5 Ways to Get Found With Your Google Business Profile

Most people meet your business on Google before they ever see your website.

Your Google Business Profile shows up in search and on Maps. For a lot of local customers, it's the first impression. They see your name, your hours, your photos and your reviews, and they decide whether to call, visit or keep scrolling, sometimes without ever clicking through to your site.

The good news: a few minutes a week keeps it working for you. Here are five ways to get found.

1. Pick the right category

Your category tells Google, and the people searching, what kind of business you are. It's one of the first things to get right, and one of the easiest to get wrong.

Choose the category that describes your main business as specifically as you can. Think about what a customer would actually type when they're looking for you. If your profile was set up years ago, or set up by someone else, it's worth checking that the category still matches what you do today.

2. Keep your hours honest

Nothing loses a customer faster than showing up to a locked door when your profile said you were open.

Keep your regular hours current, and update them for holidays, seasonal changes and one-off closures. If you're by appointment only, say so. Honest hours build trust, and wrong hours do the opposite.

Set a reminder before each holiday to update your hours. It takes a minute and saves you from disappointed customers.

The same goes for the rest of your basics. Check that your address, phone number and website link are correct and match what's on your own site and your printed materials. If you've moved, changed numbers or launched a new site, your profile should be the first place you update.

3. Add real photos

Photos help people decide whether you're the right place before they ever walk in. Use real ones: your storefront, your space, your team, your products, your finished work.

Real photos beat stock images because they show customers what they'll actually find. A clear shot of your front door also helps people recognize the building when they arrive.

Add new photos over time. A profile with fresh pictures looks like a business that's open and active.

4. Ask for reviews, then reply

Reviews are social proof in the place people are already looking. The simplest way to get more is to ask. Happy customers often don't think to leave one until you mention it.

Then reply to them. Thank people for the good ones. For the tough ones, respond calmly, acknowledge the problem and offer to make it right. Your reply isn't just for the reviewer. It's for every future customer reading along, and it shows them how you treat people.

5. Post an update every week

Your profile isn't just a listing you set up once. You can post updates to it: news, offers, events, new products, recent work.

Make it part of your weekly routine. One short update a week, with a photo, keeps your profile current and gives searchers one more reason to choose you. If you're already posting on social media, you can reuse the same content here.

Treat it like a storefront, not a listing

A listing is something you fill out once and forget. A storefront is something you keep clean, keep current and keep inviting. Your Google Business Profile deserves the second treatment, because for a lot of people it's the front door to your business.

And when someone does click through, make sure what they find matches the promise. Your website should load fast, look current and make it easy to call, book or visit. If yours needs work, our web design team can help, or you can book the $95, 45-minute paid consultation through website support to talk through what to fix first.

When did you last update yours? Take five minutes today, then get in touch if you want help making the rest of your online presence match.

— Alan