If you run a business that serves customers in a specific area, your Google Business Profile is arguably more important than your website. That might sound like an exaggeration, but think about how people actually find local businesses. They search “plumber near me” or “best coffee shop in [city]” and Google shows them a map with three results. If you’re not one of those three, most people will never scroll down far enough to find you.

Your Google Business Profile is what determines whether you show up in that map pack, and how you look when you do. Getting it right isn’t complicated, but it does require attention to detail.

Claim and Verify Your Profile

Before anything else, make sure you’ve actually claimed your listing. Google often creates profiles automatically based on publicly available information, which means there might already be a listing for your business that you don’t control. Go to Google Business and search for your company. If it exists, claim it. If it doesn’t, create one.

Verification usually involves getting a postcard at your business address with a code on it, though Google sometimes offers phone or email verification. Don’t skip this step. An unverified profile has almost no visibility.

Get Your Basic Information Right

This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many business profiles have incorrect or incomplete information. Every field matters:

Business name: Use your actual business name. Don’t stuff keywords in here. “Joe’s Plumbing” is correct. “Joe’s Plumbing | Best Plumber in Pittsburgh | 24/7 Emergency Service” is not, and Google may penalize you for it.

Address: Make sure it matches exactly what’s on your website and every other directory where your business is listed. Consistency across the web is a significant ranking factor. If your website says “Suite 200” and your Google profile says “Ste 200,” that inconsistency can hurt you.

Phone number: Use a local phone number, not a toll-free number. Google gives preference to local numbers for local search results.

Business hours: Keep these current. If your hours change seasonally, update them. Nothing frustrates a potential customer more than driving to a business that Google said was open, only to find it closed.

Website URL: Link to your actual website. If you have a location-specific landing page, use that instead of your homepage.

Choose the Right Categories

Google lets you pick a primary category and several secondary categories for your business. Your primary category is the single biggest factor in determining which searches your profile shows up for, so choose it carefully.

Be specific. If you’re an electrician, your primary category should be “Electrician,” not “Contractor.” If you’re a pizza restaurant, choose “Pizza Restaurant” over “Restaurant.” Google has hundreds of category options, so take the time to find the one that most accurately describes your core service.

For secondary categories, add anything else that genuinely applies to your business. An electrician who also does home automation might add “Home Automation Company” as a secondary category. Don’t add categories that don’t apply just to cast a wider net. That will hurt more than it helps.

Write a Real Description

Your business description is 750 characters. Use them well. Describe what you do, who you serve, and what makes you different. Write it like you’re explaining your business to someone at a dinner party. Keep it natural, informative, and free of buzzwords.

Include your service area and your primary services, but don’t turn it into a keyword-stuffed SEO exercise. Google is smart enough to understand natural language, and customers can tell when a description was written for an algorithm instead of a human.

Photos Matter More Than You Think

Businesses with photos on their Google profiles get 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their website than those without. Those aren’t small numbers.

Upload high-quality photos of your storefront, your team, your work, and your products. If you’re a contractor, post before-and-after shots of projects. If you’re a restaurant, post photos of your food and your dining area. If you’re a professional service firm, post photos of your office and your team.

Update your photos regularly. A profile with photos from three years ago signals that the business might not be very active. Aim to add new photos at least once a month.

Reviews Are the Engine

Reviews are the single most important factor in local search ranking after your basic profile information. More reviews, better reviews, and recent reviews all contribute to higher visibility.

Here’s what actually works for getting more reviews:

Ask consistently. After every completed job or transaction, ask the customer to leave a review. Most people are happy to do it if you make it easy. Send them a direct link to your review page.

Respond to every review. Good reviews, bad reviews, mediocre reviews. Responding shows that you’re engaged and that you care about customer feedback. For negative reviews, be professional and offer to resolve the issue. Other potential customers are reading those responses. If you want to stay on top of reviews across platforms, we cover that in our guide on monitoring what people say about your business online.

Don’t fake it. Don’t buy reviews. Don’t have your employees write reviews. Don’t offer incentives for reviews. Google is very good at detecting fake reviews, and the penalty for getting caught is severe.

Posts and Updates

Google Business lets you publish posts directly to your profile. These show up when people view your listing and can include announcements, offers, events, and general updates. Most businesses ignore this feature entirely, which means using it gives you an easy edge.

Post once a week or so. Share a recent project, announce a special, highlight a team member, or write a quick tip related to your industry. It keeps your profile looking active and gives potential customers more reasons to choose you.

Track Your Performance

Google Business provides insights that show you how people are finding your profile, what they’re searching for, and what actions they’re taking. Check these numbers monthly. Look at which search terms are driving views, whether people are calling you or visiting your website, and how your numbers trend over time.

This data tells you what’s working and what needs attention. If you’re getting lots of views but few calls, your profile might need better photos or a more compelling description. If you’re not getting views at all, you might need more reviews or better category selection.

It’s Worth the Effort

Optimizing your Google Business Profile is one of the highest-return marketing activities a local business can do. It’s free, it directly impacts whether customers find you, and most of your competitors aren’t doing it well. It’s also a critical piece of AI Engine Optimization (AEO), since AI tools pull business data from your profile.

If you want help setting up or optimizing your profile, get in touch. It’s one of the services we offer at TechHound, and we can usually get it dialed in within a week.