Seven Google Business Profile fixes that bring in more calls
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a local customer sees. These seven fixes take an afternoon and make it far more likely they call you rather than a competitor.
By Hiconlab
When someone searches for a local business, Google often shows a map with a few listings before any websites. Those listings come from Google Business Profiles, so for a local business the profile is often the first thing a customer sees.
Google says it ranks local results on three things: relevance (how well a profile matches the search), distance (how far the business is from the searcher) and prominence (how well known it is). You can't change your distance, but you can do a lot about the other two. Here are seven fixes, roughly in order of impact.
1. Choose the right primary category
Your primary category tells Google what your business is, and it's one of the strongest signals for which searches you appear in. Pick the most specific one that fits: "Wedding photographer" rather than "Photographer" if weddings are your main work. Then add secondary categories for the other things you do.
2. List your services or products
Add each service or product with a short description. It helps Google match your profile to more specific searches, and it helps customers see straight away whether you do what they need.
3. Get your hours right, including holidays
Wrong opening hours are one of the fastest ways to lose a customer's trust. Set your regular hours, and add special hours for bank holidays and closures. Google may ask you to confirm them.
4. Write a description that says something
You have a description field of up to 750 characters. Use it to say what you do, where, for whom and what makes you different, in plain language. Skip the slogans; write it the way you'd explain your business to a new customer.
5. Add real photos, and keep adding them
Photos of your premises, your team at work and finished jobs show that you're a real, active business. Use your own photos rather than stock images, and add new ones regularly.
6. Ask for reviews, and reply to them
Reviews affect both your ranking and whether people choose you. Ask happy customers at the right moment, such as when a job is finished, with a direct link to leave one. Reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and politely.
Don't buy reviews, write them yourself or only ask customers you expect to be happy. All three break Google's rules and can get reviews removed or a profile suspended.
7. Make your details match everywhere
Your business name, address or service area and phone number should be exactly the same on your profile, your website and directory listings. Inconsistent details make it harder for Google, and for AI assistants, to be sure who you are.
If you work from home or travel to customers
You can still have a profile. Businesses that serve customers at their location can hide their address and show the areas they cover instead. You'll still need a real address to verify the profile with Google.