Most owners do not need another lecture about “digital marketing.” They need more customers — more calls, bookings, form fills and walk-ins — without guessing which tool or channel will finally move the needle.
Getting more customers online usually means being easier to find and easier to choose. Customers look in more than one place: Google, Maps, reviews, your website, and increasingly AI assistants. The work is figuring out which of those is holding you back versus the businesses that already seem busier.
This is also a CLIXERA Resource. For the canonical evergreen version, read the full guide →
Where customers look before they choose
People search, compare, check reviews and ask for recommendations — then they call the business that feels safest.
A website alone is not the whole journey. Someone may find you on Maps, compare reviews with a competitor, skim your site, then ask ChatGPT who is good nearby. If any of those steps is weak, you lose the sale even if you “have a website.”
Related: /resources/how-customers-find-businesses-online and /resources/google-vs-ai-vs-reviews-vs-website.
What usually blocks more customers
- You are hard to find for the searches people actually use
- Your Google Business Profile is incomplete or weaker than competitors
- Reviews are fewer, older or less trusted than nearby options
- Your website confuses visitors or fails to convert
- Listings show the wrong name, hours or phone number
- Competitors look clearer when people ask AI for a recommendation
There is not one magic channel
SEO alone will not fix a site that does not convert. Ads will not fix a reputation gap. An AI “hack” will not replace clear services and proof. The owners who improve usually stop arguing channels first and start naming the biggest gap versus competitors.
If the phone is quiet, start there: /resources/why-isnt-my-phone-ringing. If Google visibility is the pain: /resources/why-am-i-not-showing-up-on-google.
What to do first
Compare yourself with the businesses winning customers — not a national brand you will never compete with. Look across search, local, reviews, website and AI readiness together. Pick one or two gaps that clearly cost you trust or discovery. Fix those. Re-check. Repeat.
That loop beats buying another isolated tool every quarter.
How CLIXERA helps
CLIXERA is built for growing businesses that need more customers without becoming full-time marketers. It checks how findable and choosable you are across Google, AI search, reviews, listings, your website and selected competitors — then turns gaps into a prioritized to-do list (Growth Hub) you can DIY, assign, or hand to Pro Max when eligible.
Start with a free analysis: https://app.clixera.ca/try. Plans: https://app.clixera.ca/subscribe.
Questions people ask
Is getting more customers just an SEO problem?
Often not. SEO matters when people search, but reviews, listings, your website and AI recommendations also decide who gets chosen.
Should I start with ads?
Ads can bring leads faster, but if the underlying presence is weak you pay more for the same gaps. See /resources/seo-vs-ads-or-something-else.
Related reading
- How customers find businesses online
- Why isn’t my phone ringing?
- Google vs AI vs reviews vs website
- Try CLIXERA free
- See plans
Read the complete Resource: How to Get More Customers Online.
About the author
Warren Butland
Founder, CLIXERA
Warren Butland is the founder of CLIXERA, a Canadian digital competitor intelligence platform for growing businesses. He works with businesses that need a clearer view of how they compare with competitors across search, local visibility, reviews, websites and AI-assisted discovery.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
More from Warren Butland →About CLIXERA
CLIXERA helps growing businesses understand what's holding them back online, compare themselves with competitors, and know what to improve next across Google, AI search, reviews, local visibility and their website.
See how your business compares.
Choose the competitors that matter to you and see where you’re ahead, where you’re behind and what deserves attention next.