Does a sound website bring visits from Google?
Not necessarily. Of 200 Geneva shop websites in good order, 76 (38%) get no estimated visit from Google, and the median is 2 visits a month.
In our study of Geneva's shops, a website is "in good order" when it responds, loads without errors, over a secure connection, on a phone, and has been updated within the last five years. That is necessary, not sufficient: 69 of these 200 websites (34.5%) get more than 10 estimated visits a month, and 30 (15%) more than 50.
What does a weak website cost?
Almost all of its visibility: 69 of 99 weak websites (70%) get no estimated visit, and the median is zero.
A weak website no longer responds, shows an error or a security warning, is under construction, is not phone-friendly or has not been updated for five years. Only 14 of 99 (14%) get more than 10 estimated visits a month, and 41 (41%) rank for no keyword at all.
Why do most of them stay far down the results?
Because ranking is not the same as being seen: a website in good order ranks for 19 keywords at the median, but 105 of 200 (52.5%) have none in Google's top five results.
Among weak websites, 76 of 99 (77%) have no keyword in the top five. A website that does not clearly state its trade and its municipality, and is not linked to an up-to-date Google profile, stays ranked for searches where nobody sees it.
Do people really search Google for a shop in their area?
Yes. Of 800 "trade + Geneva locality" combinations tested, 84 have a measured monthly search volume in Switzerland.
For example: "restaurant genève", 1,500 searches a month; "massage geneve", 920; "pizzeria carouge", 590; "ostéopathe carouge", 590; "coiffeur geneve", 290. The other combinations are too rare for the tool's Swiss database, which does not mean nobody searches for them. The demand is there; most websites capture only a small share of it.
The full table
Google visibility estimated by SE Ranking for Switzerland, survey of 23 October 2026, by website condition.
| Indicator | Websites in good order (200) | Weak websites (99) |
|---|---|---|
| Visits per month, median | 2 | 0 |
| Visits per month, 1st and 3rd quartiles | 0 to 18 | 0 to 2 |
| No estimated visit | 38.0% (76) | 69.7% (69) |
| 1 to 9 visits per month | 27.5% (55) | 16.2% (16) |
| 10 visits per month or more | 34.5% (69) | 14.1% (14) |
| of which 50 or more | 15.0% (30) | 4.0% (4) |
| Keywords ranked, median | 19 | 2 |
| No keyword ranked | 7.0% (14) | 41.4% (41) |
| No keyword in the top 5 | 52.5% (105) | 76.8% (76) |
Random draw of 200 websites in good order and 100 weak websites; one reading failed. The two groups are shown separately: the draw does not follow their share in the canton, so an average of both would mislead.
Four actions to be found in Geneva
What goes with visibility in our data, and in the rules Google publishes, comes down to four actions.
- Keep your Google profile up to date: hours, phone, category, link to your website. On a local search, the map appears before the classic results (our Google profile guide).
- State your trade and your municipality, in full, on your website: one page per important service works better than a single home page that covers everything.
- Ask your customers for reviews, regularly: Google says it takes them into account in local ranking (Google help).
- Keep your website in good order: secure connection, readable on a phone, information up to date. Seven weak websites in ten get no estimated visit.
Frequently asked questions
My website exists but Google does not show it. Why? Often because it does not say clearly what you do and where, or because it is not linked to your Google profile. Google cannot match it to searches in your area.
Do I have to pay for Google ads to be seen? Not to start with. A complete Google profile, reviews and a website that names your trade and municipality are free and lasting; ads stop when you stop paying.
What is the difference between my Google profile and my website? The profile gives immediate contact: call, directions, hours. The website details the menu, services and prices, and gives Google what it needs to understand your business.
How many visits can a shop expect? In our sample, one website in good order in three gets more than 10 estimated visits a month from Google, and one in seven more than 50. These figures count neither calls nor directions requested from the map.
How do I know whether my website is "weak"? Open it on your phone: a security warning, text you cannot read without zooming, an error page, out-of-date hours or prices? Those are the criteria of our study.
Method and limits
- Population: the independent storefront businesses of our study of Geneva's shops (7,751 businesses, survey of 26 September 2026 corrected on 2 October) whose website has its own .ch domain, chains excluded: 2,796 websites in good order and 798 weak websites.
- Draw: 200 websites in good order and 100 weak websites drawn at random (seed 23); 299 usable readings.
- Visibility: SE Ranking's Swiss database, queried on 23 October 2026: keywords ranked, positions, estimated monthly traffic from Google's organic results.
- Local searches: monthly volumes in Switzerland for 800 "trade + locality" combinations (50 trades, 16 Geneva localities), same tool, same date.
- Limits: estimates from an incomplete Swiss database; Google Maps, calls and directions not measured; websites on a foreign or shared domain not drawn.
- Declaration of interest: TAO Labs sells websites to Geneva businesses (CHF 59 or 99 per month, no set-up fee). No business is named.