If you run a local business, your visibility on Google directly affects how many calls, enquiries, and customers you get. But most business owners have no idea how visible — or invisible — they actually are.
That’s why we built Navia — a free AI-powered business visibility scanner that checks your Google Business Profile, analyses your local SEO signals, and tells you exactly what’s holding you back.
Why Business Visibility on Google Matters
When someone searches “plumber near me” or “best café in Melbourne,” Google decides which businesses to show. The businesses that appear at the top of those results — in the local pack, on Google Maps, and in organic search — capture the vast majority of clicks, calls, and visits.
If your business isn’t showing up, you’re not just missing out on traffic — you’re handing customers directly to your competitors. And the frustrating part? Most business owners don’t know why they’re not ranking. They assume their website is enough, or that their Google Business Profile is “fine.”
In most cases, it’s not fine. There are specific, fixable issues dragging their visibility down.
What Is a Business Visibility Score?
A business visibility score is a single number (out of 100) that measures how easily potential customers can find your business online. It takes into account multiple factors:
- Google Business Profile completeness — Is your profile claimed, verified, and fully filled out with categories, hours, photos, and services?
- Local SEO signals — Does your website support your local search presence? Is it using HTTPS? Is it on a custom domain?
- Trust and reputation indicators — Do you have consistent contact information (NAP), a phone number, an address, and a web presence that builds credibility?
- Completeness and consistency — Is your business information consistent and complete across the digital footprint you control?
Navia scores each of these areas individually, then combines them into an overall visibility score so you can see where you stand at a glance — and where to focus your efforts.
Common Issues That Hurt Local Business Visibility
After scanning hundreds of businesses, these are the issues we see most often:
1. No Google Business Profile (or an unclaimed one)
This is the single biggest visibility killer. Without a Google Business Profile, your business simply won’t appear in the local pack or on Google Maps for relevant searches. If your profile exists but isn’t claimed, you have no control over what it says — and Google gives unclaimed profiles far less visibility.
2. Incomplete business information
Google rewards completeness. A profile missing its business category, hours, phone number, or website URL signals to Google that this listing isn’t well-maintained. Compared to a competitor with a fully completed profile, you’ll consistently rank lower.
3. Website not using HTTPS
Google has confirmed that HTTPS is a ranking signal. If your website still runs on HTTP, you’re sending a negative trust signal to both Google and potential customers. Most hosting providers now offer free SSL certificates — there’s no reason not to make the switch.
4. Inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across the web
If your business name, address, or phone number differs between your website, Google Business Profile, Yellow Pages, and other directories, Google struggles to verify your information. Consistency across all platforms is a key trust signal for local rankings.
5. No reviews or unmanaged review profile
Reviews are one of the strongest ranking factors for local search. Businesses with more (and better) reviews consistently outrank those without. Not responding to reviews — especially negative ones — also hurts your standing.
How to Check Your Business Visibility for Free
Navia makes it simple. Here’s how it works:
- Enter your business details — name, website, address, phone, Google Business Profile link, and industry.
- Navia scans your visibility — it analyses your Google presence, local SEO signals, trust indicators, and information completeness.
- Get your report — you receive a visibility score, individual area scores, a list of specific issues found, and prioritised recommendations.
- Take action — follow the recommendations to improve your visibility and start attracting more customers.
The entire process takes less than 30 seconds and is completely free.
What Makes Navia Different from Other SEO Tools?
Most SEO audit tools are built for marketers — they dump technical jargon, raw data, and hundreds of metrics that mean nothing to a business owner who just wants to know: “Why aren’t people finding me?”
Navia is different because:
- It’s built for business owners, not SEO experts. Every result is explained in plain language.
- It focuses on what actually drives local customers — Google Business Profile, local search, trust signals — not vanity metrics.
- Recommendations are practical and prioritised. You’ll know exactly what to do first, second, and third.
- It includes an AI-generated summary that interprets your results like a consultant would.
- It’s completely free with no obligation, no credit card, and no hidden upsell.
5 Quick Wins to Improve Your Google Business Visibility Today
While you wait for your Navia scan results, here are five things you can do right now:
- Claim and verify your Google Business Profile at business.google.com if you haven’t already.
- Fill in every field — business category, hours, phone, website, services, and a detailed description.
- Add photos — businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more click-throughs to their website.
- Ask your best customers for a Google review — and respond to every review you receive.
- Check your website for HTTPS — if the URL starts with http:// instead of https://, contact your hosting provider to install an SSL certificate.
Ready to See Where You Stand?
Your competitors are already optimising their Google presence. The question isn’t whether local visibility matters — it’s whether you know where you stand.
Run your free business visibility scan with Navia now and find out exactly what’s helping — and hurting — your ability to attract local customers.
Navia is built by Evosion — an Australian digital growth agency that combines AI capability with real marketing and SEO expertise. See all our products.