Your Google Business Profile is free, powerful, and often the very first impression a potential customer gets of your business. Here's how to make it work harder for you.
Why your Google Business Profile matters
When someone searches for a local service — "electrician in Woking" or "best Italian restaurant near me" — Google shows a map pack before any website results. That map pack pulls directly from Google Business Profiles. If yours isn't set up properly, you won't appear. If it is, you could be getting calls before anyone even visits your website.
According to Google, businesses with complete profiles are 2.7 times more likely to be considered reputable and get 7 times more clicks than those with incomplete information.
1. Complete every single field
This sounds obvious, but most small businesses leave fields blank. Fill in everything: business name, address, phone number, website, hours, business category, secondary categories, service areas, attributes (wheelchair accessible, free Wi-Fi, etc.), and your business description.
Google rewards completeness. The more information you provide, the more searches you'll appear in.
2. Choose the right categories
Your primary category is the single most important ranking factor for Google Business Profile. Choose the most specific one available. "Emergency Plumbing Service" is better than "Plumber." "Thai Restaurant" is better than "Restaurant."
Add secondary categories for other services you offer, but don't go overboard. Three to five categories is usually right. Google sees too many as spammy.
3. Write a proper business description
You get 750 characters. Use them. Include your location, your main services, and what makes you different. Write for humans, not search engines — but naturally include the terms people search for.
Good example: "Family-run plumbing and heating company serving Surrey and South West London since 2008. We specialise in boiler installations, emergency repairs, and bathroom fitting. Gas Safe registered with 24/7 call-out available."
4. Add photos — and keep adding them
Businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more click-throughs to their website. Add photos of your work, your team, your premises, and your products. Not stock photos — real ones.
Aim for at least 10 photos to start, then add new ones monthly. Google's algorithm favours profiles that are actively updated. Even a quick photo from a job site or a team lunch helps.
5. Get reviews — and respond to every one
Reviews are the second most important ranking factor after your primary category. More importantly, they're what convinces real people to choose you over competitors.
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews. Send a direct link after completing a job. The URL format is simple — search "Google review link generator" and create a shortened link you can text or email to customers.
Always respond to reviews, positive and negative. A thoughtful response to a negative review often impresses potential customers more than the review itself.
6. Post regular updates
Google Business Profile has a posts feature that most businesses ignore. Use it. Share offers, news, new services, or helpful tips. Posts appear directly on your profile in search results and signal to Google that your business is active.
Even one post a week makes a difference. Keep them short — 150 to 300 words — with a clear call to action and an image.
7. Keep your hours accurate
Nothing frustrates a potential customer more than driving to a business that's supposed to be open but isn't. Update your hours for bank holidays, seasonal changes, and any closures. Google lets you set special hours in advance.
If you have different hours for different services (e.g., phone support vs. in-person visits), use the "more hours" feature to specify these.
8. Use the Q&A section proactively
Most businesses wait for customers to ask questions. Instead, seed the Q&A section yourself. Add the questions you get asked most often — "Do you offer free quotes?", "What areas do you cover?", "Are you Gas Safe registered?" — and answer them.
This puts useful information directly in front of searchers and reduces the number of basic enquiries you have to handle manually.
The compound effect
None of these tips are difficult on their own. The power comes from doing all of them consistently. A complete, active, well-reviewed Google Business Profile compounds over time — each review, each photo, each post pushes you higher in local search results and builds more trust with potential customers.
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