The Real Reason People Aren’t Visiting Your Business (Even If They Love It)

You’ve got great photos. Your service or products are solid. People who do find you seem to love you.

But for some reason, the steady stream of new customers, especially tourists and newcomers, that you were hoping for just isn’t showing up.

You’re active on Instagram. You’ve posted about your offerings. Maybe you’ve even added a few keywords to your site. So what’s the problem?

In many cases, it’s this: people are trying to find you… and they can’t. Or worse, they’re not sure if they should trust what they see. And I’m not just guessing here. I’ve been on the other side of it, too.

On a recent trip to St. Croix, my fiancé and I were really looking forward to trying a local brunch place we kept hearing about. It looked amazing on Instagram and all my local friends were raving about their great food, great coffee, beautiful space.

I followed and saved the brunch spot on Instagram and planned to check them out on our visit. But when the time came to visit, it was total confusion. The Google address didn’t match the one on their Instagram. They had no website listed online (okay well correction, they had their FB linked in place of a website but that is NOT a website). Their IG didn’t have any directions, no location tag, no “how to find us” saved in their highlights.

So we circled the area, walked up and down the street, went to where I thought they were supposed to be but came up short. That is until we walked around the corner, saw through a closed gate a courtyard that looked like what I was looking at online but we thought the gate was locked. Confused was an understatement. Luckily my fiancé gave the gate a tug, come to find out it was not locked but how would anyone know to try it anyway? We finally made it in, but it really felt like luck more than anything else.

And to be real with you, the food, coffee, and aesthetic was as good as my friends had mentioned! Finding it though? Obviously a different story. By the time we made it there we were hot, sweaty, thirsty, and a tad cranky from having to work so hard to find the place.

A few days later we wanted to go back and it seemed even more complicated than the first time. We walked up and down the streets, bickered a few time (because again, at this point were hot, sweaty, and aggitated that neither of us can navigate) and after we realized we were following their Google address, which was different than their IG listed location, we ended up skipping it. We just couldn’t figure out how to get there again and I just wanted a coffee. So we went to an easier, more obvious coffee shop, which tbh I was a lil’ bummed because like I said, the restaurant did have good coffee!

The rest of our trip I couldn’t stop thinking: If I’m this confused and I know the island pretty well what about actual tourists who are seeing it for the first time? Is this place being overlooked by A LOT of people? How does someone who has no idea how to navigate this island find them? What about someone who isn’t on social media?

Here’s the honest truth – If people can’t confidently find, trust, or navigate your online presence, they’ll choose someone else. People are lazy, they don’t want to have to dig to find you, especially if they are on vacation and there to relax. Ever heard of decision fatigue? You can go ahead and imagine they’ve hit their limit on it by the time they’ve finalized their trip and made it to your home.

This happens all the time, especially in vacation towns.

Businesses that are genuinely amazing, places people would love, end up overlooked because they’re hard to find or unclear online. And most of the time, the owners have no idea it’s happening.

It’s not about being good at social media. It’s not about having a trendy brand. It’s about building visibility, trust, and an online presence for small businesses.

Here are a few ways this usually plays out:

1. Your online info doesn’t match across all platforms

If your hours, location, or even your business name show up differently on Google, Instagram, Facebook or your website, people will hesitate (Google My Business really matters here). Tourists, especially, are relying on Maps and fast searches, again, they won’t dig for answers.

2. Your Instagram looks nice but doesn’t guide new visitors

Aesthetic feeds are great, but if there’s no clear bio, location info, or call-to-action, you’re losing people. Make it easy for someone new to know what you offer and what to do next. There should be an active link on your profile that takes them to your real, legit, website (aka. not Canva or FB).

3. Your content speaks mostly to people who already know you

Locals may already understand your hours, location quirks, or how to get in touch. Tourists don’t. If your content assumes familiarity, you’re accidentally closing the door on new business. Keep in mind: someone discovering your business for the first time needs clarity, how would you explain to them where to find you? Don’t just assume people can figure it out – you need to basically spell it out for them.

4. Your branding is pretty but not functional

Having a nice logo or cute color palette isn’t enough if people can’t figure out how to engage with you. Design should build clarity and confidence, not just look good.

So what can you do about it?

You don’t need a full rebrand or a million new posts. You just need to make it easier for new people to find your small business online and feel confident choosing it.

That’s exactly why I created the Get-Found Roadmap, a free 3-step guide for small, vacation town businesses who want to attract more visibility online without losing their local charm.

Inside the guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Clean up your Instagram bio so new people instantly understand what you do, where you’re located, and how to visit or book
• Audit your Google presence and listings to make sure your name, hours, and location are accurate and consistent
• Spot the gaps in your website, socials, and branding that might be making people hesitate to trust or choose you

If you’ve ever felt like people are overlooking your business, or skipping over you for someone else who’s “more visible,” this guide is for you.

Get the free Get-Found Roadmap here

Let’s make sure the people who are looking for what you offer can actually find you, without getting lost, confused, or giving up. Because your business is worth the visit.