Topic
Guides for East Hampton business owners: how customers find you online, done properly.
A genuine complaint gets a short, calm reply. A sudden pile of one-star reviews followed by a demand for money may be a scam, and Google says not to pay.
Jack Beckett·Oct 28, 2026
If only your satisfied customers get your Google review link, you're breaking Google's rules. Send it to everyone, and on Yelp, ask no one.
Jack Beckett·Oct 26, 2026
Google tells you to ask for reviews. Ask every customer the same way, and offer nothing for a Google review, not even a drawing entry.
Jack Beckett·Oct 23, 2026
The call button on your Google listing should ring a number your business owns. Google's rules don't say whether a call-tracking number meets that test, so keep your own line as the main one.
Jack Beckett·Oct 21, 2026
The hours and phone number customers see for your shop online may not have come from you. Here is how to claim your listings on Google, Yelp, Bing and Apple Maps.
Jack Beckett·Oct 19, 2026
Bing may already show a listing for your shop with your address, phone and hours. Claim it for free, and check your Google listing before you let Bing copy it.
Jack Beckett·Oct 16, 2026
Your shop can be on Apple Maps before you ever sign up. Claim it on Apple Business so Apple’s email reaches you when it changes your name or hours.
Jack Beckett·Oct 14, 2026
Other people can suggest changes to your Google listing. When Google tells you about one, you have four days to accept or reject it.
Jack Beckett·Oct 12, 2026
Your Google listing has space for a paragraph in your own words. Google suggests what you offer and how long you’ve been at it, and keeps out links and a focus on sales.
Jack Beckett·Oct 9, 2026
A low-quality cover photo on your Google listing may be replaced with one someone else posted. Here is what Google asks of your photos, and how to report a customer’s.
Jack Beckett·Oct 7, 2026
Google says the website button on your listing should lead to your own business. A Facebook page doesn’t count; here is where it goes instead.
Jack Beckett·Oct 5, 2026
Google suggests marking each official holiday on your listing, even a day you keep your usual hours. Closing eight days or more uses a different setting.
Jack Beckett·Oct 2, 2026
Google says the categories on your Google listing affect where you show up when people nearby search. Choose the most specific one first, then add others sparingly.
Jack Beckett·Sep 30, 2026
Extra words after your business name on Google, like your town, your trade or your hours, could get the listing suspended. Use the name your customers know.
Jack Beckett·Sep 28, 2026
If a past owner, a former employee or the company that built your website owns your shop's Google listing, getting control of it starts with a request through Google.
Jack Beckett·Sep 24, 2026
