Is Your Business Showing Up on Google? Local SEO for Small Businesses Explained
- Neil Betts
- Apr 22
- 5 min read
Is Your Business Showing Up on Google? Local SEO for Small Businesses Explained
There's a question every small business owner should be asking themselves right now, not next quarter, not when things slow down — right now.
Is your business actually showing up on Google? Or are you just assuming it is?
That assumption could be costing you more enquiries than you realise. And in this episode of Vision to Venture, I sat down with Ben Bradley, founder and director of Cosmik Carrot , a web agency he's been building for 18 years on the edge of Cannock Chase, to talk about exactly that.
Ben, also an Executive Committee Member of the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce, has been one of my go-to guests since the early days of this channel. He was part of my MVP. And he's back because the conversation we need to have about Google visibility in 2025 is more important than ever.
From a Carrot and a Clear Vision
Before we got into local SEO, I asked Ben something I'd been wanting to ask for years: where on earth does the name Cosmik Carrot come from?
Turns out, it started with a lifestyle change back in 2007. Ben cleaned up his diet, carrots played a role in improving his health, and he wanted a business name that wasn't tied to his personal name, something that could grow and evolve with the technology around it. He looked at Apple and thought: if a piece of fruit works for a $4 trillion company, a cosmic carrot is good enough for me.
It was a surprisingly structured bit of thinking for a 2007 start-up decision.
What's more interesting is why Ben started at all. In September 2007, Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone. Ben saw it and had one of those crystal-clear moments of vision.
"The web is now in people's pockets. There's only one way this is going to go."
So in January 2008, he launched Cosmik Carrot, building websites in raw HTML (Dreamweaver, for those old enough to remember), while keeping his nine-to-five job and building his client base nights and weekends.
The First Client, the Second Client, and the Real Lesson
Ben's first client was his mate's brother, an amateur film production company wanting a web presence. Basic site. Small fee. Learn as you go.
But it's what that first project taught him that's still shaping how he works 18 years later:
Ask the right questions from the outset. Get the requirements right.
Because, as Ben puts it, you're not building a website for the client's version of what a website looks like. You're building for the outcome their clients are chasing. That's a completely different mindset and most agencies still get it wrong.
His second client came through a university connection. Same principle applied. And slowly, the pattern was taking shape.
The Moment Validation Got Real
Ben shared one of those moments that every founder lives for. A client launched their site and came back within 48 hours reporting a 50% increase in contact enquiries.
He hadn't promised that. Nobody would. But when it happened, it was clear: getting the requirements right gives you the best possible chance of causing real ripples for a client.
That's what structured process does.
From Local to International — Before It Was Normal
Here's the bit that genuinely surprised me. By building on the web in 2008, Ben wasn't just getting local clients in Staffordshire. He was picking up event management clients in Australia, Canada, and the US, running calls on Skype across time zones before Zoom was even a thing.
His client revenue from those international contracts helped him put a deposit on his house.
But he was patient. While mates were telling him to quit the day job and go for it, Ben kept his focus on one thing: recurring revenue. He wasn't willing to leap until the business could catch him. And when it did, it wasn't a plunge into the wilderness. It was a confident, steady step.
"The last thing I wanted to be was one of those statistics — business started, done and dusted within five years."
The Pivot They Had to Make
Like any business operating in tech, Cosmik Carrot has had to pivot. Their event management niche, once a real area of focus, eventually ran its course. Post-2016, off-the-shelf software had caught up, and the market had shifted.
So they moved on. No drama. Just clear eyes and the discipline to read the room.
Ben's point here is one I hear echoed across every great founder I've interviewed: the tech changes constantly. The question you're solving doesn't.
"What problem are we actually trying to solve here? If we get that right, the tools are secondary."
That philosophy has kept Cosmik Carrot relevant across 18 years of relentless technological change, from Dreamweaver to WordPress, from Google Places to Google Business Profile, from Skype to Zoom to AI.
The Biggest Mistake Local Businesses Make With Google
And here's where the conversation shifted to something practical for every small business owner watching. Ben's view is this: too many businesses assume they need a new website when the real problem is visibility.
A client will come in asking for a redesign. But when you dig into the requirements, when you actually ask why, it becomes clear that the site isn't the issue. The business simply isn't showing up where its customers are looking.
That's a local SEO problem. Not a design problem.
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business, formerly Google Places, it's had a few names) is one of the most underused tools available to small businesses. And neglecting it means you're invisible in local search, which, for most small businesses, is where the majority of their customers are coming from.
Ben's team focuses on cutting through the noise, building long-term platforms, and making sure clients are actually found, not just live online.
On AI, Human Expertise, and What's Coming
We couldn't have this conversation without talking about AI. Ben was candid: it's been a genuine concern in the web industry. But his take is measured.
Business owners who've tried to use AI to replace external agencies are already, 18 months in, questioning whether it's moved the needle. And they're coming back to the human expert.
"We do what you don't need to do, so you can focus on what you do best."
That's the Cosmik Carrot philosophy. And it hasn't changed in 18 years, only the tools have.
He also hinted at something new in the pipeline, a solution that brings digital workers into the mix for clients, but we'll leave that for when it's ready to launch.
What Ben Would Tell His Younger Self
I always close with the same question. If you could write one note to the version of you just about to start this journey, what would it say?
Ben didn't hesitate.
"Back yourself. You've got something here. Don't wait for permission."
Watch the Full Episode
This conversation is packed with far more than I can capture in a blog post — including Ben's thoughts on the pace of change in AI, how he thinks about client relationships after nearly two decades, and what it actually felt like to go from side hustle to proper limited company.
So is Your Business Showing Up on Google? Local SEO for Small Businesses Explained
And if you want to find out more about Cosmik Carrot and how they help small businesses show up on Google, you can find Ben at cosmikcarrot.com
Want to Build a Business with Real Visibility?
At Go True North, we help small business owners move from invisible to in-demand, not just on Google, but in how they structure their thinking, their process, and their growth.
If you're ready to get structured, book a discovery call with me here or explore the Vision to Venture Programme at visiontoventure.uk
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