If a brilliant business hides in Bingham and nobody can find it, did it ever really open?

Hi, I’m Becky. Welcome to the very first post on here, which feels a bit like talking before anyone’s arrived at the party. But you’re here now, so let’s crack on.

Here’s a thing I think about a lot. There are amazing little businesses tucked all over this corner of Nottinghamshire. The cafe in Bingham that does the bacon cob you’d happily queue in the rain for. The mobile hairdresser covering Aslockton and Orston who never has a free Saturday. The plumber in Bottesford who actually turns up when he says he will (a rarer breed than people realise). Brilliant, the lot of them. And yet half of them are basically invisible the moment someone picks up their phone and searches.

That’s the bit that drives me a little bit mad. Because the business is good. The work is good. The problem isn’t them at all. The problem is that being good and being found are two completely different things, and nobody ever sat them down and explained the difference.

So that’s what I do. I help local businesses get found online. Not with jargon, not with a 40-page report you’ll never read, just the practical stuff that actually moves the needle.

What “getting found” actually means

Let me keep this simple, because most of the people who explain it online seem weirdly determined to make it sound like rocket science.

When someone needs something, they search for it. “Hairdresser near me.” “Best Sunday roast Radcliffe on Trent.” “Emergency electrician Newark.” They type it into Google, or these days they just ask the assistant on their phone. And in about two seconds, they decide who to call. Usually it’s whoever shows up first, looks trustworthy, and has a few decent reviews. That’s it. That’s the whole game.

If that’s you, fantastic. The phone rings. If it’s not you, it’s the business three doors down, and you never even knew the search happened. You didn’t lose the customer. You just never appeared in the first place.

Getting found means making sure that when somebody in Whatton, Cropwell Bishop or Grantham goes looking for what you do, you’re the one staring back at them.

The three places people look (and most businesses only think about one)

There’s the website, obviously. Most people remember that one.

Then there’s your Google profile. That little box that pops up on the right with your photos, opening hours, reviews and a map. Honestly, for a local business that box often matters more than the website does. Sometimes people never even click through. They just see you’re open, see you’ve got four and a half stars, and ring. Maybe you’ve already got one of these set up. Maybe it’s half-finished and showing the wrong opening hours from 2019. Both very common.

And then there’s the newest one, the one catching people out. AI assistants. When someone asks ChatGPT “who’s a good plumber near Bottesford?”, it gives them an actual answer. A name. A recommendation. And here’s the kicker: if the AI can’t find clear, consistent information about you, it just quietly leaves you off the list. No hard feelings. You’re simply not in the conversation.

That’s a big shift, and most local businesses haven’t clocked it yet. Which, if you’re paying attention, is exactly the gap worth jumping into early.

Why I’m bothering to tell you all this

Because none of it is magic, and you shouldn’t have to feel daft for not knowing it. Nobody teaches this stuff. You started a business to do the thing you’re good at, not to decode how search engines feel about you on any given Tuesday.

I genuinely love untangling this for people. There’s something properly satisfying about taking a business that’s been shouting into the void and getting it actually seen. Watching the enquiries start landing. Watching someone realise they were three small fixes away from the phone ringing the whole time.

So that’s what this blog is going to be. Plain-English, no-nonsense bits about getting your business found, written so they make sense whether you’re running a salon in Bingham or a farm shop out near Elton. No buzzwords I have to explain twice. No homework. Just useful.

Want to know how you’re doing right now?

If you’re sitting there wondering “hang on, am I actually findable?”, I’ll tell you. I do a free visibility check where I look at how your business shows up across Google, search and the AI tools, and I send you a simple one-page report on what’s working and the first few things I’d fix. No catch, no sales pitch dressed up as a favour. Just an honest look.

Pop your details over and I’ll take a peek. Worst case, you find out you’re doing great and we both have a nice day. Best case, we find the reason the phone’s been quieter than it should be.

Either way, it beats hiding in Bingham hoping someone walks past.

Becky Halls – websites, Google profiles and AI visibility for local businesses across the Vale of Belvoir and Nottinghamshire. beckyhalls.com