If you own a flooring store, chances are you've asked yourself this question at least once: "Why don't I show up on Google?" It's a good question, and one that has a lot of possible answers. But before we get into that, let's first talk about how people find flooring stores. 

There are a few ways. The first is through word-of-mouth. Someone might have had a good experience with your store and told their friends or family about it. The second is through online directories like Yelp or Angie's List. And the third is through search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. 

Of those three, search engines are by far the most important because they have the potential to reach the widest audience. That's why it's so frustrating when you do a search for "flooring stores" and your store doesn't come up. But don't worry, there are a few things you can do to fix that. 

3 Tips for Showing up on Google

Claim your Google My Business listing 

If you want to show up on Google when people search for "flooring stores," the first thing you need to do is claim your Google My Business listing. This is a free service provided by Google that allows businesses to control how they appear in Google Maps and Search results. Once you claim your listing, be sure to fill out as much information as possible (address, hours of operation, website URL, etc.) and upload some high-quality photos.

Optimize your website for SEO 

Another way to make sure your store shows up on Google is to optimize your website for SEO (search engine optimization). This basically means making sure your website is designed in a way that makes it easy for Google's algorithms to find and index it. There are a lot of different ways to do this, but some of the basics include using relevant keywords on your website and in your titles and meta descriptions, having unique and interesting content, and making sure your website is mobile-friendly.

Get reviews from customers 

Finally, one of the best things you can do to show up on Google is to get reviews from customers. These reviews act as social proof that your store is worth checking out, and they also help improve your click-through rate (CTR) which is one of the factors Google uses to determine search rankings. To get started, simply ask your customers to leave a review on your Google My Business listing or on popular review sites like Yelp or Angie's List. 

If you're not showing up on Google when people search for "flooring stores," don't despair—there are things you can do to fix that! By claiming your listing on Google My Business, optimizing your website for SEO, and getting reviews from customers, you can make sure prospective customers can find you easily online.