Here’s a slightly uncomfortable truth: Google doesn’t care how passionate you are about your business. It doesn’t care how many late nights you’ve spent perfecting your product, or how many cups of coffee it took to build your site. What it does care about is whether you look like a real business, online. And by “real,” we mean verifiable, consistent, active, and, ideally, not sketchy.
So, how exactly does Google decide if you’re legit? Let’s get into it.
Start with the basics: Can Google find your info, and does it match everywhere?
Google’s first sniff test is pretty straightforward; it checks whether your business information is consistent across the internet. That means your name, address, and phone number (NAP) should match on your website, your Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and wherever else you’re listed. If your address says “Suite 400” on one site and “Ste. 400” on another, that’s not a huge problem. But if your phone number is different on three platforms? That’s a red flag.
Google’s algorithm cross-references this stuff constantly; it’s not just looking for your info. It’s checking to see if the rest of the world agrees with you.
Backlinks still matter, but not the spammy kind
You know how in real life, if a respected expert says you’re great at what you do, people believe it? Same thing online. Google looks at who’s linking to your site. If those links are coming from reputable sources—think trade publications, local news, or industry
associations—that’s a signal you’re a legitimate player. If they’re coming from a dozen shady directories in who-knows-where, not so much.
This is where tools like Ahrefs or Moz come in handy; they’ll show you who’s linking to you, and whether those links are helping or hurting. If you find junk links, you can disavow them. Yes, that’s a real thing. Basically, you’re telling Google, “Hey, I didn’t ask for this sketchy backlink. Please ignore it.”
Your website needs to look like someone lives there
Imagine walking into a business and there’s no sign, no one at the desk, and the lights are flickering. That’s how it feels when a site is missing trust signals. Google expects to see certain elements on a “real” business website: a clear contact page, an About page that shows who’s behind the curtain, privacy and terms pages, and yes, an SSL certificate. (If your site still shows up as “Not Secure,” fix it yesterday.)
You’ll also want to use schema markup; structured data that tells Google exactly what your business is, where it’s located, and how it fits into the world. It’s like giving Google a cheat sheet. It helps your site show up properly in search results.
Reviews: yes, people are reading them, and so is Google
Real businesses get reviews. Not all of them are glowing, but the presence of reviews, especially recent ones, shows that your business is active and engaging with customers. Google pulls reviews from its own platform, but it also looks at third-party sites like Yelp, Facebook, and industry-specific directories.
Responding to reviews, even the annoying ones, shows that someone is paying attention. That’s not just good customer service; it’s a ranking signal. And no, you don’t need hundreds of five-star reviews overnight. That actually looks suspicious. A slow, steady trickle of honest feedback is better than a flood of fake praise.
Is your business… alive?
Google watches how people interact with your site. Do they click through from search results? Do they stick around or bounce
immediately? Are you posting updates, adding new content, uploading photos to your Google Business Profile?
If your site feels like it was built in 2015 and hasn’t been touched since, that’s a problem. Google doesn’t just want to see that you exist; it wants signs of life. Activity and engagement are subtle but powerful indicators that your business is real and still in business.
E-E-A-T: It’s not a typo, it’s Google’s credibility checklist
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. That’s what E-E-A-T stands for, and it’s especially important if your business touches on topics like health, finance, or anything else where bad advice could ruin someone’s life.
So how do you show E-E-A-T? Include bios for your authors with real credentials. Cite reliable sources. Publish content that actually helps people, not just filler stuffed with keywords. And if you get mentioned by other trustworthy sites, even better. It’s about building a web of credibility that Google can trace.
Legal stuff helps too, even if it’s not flashy
Having an LLC or a tax ID won’t automatically boost your rankings, but it does help paint a fuller picture. Google pulls data from third-party aggregators like Dun & Bradstreet. If your business shows up there with verified details, that’s another check in the “real business” column.
It’s like wearing a suit to a meeting; it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the deal, but it definitely doesn’t hurt.
So, does Google think you’re real?
It’s not a single checkbox. It’s a collection of signals—some technical, some behavioral, some just plain common sense. Google’s trying to simulate what a human would trust. And honestly, it’s pretty good at it.
If your business shows up consistently across platforms, earns real backlinks, looks trustworthy, gets reviews, stays active, and demonstrates expertise, then yes, Google probably thinks you’re real. And that means your customers will too.
That’s one more tool in the belt.
We’ll be back soon with more you can use.
Until then, keep building.
– Perfect Sites Blog