When someone searches for “plumber Ballito” or “restaurant near me”, the first thing Google usually shows is not a list of websites. It is a map with three businesses on it. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, and setting one up is free.
What a Google Business Profile is
It is your business’s listing on Google Search and Google Maps. It shows your name, phone number, address or service area, opening hours, photos, reviews and a link to your website. For many customers, it is the first impression of your business, and sometimes the only one before they call.
How to set it up
- Create or claim your profile at google.com/business. Search first, because Google sometimes creates a listing for a business automatically.
- Choose your main category carefully. It is one of the strongest signals Google uses to decide which searches you appear in. Pick the one that describes what you do, not everything you do.
- Verify the business. Google will ask you to prove you run it, often by video or phone. You cannot be found properly until this is done.
- Add your service area if you visit customers rather than having them come to you, and hide your address if you work from home.
How to make it work for you
- Fill in everything. Hours, services, a description, and your website. A complete profile looks more trustworthy and gives Google more to match against.
- Add real photos. Your shopfront, your team, your work. Stock photos do not help.
- Ask for reviews. The best time is right after a job goes well. Send the customer the direct review link so it takes them seconds.
- Reply to every review, good and bad. A calm, helpful reply to a complaint can win you more trust than the complaint costs.
- Keep your hours up to date, especially over public holidays. Nothing loses a customer faster than arriving at a closed door.
- Make sure your details match your website, with the same name, phone number and address everywhere.
Your profile and your website work together
A profile gets you seen, but most people still click through to your website before they call. If the website is slow, out of date or hard to use on a phone, the click is wasted. The profile and the website should tell the same story.
Want us to do it for you?
A Google Business Profile setup is included in our Business website package, and our SEO service covers ongoing local search work. If you would rather we took care of it, talk to us.
