Lesson 1 of 5
How search works for a small business in 2026
How Google decides what to show, and where you can win
The idea
Type “pizza” into Google at 9 pm and you get pizza places near you that are open now. Type “pizza dough recipe” and you get recipes. Same word, different wish. Google's job is to guess the wish and show the page that fits it.
Four reasons people search
To learn
“how to price a brand film”: an article answers it
To compare
“best proposal software for freelancers”: a comparison answers it
To buy
“proposal software pricing”: your pricing page answers it
To find a place
“video studio Bristol”: your Google Business Profile answers it
Sort it
1 of 6
Which page answers this search?
“how much does a brand film cost”
Small and specific wins
A new café won't come first for “coffee”. It can come first for “café with wifi near Temple Meads”. Fewer people search that, but the ones who do are ready to walk in.
Broad searches
- “marketing”, “video”
- Lots of searches, big brands, unclear wish
- Not worth chasing at first
Specific searches
- “brand film for a product launch, Bristol”
- Few searches, people close to buying
- Where a small business can come first
On the map, and in Google's AI answer
If you serve one area, the map results come first. They depend on a complete Google Business Profile, your reviews, and the same name, address and phone number everywhere.
Google also writes an AI answer at the top of many searches. It quotes pages that answer the question plainly, near the top. Module 6 is about these answers.
Fix first, then write
Step 1
Fix what Google sees
Titles, speed, phones, broken pages: days to weeks
Step 2
Win the near misses
Pages Google shows on page two: weeks
Step 3
Write new answers
Articles for questions nobody answers well: months
Today, with AI
Many searches now end on Google's own page, answered by its AI summary. The clicks that are left come from people about to decide.
Articles got cheap to write, so results are full of near-copies. A real price, a real example or a real opinion stands out.
What AI does well
Finding the questions buyers ask, drafting answers fast, and checking titles and speed across a whole site.
Where it goes wrong
Without your facts it writes the same article as everyone else. It can't see your search numbers until you connect Google.
What stays yours
Which searches matter to you, and the prices, examples and opinions only you have.
Check yourself
Do it in the studio
- 01
Open Get found → Site health and press Check the site: speed, phones, pictures and pages, worst first.
free - 02
Make the first fix it lists. A new check runs after six hours, so you can see the score move.
free - 03
For a full read, press Check my site on Google. Connect Search Console first, so it sees the pages Google already shows.
20 credits - 04
Write down your three most important searches, sort them by what the person wants, and match each to the page that should answer it.
free
Done when Your three main searches each have a page that fits what the person wants, and the first fix is live.
Go deeper
University courses on the same topic, if you want to go further.
London School of Economics
Digital Marketing (MG4F3)Search, online ads, mobile and social media, with AI doing the routine work
Imperial College Business School
Digital Marketing (BUSI70286)Search, social media, mobile, email and the numbers behind them