Side Quests · Small missions. Real progress.
Time: 15–20 minutes · Cost: Free · You’ll need: a phone or computer with internet access, a notes app or spreadsheet
If someone in your town typed a plain-language request into Google right now, would your business show up anywhere? Most side hustlers never actually check. They assume customers will “find them somehow” without testing what a real search looks like. This quest fixes that assumption in under 20 minutes by putting you in the customer’s seat.
Your mission: Search the internet the way a real potential customer would, using their words instead of your business name, and record exactly what you find (or don’t find).
Steps
- Write down three customer-style search phrases. Skip your business name entirely. Think like someone with a problem, not someone who already knows you exist. Examples: “dog walker near me evenings,” “custom cake for birthday party [your city],” “freelance logo designer for small bakery.” Write these in a notes app or spreadsheet before searching, so you’re testing real instincts instead of second-guessing after seeing results.
- Search each phrase and screenshot the first page of results. Use your phone’s screenshot function or a simple screen capture on your computer. Do this for all three phrases separately, even if it feels repetitive. Save each screenshot with a short filename like “search1-dogwalker.png” so you can compare them later without confusion.
- Scan for your presence — or your absence. For each screenshot, note in your spreadsheet: Did your website appear? Did a business listing appear? Did a social media profile appear? Did a competitor appear instead, and if so, what did their listing say that yours doesn’t? Be honest here — the point isn’t to feel good, it’s to see clearly.
- Check what actually shows when someone clicks through. If you did appear, click your own listing or website link exactly as a stranger would. Is the address correct? Is there a working phone number or contact link? Is it obvious what you offer and where you serve? If you didn’t appear at all, click on whoever did rank and note one specific thing their listing does that yours currently lacks — a review count, a clear service area, a photo, anything concrete.
- Write down one fixable gap and when you’ll act on it. Choose the single most fixable issue you found — a missing business listing, an outdated phone number, no mention of your service area, zero reviews visible. Write one sentence describing the fix and add a specific day this week you’ll do it. This isn’t the moment to fix everything; it’s the moment to know exactly what’s broken and commit to one repair.
Quest complete when: you have three screenshots, honest notes on whether you appeared in each search, and one written next step with a date attached — even if that step is as small as “update phone number on Thursday.”
