Search for "café", "physiotherapy" or "florist" plus a city, and Google shows a map with a short list of businesses above the normal results. Those listings come from Google Business Profile. For a local business, that box is often worth more than the website below it.
Set it up properly
- Claim and verify your business at business.google.com. Google will verify you, usually by video, phone or post.
- Choose the right primary category. This is one of the strongest signals for which searches you appear in. Be specific: "Italian restaurant" rather than "restaurant".
- Use exactly the same name, address and phone number as on your website and other directories. Inconsistencies confuse Google.
- Add your opening hours, including holiday hours. Nothing loses a customer faster than turning up to a closed door.
- Link to your website, and to your booking or menu page if you have one.
The details that move you up
Photos. Real photos of your space, your work and your team. Listings with good photos get noticeably more clicks than those with one blurry logo.
Reviews. Ask happy customers directly, and make it easy with the review link from your profile. Reply to every review, the good and the bad. A calm, helpful reply to a bad review often impresses future customers more than the five-star ones.
Services and products. Fill them in with plain descriptions. They help Google match you to more specific searches.
Posts and updates. Occasional updates about offers, events or new work show the business is active.
Where your website comes in
Google cross-checks your profile against your website. A site with clear service pages, your address and opening hours, and the right technical markup makes the profile stronger. And once someone taps through, the site has to finish the job: answer their question and make it easy to book or get in touch.
A complete profile plus a fast, clear website is the cheapest marketing a local business can buy.
We set up and tune Google Business Profiles as part of every site we build. If yours needs attention, get in touch.