Search and sharing

On Google, each page shows as a blue title and a line of gray text. When someone shares a page in a text or on Facebook, a photo and title show up. You choose all of these. You can also check how well AI tools like ChatGPT can understand your site and recommend you.

Check every page at a glance

1. Click Pages in the left menu.
2. Each page in the list has two scores, like Search 7/9 and AI 3/4: how many of the search checks and AI answers checks it passes. Point at a score to see what it counts.
   • All or nearly all checks passed means the page is in good shape.
   • A low score means there's something worth improving.
3. Open a page, then its Search & sharing tab, to see which checks it misses.

Pages without an AI answers checklist (see below) show only the search score.

Set a page's search title and description

1. Open a page, then click its Search & sharing tab.
2. Under How this page looks in Google, you'll see a preview of your search listing. It updates as you type.
3. Search title: the blue link in Google. Aim for 30 to 60 characters. The ending from Added to every page title (see Site-wide settings), usually your business name, is added automatically, so you don't need to type it.
4. Description: the gray text under the link. Aim for 70 to 160 characters. Say what the page offers and why someone should click.
5. Focus keyword: the phrase you most want this page found for, like "dog groomer in Raleigh". Pick one phrase per page.

If you leave the search title empty, the page name is used instead.

Fix what the search checklist finds

1. On the page's Search & sharing tab, look at Search checklist, like Search checklist: 5 of 9. Done items have a check mark.
2. Each item that isn't done has a tip and a way to fix it. Pick the one you want:
   • Use this title or Use this description: a search title or description written from the page's own words, the right length and naming your keyword. Read it, then click to use it.
   • Keyword ideas from the page's name and your town, like "patios Asheville". Click one to make it the focus keyword, or click Type your own. Once you've told us your kind of business (see Tell us your kind of business), the first ideas are what people really search for, like "touchless car wash Asheville".
   • Use this photo: makes the page's first photo its share image.
   • A link to the spot where the fix is made, like Edit the main heading or Change the address, like /stone-patios, which opens the Page settings tab.
   • A button that asks AI to do it, like Ask AI to write more (see Let AI make a fix).
3. Click Publish when you're happy.

A keyword counts when all its words appear, in any order, with plurals counted as the singular. So "stone patios Asheville" is in "Stone Patios & Retaining Walls in Asheville". Short words like "in" are ignored.

The checklist looks for: a search title of 30–60 characters, a description of 70–160, a focus keyword, the keyword in the title, description, page text and web address, at least 150 words on the page, and a share image. These are suggestions, not rules. Write for your customers first.

Let AI make a fix

Some fixes need new words on the page, like more text, facts or a question and its answer. Both checklists have buttons for these, marked with a sparkle, like Ask AI to write more or Ask AI to add facts.

1. Click the button. AI changes opens with the request already written.
2. Read it and add anything you know, like your real prices. The AI asks for facts it needs and never makes them up.
3. Click Ask. You see the price before anything runs. See AI changes.

The AI reads your live site, so publish a new page before you ask about it.

Show up in AI answers

More and more people ask ChatGPT, Google's AI answers, Perplexity or Claude for a recommendation, like "who builds stone patios near Asheville?", instead of searching. These tools read your website, then check it against your Google listing, your reviews and your other profiles before they answer.

Your site is already built for them. The pages are plain and fast, so these tools can read them easily. Your hours, address, phone and questions are included in a format they understand. Two checklists show what you can add.

To check a page:

1. Open the page, then click its Search & sharing tab.
2. Look at AI answers checklist, like AI answers checklist: 2 of 4.
3. Fix each item that isn't done:
   • Mentions where you work: click Use this title to add your town to the search title, or Ask AI to mention your town on the page.
   • Answers questions people ask: click Add a Questions & answers section to add an FAQ section and open it, or Ask AI to add one. A heading phrased as a question, with the answer below it, counts too.
   • Gives specific facts: a starting price, how long a job takes, years in business. Click Ask AI to add facts; it asks you for the real numbers.
   • Every section has a heading: click Add a heading to and the section's name to open the first one without a heading.

Privacy and accessibility pages, and pages hidden from search engines, don't have this checklist.

No one can promise that an AI tool will mention your business. What these tools look at keeps changing, and we keep your site up to date as it does. The checklists show what gives you the best chance.

Check your whole business for AI answers

1. Click Search & sharing in the left menu.
2. Look at Show up in AI answers, like Show up in AI answers: 6 of 8.
3. Fix each item that isn't done with the button under it:
   • Business details are complete (phone, address or service area, and hours), Service area is listed, Google Business Profile is linked and Another profile is linked, like Facebook or Instagram: click Open Business info. See Business info and hours.
   • Type of business is chosen: click Choose it below and pick one under Site-wide settings.
   • At least 5 questions answered: counts the questions in FAQ sections across your site. Click Get suggested questions to open your FAQ list, then show the questions in an FAQ section. See Use suggested questions.
   • At least 3 customer reviews: click Add reviews to open Lists › Reviews. See Reviews.
   • Has an About page: click Add an About page in Pages, then add a page from the About template. See Add a page.

Choose what shows when a page is shared

1. On the page's Search & sharing tab, scroll to Sharing.
2. Under Share image, click Choose photo and pick a bright, simple photo. The preview card shows the result.

If you don't pick one, your site's Default share image is used. In the Search checklist, Use this photo picks the page's first photo for you.

Hide a page from search engines

Some pages shouldn't show up on Google, like a thank-you page or a private offer.

1. On the page's Search & sharing tab, under Sharing, turn on Hide this page from search engines.
2. Click Publish.

People with the link can still open the page. It just won't be listed in search results, and it's left out of your sitemap.

Site-wide settings

Back on the main Search & sharing screen, under Site-wide settings:

• Added to every page title: usually " | Your Business Name". Google shows it after each page's title. Keep the space and the bar at the start.
• Type of business: pick the closest match, like Restaurant, Salon or Home services & trades. This tells Google what kind of business you are, so you show up in the right local searches.
• Default share image: used for any page without its own share image. Your best photo or your logo on a plain background works well.

Handled for you

Some search work happens automatically every time you publish. The Handled for you list shows it:

• A sitemap so Google finds every page
• FAQ sections marked up so Google can show them as rich results
• Your hours, address and phone in Google's preferred format, taken from Business info
• Fast, mobile-friendly pages
• Sharing tags for Facebook, iMessage and more
• Pages that AI search tools (ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Google's AI answers) are allowed to read, and can read without running any code

Click See what search engines read about your business to see the details.

Visitor stats

Visitor stats are set up for you at launch, under Integrations in Site services. They count visits without cookies, so you don't need a cookie banner.

Tips

• Moving from an old website? Add redirects so old links still work. See Redirects.
• Google can take days or weeks to notice changes. Publish, then give it time.
• Keep your business details in Business info accurate. See Business info and hours.