When someone in Thimphu searches for a café, a tour operator or a hardware shop, Google shows two things: a map with business listings, and a list of websites. Being visible in both is mostly a matter of doing a few basic things properly and keeping them up to date.
Here is the checklist we use with our own clients.
Step 1: Set up your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the listing that appears on Google Maps and in the map results. It is free, and it is often the first thing a customer sees.
- Go to business.google.com and sign in with a Google account the business controls (not a personal account that might leave with an employee).
- Search for your business name. If it already exists, claim it. If not, create it.
- Choose the most accurate main category. This matters more than most people realise.
- Add your location, or the area you serve if customers do not visit you.
- Add your phone number, website and opening hours.
- Complete the verification step Google offers you. The options differ from business to business.
Make the profile worth clicking
- Add real photos of your premises, products, team and work. Update them from time to time.
- Write a short, plain description of what you do and where.
- Keep opening hours correct, including government holidays.
- Use the same business name, address and phone number everywhere: Google, Facebook and your website.
Step 2: Have a website Google can understand
A Business Profile helps people find you on the map. A website helps you appear for everything else: “website design Bhutan”, “Paro hotel with airport pickup”, “hardware shop Thimphu”. Google reads your website to decide what you are relevant for, so make it easy:
- One page per main service or product type. A single page that lists everything is hard for Google to match to specific searches.
- Clear page titles. Each page should say what it is about and where, for example “Hotel Rooms in Paro”.
- Say where you are. Mention your town and the areas you serve naturally in your text and contact page.
- Make it work on phones. Most searches happen on a phone.
- Keep it fast. Large, uncompressed photos are the most common reason a site is slow.
Every website we build includes this foundation: search-friendly URLs, page titles and descriptions, image optimisation and mobile-friendly design. See our website packages. For an existing website, our SEO services in Bhutan cover the technical fixes, content and reporting.
Step 3: Connect Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how Google sees your website: which searches you appear for, which pages are indexed and whether there are problems.
- Add your website at search.google.com/search-console and verify that you own it.
- Submit your sitemap, the file that lists your pages. On WordPress sites with an SEO plugin it is usually at /sitemap_index.xml.
- Check back once a month: which searches bring visitors, and are any pages reporting errors?
Step 4: Ask for reviews, and reply to them
Reviews help customers decide, and they are one of the signals Google uses for local results. The most reliable way to get them is simply to ask satisfied customers, with a direct link to your review page. Reply to every review, positive or negative, politely and briefly. Never buy or invent reviews: it breaks Google’s rules and customers can usually tell.
Step 5: Be patient and consistent
Google does not show a new website at the top overnight. Keep your information accurate, add useful content when you have something to say, and keep collecting reviews. Small, steady improvements add up.
A quick checklist
- Google Business Profile claimed, verified and complete
- Same name, address and phone number everywhere
- Real photos added
- A website with one page per main service
- Clear page titles that mention what and where
- Search Console set up and sitemap submitted
- A simple routine for asking for reviews
Want help with any of this? Book a free consultation and we will look at where your business stands today.