning what they love most? Are they using keywords like your city name or service category? If not, ask happy customers to include those details when leaving a review. Also, respond to every review—good or bad. It shows you care and boosts engagement signals to Google.
8. Optimize for Voice Search More people are using voice assistants to find services. Use natural, spoken language in your content. Think about how your customers ask questions. Add FAQ sections that answer things like, “Who’s the best emergency plumber near me?” or “What time does Joe’s Coffee open on Sundays?” These match how people speak to devices.
9. Fix Broken Links and Missing Pages Run a crawl of your site with Screaming Frog or another auditing tool. Identify 404 errors, broken links, or pages without metadata. Fix broken links by updating URLs or removing the reference. Redirect old pages to updated ones when appropriate. This improves user experience and strengthens your SEO authority.
10. Set a Monthly Reminder to Re-Audit Make this a habit. Your business evolves, and so does the internet. Schedule a 10-minute review each month to re-check the items on this list. Look for seasonal updates, new keyword opportunities, or changes in your analytics. Consistency is the secret to staying ahead of competitors.

Final Advice You don’t need to do it all today. But pick one item from that list and tackle it this week. Then do another next week. Momentum builds with small wins.

And remember, clarity beats complexity. Simple actions done consistently create a solid digital foundation that supports your business long-term.

Call to Action If this episode helped you spot a few areas to fix, share it with a fellow business owner who could use a boost. And if you want a quick checklist to guide your monthly audit, download our free guide at SmallBusinessUnplugged.com/checkup.

Alright, Friends—that’s it for this episode of Small Business Unplugged. Thanks for being here—it means more than you know. If you found this helpful, share it with a local business owner who needs to hear it—and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a strategy that could help your business grow. Have questions about your marketing? Visit SmallBusinessUnplugged.com to schedule a free consultation. I’m Phil Tucker—stay focused, stay encouraged, and I’ll see you next time.