When someone nearby searches for a plumber, a dentist or a web designer, the first thing they often see isn’t a website at all. It’s a map with a short list of local businesses underneath, each with a star rating, opening hours and a “Call” button. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, and for many small businesses they bring in more enquiries than the website itself.
The good news is that a profile is free, and setting one up properly takes an afternoon rather than a marketing budget. Here’s how to do it well, step by step.
1. Claim (or create) your profile
Search for your business name on Google Maps first. Google sometimes creates a basic listing automatically from public information, so you may find one already exists. If it does, choose the option to claim it; if not, go to the Google Business Profile site and add your business.
Google will then ask you to verify that you really run the business. Depending on your type of business this might be a phone call, a text, an email, a short video of your premises or a postcard to your address. It can feel like a hurdle, but verification is what stops other people editing your details, so it’s worth finishing even if it takes a few days.
If you work from home or visit customers rather than having them visit you, set yourself up as a service-area business. You can hide your home address and instead list the towns or areas you cover.
2. Get the basics exactly right
Your name, address and phone number need to match what’s on your website, your invoices and anywhere else you’re listed online. Small differences, such as “Ltd” in one place and not another, or an old phone number on a directory site, make it harder for Google to be confident they’re all the same business.
- Business name: use your real trading name. Adding keywords or town names to it (“Smith Plumbing Swindon Emergency Boiler Repairs”) breaks Google’s guidelines and can get a listing suspended.
- Phone number: use a number that’s actually answered during your opening hours.
- Website: link to your homepage, or to a specific location page if you have more than one branch.
- Opening hours: keep them accurate, and add special hours for bank holidays and Christmas. Few things annoy a customer more than turning up to a locked door.
3. Choose your categories carefully
Categories are one of the most important parts of your profile, because they tell Google which searches you should appear for. You get one primary category and can add several secondary ones.
Pick the primary category that most closely describes your core business, not the broadest one available. A bakery that mainly sells wedding cakes should consider “Wedding bakery” rather than just “Bakery”. Then add secondary categories only for things you genuinely offer. Start typing and Google will suggest options; it’s worth spending ten minutes looking through what’s available, because the right choice isn’t always the obvious one.
4. Write a description for people, not robots
You have room for a short description of your business. Use it to answer the questions a new customer would have: what you do, who you do it for, where you work and what makes you a good choice. Mention your main services naturally, but don’t stuff in keywords. Clear, specific sentences (“We fit and service gas boilers across Swindon and north Wiltshire”) are far more persuasive than a list of buzzwords.
Fill in the services or products sections too. They give you extra space to describe what you offer, and they help customers see at a glance whether you’re the right fit.
5. Add real photos, and keep adding them
Profiles with good photos simply look more trustworthy. Add your logo, a cover photo, and pictures of your premises, your team at work and finished jobs. Natural, well-lit photos taken on a modern phone are absolutely fine; you don’t need a professional shoot to get started.
Avoid stock images. Customers can usually tell, and the whole point of the profile is to show them the real business they’d be dealing with. Adding a few new photos every month or two also shows that the business is active.
6. Ask for reviews and reply to every one
Reviews are often the deciding factor when someone is choosing between two or three local businesses. The simplest way to get more is to ask. Your profile gives you a short link you can send to customers after a job, put on a receipt or add to your email signature.
- Ask soon after you’ve finished the work, while it’s fresh in the customer’s mind.
- Don’t offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews. Google doesn’t allow it, and it can lead to reviews being removed.
- Reply to every review, good or bad. A short, genuine thank-you is enough for positive ones.
- For a negative review, stay calm, apologise where it’s fair, and offer to sort it out offline. Other people reading it will judge you more on your reply than on the complaint.
7. Post updates now and then
You can publish short updates on your profile: a new service, a seasonal offer, an event or a recently finished project. They don’t need to be frequent or polished. An update every couple of weeks keeps your listing fresh and gives people browsing it another reason to get in touch.
8. Make sure your website backs it up
Your profile and your website work as a pair. When someone taps through from Google, the page they land on should load quickly on a phone, confirm they’re in the right place and make it easy to call or send an enquiry. Your address, phone number and opening hours should match the profile exactly, and each main service should have its own clear page.
This is also where on-page SEO comes in: sensible page titles, descriptions and headings that mention what you do and where you do it. If you’d like a hand with that side of things, our on-page SEO setup service covers exactly this, and our technical SEO work makes sure Google can crawl and understand your site properly.
9. Check in once a month
Set a reminder to look at your profile once a month. Check that your details are still correct, reply to any new reviews and add a photo or an update. The performance section shows how people found you and what they did next, such as calling, asking for directions or visiting your website, which is a useful way to see whether your efforts are paying off.
Also keep an eye out for suggested edits. Anyone can propose changes to a listing, and occasionally Google accepts them automatically, so a quick look each month catches any mistakes before they cost you customers.
A quick checklist
- Claim and verify your profile.
- Make your name, address, phone number and hours match everywhere.
- Choose a specific primary category and relevant secondary ones.
- Write a clear description and list your services.
- Add real photos and keep adding them.
- Ask for reviews and reply to every one.
- Post an update every couple of weeks.
- Make sure your website supports the profile.
- Review everything once a month.
None of this is complicated, but doing it consistently is what makes the difference between a listing that sits there and one that brings in steady local enquiries. If you’d like help getting your website and local search working together, get in touch with us for a friendly, no-obligation chat.
