For local searches your Google Business Profile often matters more than your homepage. It is free, it sits at the top, and yet most companies leave it half finished. Here is how to complete it.
Why the profile carries so much weight
Search for a service plus a place and you first get a map with three businesses. If you are not in that block, you miss most of the clicks, even when your website ranks well.
Get the basics right
- Name, address and phone number exactly as they appear on your website. Every difference costs trust.
- Pick one main category that covers your core work, and add up to three secondary ones.
- Fill in opening hours, including public holidays.
- Write a 600 to 750 character description that names your services and service area.
What actually moves the needle
Listing services separately
- Effect
- better keyword match
- Time
- 30 min
Photos every quarter
- Effect
- more clicks and route requests
- Time
- 20 min
Replying to reviews
- Effect
- trust and repeat visits
- Time
- ongoing
Filling questions and answers
- Effect
- fewer calls, more enquiries
- Time
- 30 min
| Item | Effect | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Listing services separately | better keyword match | 30 min |
| Photos every quarter | more clicks and route requests | 20 min |
| Replying to reviews | trust and repeat visits | ongoing |
| Filling questions and answers | fewer calls, more enquiries | 30 min |
Asking for reviews without friction
Ask when the customer is happy: at handover, not weeks later. Send a short link, not a form. Reply to every review, including critical ones, within a few days and without getting defensive.
Connect it to your website
Use the same details on your contact page and in the data search engines read. Link from your profile to the right page, not always the homepage: someone searching for a service wants that service page. Curious how we handle this? See our approach to building a website.
Sources
Every figure and guideline in this article can be checked in the sources below.
- Google Business Profile Help — Google
- Local business structured data — Google Search Central
- Review snippet structured data — Google Search Central
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