How do people actually find businesses like yours?

If you run a small business, you've probably been told you need to be on social media. Post regularly. Stay visible. Build a following. There's a grain of truth in that — social media does help people discover you.

But there's a difference between being seen and being found. Understanding that difference could change how you think about where to put your time and money.

Being seen vs being found

When someone scrolls through Instagram or Facebook, they're not looking for anything in particular. They're browsing. If your post appears in their feed and catches their eye, great. That's being seen. It's passive, and depends entirely on the algorithm deciding to show your content to the right person at the right time. Then there's the amount of times they need to see your content for it to even register.

Being found is different. It happens when someone has a specific need, goes looking for a solution, and your business shows up. They're not stumbling across you, they're searching for exactly what you offer.

That's how Google works. Someone types "will writer near me" or "therapist in Reading" or "removals company Maidenhead" into the search bar. Google shows them results it thinks they want to see. The businesses that appear on the first page of results are the ones that get found.

Why this matters for small businesses

Think about the last time you needed a service you'd never used before. A plumber. A solicitor. A childminder. Did you scroll through Instagram hoping something would come up? Or did you go straight to Google?

Sometimes the first step is asking for a recommendation, think posting in a local Facebook group, asking friends, checking a community page – it's a perfectly natural way to start. But what usually happens next? Most people take that recommendation and go straight to Google. They look up the business, check the location, read the reviews, have a look at the website. They're doing their research before they pick up the phone or send an enquiry.

So even when a recommendation starts on social media, Google is often where the decision gets made.

So why do most small businesses focus on social media?

Partly because it's free. Setting up a profile and posting costs nothing, which makes it an obvious starting point when budget is tight. Paid advertising can feel like a big unknown – what does it actually cost, and will it be worth it?

That uncertainty puts a lot of businesses off before they've even looked into it properly. The assumption is that it's expensive, complicated, or something only bigger businesses do.

There's also the familiarity factor. Most of us use social media personally, so it feels approachable. Creating a post feels manageable. And the feedback – likes, comments, followers… feels like progress.

Using paid ads like Google Ads does have a learning curve. There's a dashboard, specific settings, a budget to manage, in some cases graphics to create. But the cost is more controllable than most people expect. Complicated doesn't mean not worth it. It just means it helps to have someone who knows what they're doing.

The two work differently, not against each other

Social media and Google aren't in competition. They do different jobs.

Social media builds awareness over time. It keeps you visible to people who already know you exist, and occasionally introduces you to someone new. It's a long game.

Google puts you in front of people at the exact moment they're looking for what you offer. The intent is already there. You just need to show up.

For a lot of small businesses, especially service-based ones, Google is where the buyers are. Social media is where the browsers are. Both have value – but they're not interchangeable.

What this means for you

If you're a local service business – a therapist, a solicitor, a trades person, a specialist of any kind, there are people in your area searching for what you do right now. Whether your business appears when they search depends on whether you're running ads or have strong organic visibility on Google.

Social media alone won't capture that. It wasn't built to.

If you've ever wondered whether Google Ads might be worth looking at for your business, that's a good question to sit with. It's not right for every business — but for many local service businesses, it's one of the most direct routes to new enquiries there is.