The Google Business Profile is the card that appears in search and on Google Maps with a company's name, address, opening hours, phone number, photos and reviews. It is free, and for many local companies it is, in practice, the first page a new customer sees. Even before opening the website.
First, have the profile and confirm it is yours
Search for the company name on Google. If a card appears, claim it; if it does not, create one. Google asks for verification (the method varies from case to case) to make sure whoever manages the profile really is the owner. Without verification, you do not control what is there.
What to fill in, in order of importance
- Name. The company's real name, as it is on the door and in the paperwork. Adding words only to appear in more searches goes against Google's rules and can get the profile suspended.
- Main category. Pick the one that best describes what you do, and only then the secondary ones. It is one of the things that weighs most in who appears for what.
- Address or service area. If customers come to you, the address; if you go to them, the area where you work.
- Opening hours. Up to date, including holidays. Wrong hours create wasted visits and bad reviews.
- Phone and website. The ones you really use, and that someone answers.
- Services. The list of what you do, with names a customer recognises.
- Description. Two or three short paragraphs in plain language: what you do, for whom and where.
- Photos. Real ones: the space, the team at work, examples of what you do. Generic stock photos help nobody decide.
What to keep alive afterwards
- Reviews. Ask for them from people who were satisfied, and reply to all of them, politely, good and bad.
- Posts. The profile lets you post news and offers. It does not need to be daily; it just should not look abandoned.
- Questions and answers. See what people ask and answer first, before someone answers wrongly.
- Details. Did the hours, phone or address change? Update it the same day.
The most common mistakes
- The profile exists, but nobody in the company has access, and the phone number or hours are out of date.
- Too many categories, which confuse what the company does.
- A name with added words to look more relevant.
- Reviews with no reply.
- The website on the profile is a page that no longer exists.
Profile or website: which counts more?
For a company that serves customers in its area, the profile usually weighs more in the first months than the website, because it is what appears when someone searches "near me". But one does not replace the other: the profile brings the person to you, and the website is where they decide whether to trust you. When we prepare a Digital Marketing strategy for a local company, the profile is usually one of the first things to review, because it delivers visible results without requiring big changes.
A five-minute test
On your phone, search for the company name and then for what you do followed by "near me". See what a customer sees and note what fails: does the card appear? Are the phone number and hours right? Do the photos show what you do? Are there reviews without a reply? Fix the easiest things first, and repeat the test every three months. A profile that looks cared for is a sign of a company that looks cared for.
In short
- For many local companies, the profile is the first page a customer sees.
- Real name, right main category, up-to-date hours and real photos.
- Reply to reviews and keep the details current.
Quick questions
Do I need to show my address?
If customers come to you, yes. If you work at the customer's premises, you can give only the service area and hide the address.
Can I have a profile without a website?
You can. But a website gives customers more confidence and more information; the profile works best when linked to a page that explains what you do.
How often should I post on the profile?
There is no rule. News now and then, an offer or a change of hours is enough for the profile not to look abandoned.
Is your Business Profile saying what it should?
The exploratory call is a 30-minute conversation, at no cost. We look at your profile the way a customer sees it. You keep the written summary.
Book an exploratory call