When someone nearby searches for what you sell, the first thing they often see is not your website. It is your Google Business Profile: the box with your name, map pin, hours, photos and reviews. It is free, and most owners set it up once and forget about it. That is a missed opportunity, because a complete, accurate and active profile is one of the simplest ways to win local customers. This guide walks you through what matters, in plain language, so you can fix your own profile this week.
First, make sure you actually control your profile. Search for your business name and look for an option to claim or manage it. If someone else set it up years ago, such as a former employee or an agency, ask them to add you as an owner before they disappear from your life.
Then check the core details carefully:
- Business name: use your real name exactly as it appears on your sign. Do not add keywords or your town to it. This is against the rules and can get your profile suspended.
- Address: make sure it matches your website and any directories you are listed in. If you visit customers rather than having them come to you, you can hide your address and show a service area instead.
- Phone number: use a number that is answered during opening hours.
- Website: link to the most relevant page, usually your home page or a page for that location.
Consistency matters. If your address is written three different ways across the internet, search engines become less sure which version is correct.
Categories tell Google what kind of business you are, and they have a big influence on which searches you appear for. Your primary category is the most important choice on the whole profile.
Pick the one that most precisely describes your main business. "Plumber" is better than "Contractor" if plumbing is what you do. Then add a few secondary categories for other things you genuinely offer, but resist the urge to add everything loosely related. Irrelevant categories can confuse customers and dilute your profile.
A useful trick is to search for your main service in your area and look at the businesses that appear at the top. Note which categories they use. You should not copy blindly, but it often reveals options you had not considered.
After categories, fill in the services or products section and the attributes, such as wheelchair access, parking or payment options. These small details help you show up for more specific searches and help customers decide. If you would rather have this comparison done for you, our Complete and Improve Your Google Business Profile service checks your categories, services and attributes against high-ranking businesses like yours and makes changes with your approval, with a monthly plan from from $39/mo.
People want to see what they are getting before they visit. Upload real photos, not stock images. Good starting points are:
- The outside of your premises, so people recognise it on arrival
- The inside, showing what the space feels like
- Your team at work
- Your products or finished jobs
Use natural light, keep them sharp, and add new photos every so often. A profile with recent photos looks like a business that is alive and cared for.
Opening hours sound simple but cause a lot of frustration. Nothing loses a customer faster than turning up to a closed door when Google said you were open. Keep your regular hours accurate and, crucially, set special hours for public holidays, seasonal changes and any temporary closures. If you are open 24/7, say so clearly.
Your business description is a short paragraph where you can explain what you do, who you serve and what makes you different. Write it for people, not search engines. Mention your main services and your area naturally, and avoid stuffing it with keywords or putting links and promotions in it.
Posts are short updates that appear on your profile, a little like social media. You can share offers, events, new products or simple news. They do not need to be long or polished. A photo and a few sentences is enough.
Posting regularly shows that someone is behind the business and gives searchers a reason to choose you. Try setting a simple routine, such as one post every week or two, so it does not become another thing you forget.
Reviews are often the deciding factor between you and the business next door. The best way to get more is simply to ask. Most happy customers are willing, they just do not think of it on their own.
Ask soon after a good experience, while it is fresh. Make it easy by sending a direct link to your review form by email or text. Ask every customer, not only the ones you expect to be happy. Picking and choosing who you ask can break the platform's rules, and offering rewards for reviews is not allowed.
Answer every review, good or bad. For positive ones, a short, personal thank you is enough. For negative ones:
- Stay calm and polite, even if you disagree
- Acknowledge the problem and apologise where appropriate
- Offer to sort it out privately, with a name and a way to contact you
- Never share private customer details in your reply
Remember that future customers read your replies more than the complaint itself. A thoughtful answer can actually build trust. If asking consistently is the hard part, our AI Review-Request Agent asks every customer at a well-timed moment by email and text and alerts you to unhappy replies so you can fix the problem, with a monthly plan from from $39/mo.
These are the errors we see most often on small business profiles:
- Adding keywords or locations to the business name
- Choosing a vague primary category
- Leaving hours out of date, especially around holidays
- Using stock photos or no photos at all
- Ignoring reviews, or replying angrily to bad ones
- Creating duplicate profiles for the same location
- Losing access because only a former employee or agency was the owner
- Setting it up once and never looking at it again
Finally, it helps to know where you actually appear. Your ranking on the map can change from one street to the next, so searching from your own office only tells you part of the story. Our See and Improve Your Google Maps Ranking service checks your position at many points around your location and gives you a prioritised to-do list that we start on, with a monthly plan from from $39/mo. Whether or not you use help, a quick monthly review of your profile will keep it working for you.
For local businesses whose Google profile is incomplete or set up by guesswork. The AI compares your categories, services, and attributes with high-ranking businesses like yours and makes the changes most likely to help, with your approval.
An AI that asks every customer for a review at a well-timed moment, across email and text, and alerts you to any unhappy reply so you can fix the problem — without filtering who gets asked.
For local businesses that want to know where they appear on Google Maps across their area. We check your ranking at many points around your location, find what holds you back, and give you a prioritised to-do list that we start on.
No. Creating and managing the profile is free. You only pay if you choose to hire help or run separate advertising.
Yes. You can hide your home address and show the area you serve instead, as long as you meet customers in person.
You generally cannot remove genuine reviews. You can report ones that break the rules, such as spam or abuse, and respond politely to the rest.