Customers Look You Up Everywhere Before They Come. What Do They Find?
Someone calls you or walks into your shop. For you, it is the first contact. For them, it is often the end of a short search: they looked you up on Google, checked the map and reviews, opened your Instagram, perhaps a video, and then your website. The question is not where they find you. It is what they find at each point.
What Greek research shows
In the 2025 E-commerce Survey by GR.EC.A and ELTRUN, 7 in 10 bought in a physical store after researching online first. And the reverse: 8 in 10 e-shoppers visited a physical store before buying online. Online and offline are not two separate worlds. They are the same journey.
The same survey also shows a trust gap. Nearly half of consumers find interesting products through social media, yet 62% do not trust buying through them. And 55% say they would not buy from a store that does not inspire trust, even at lower prices. A post can catch attention. A decision needs more.
Where customers meet you
Google and Maps. For a local business, the Google Business Profile is often the first thing people see. Google explains that local results are based mainly on three things: relevance to what the user is searching for, distance, and how well known the business is, with reviews counting. Complete information, accurate hours, photos and replies to reviews are what Google itself recommends. And it is clear: a better local ranking cannot be bought.
Social media. This is where many discover you and many come to see what you are like in practice. Your profile needs to say at a glance what you do, where you serve and how to reach you. Short videos showing how you work and the people behind the business answer a question a static post rarely covers: can I trust you?
Your website. This is where anyone who wants to confirm something ends up. It is usually opened on a phone and must answer quickly: what you offer, where you serve, how to contact you.
The same message everywhere
The usual problem is not a missing channel. It is that each channel says something slightly different. Different hours on Google and on the site, an old phone number on Instagram, a service you no longer offer. Each mismatch sends the message “I am not sure this is up to date”. And when trust is already fragile, that is enough for someone to go elsewhere.
A hypothetical example
A physiotherapy clinic has a good Google profile and good reviews. On Instagram, though, the last post is a year old, and the website does not say whether it takes afternoon appointments. Someone who found it on the map and wanted to see how they work is left with questions. It does not need daily posts. It needs a clear bio, a pinned video showing the space and one clear line on the site about appointments. The example is illustrative, not a real business.
A one-hour check
1. Search for your business on Google from a phone, as a new customer would. Open Maps too.
2. Check that name, address, phone and hours match on Google, your website and social media. Do not forget special holiday hours.
3. Read your latest reviews and reply to those without a reply, including negative ones.
4. See whether your photos show your space and work as they are today.
5. Open your social profile: can someone tell in a few seconds what you do and where?
6. On your mobile website, count how many steps it takes someone to call or message you.
Where to start
You do not need to be everywhere with the same intensity. You need customers to find the same clear, up-to-date answers wherever they find you. At Promoters we start from exactly this journey, before discussing a new website or video. If you would like to go through it for your business, book a free 60-minute online consultation.
Sources: GR.EC.A & ELTRUN, 2025 E-commerce Survey (CNN Greece, 08/05/2025) · Google Business Profile Help, How to improve your local ranking on Google · Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash