If you serve customers locally, your Google Business Profile is probably the cheapest sales tool you have. It is free, it shows above the regular results and on the map - and yet most businesses fill it in 40% of the way and forget about it.
What a customer searching "hairdresser near me" or "plumber in Berlin" sees is often not your website, but this panel. It is worth making it win.
Start by claiming and verifying
Type your business name into Google. If a profile exists - claim it ("Manage this profile"). If not - create one. Google will verify that the business is really yours (by code, phone or video). Without verification, you have no control over what shows up.
Fill in everything - really everything
Google favours complete profiles. Empty fields are lost points:
- Primary category - the most important field. Pick the most precise one ("roofer", not "construction services").
- Opening hours - current, including holidays. Nothing puts people off like "open" and a locked door.
- Phone and website - clickable, leading where they should.
- Service area - if you travel to the customer, list the areas you cover.
- Description and services - specific, in the customer's language.
Photos sell
Profiles with photos get noticeably more clicks. Add real photos: the premises, the team, your work - not just a logo. Refresh them now and then. It signals a living business.
A complete, well-kept profile with fresh reviews can bring more calls than the website itself - and it costs nothing.
Reviews are the fuel
The number and freshness of reviews is one of the strongest factors in local results. Two rules:
- Ask systematically. After every job done well, send the customer a direct link to leave a review.
- Reply to every one - including the critical ones. A calm, factual reply to a negative review builds trust more than the five-star ones alone.
Keep the profile alive
Add posts (news, offers, updates) every few weeks. They do not have to be long. The point is a signal - to Google and the customer - that the business is active, not abandoned.
Three mistakes that cost customers
- Stuffing keywords into the name ("John Smith - Best Cheap Plumber Berlin") - Google penalises it.
- The wrong category - one field, but it decides which searches you show up for.
- Ignoring reviews - no reply reads as no interest.
Where to start
Open your profile today and fill in three things: the right category, current hours, and five good photos. Then set a reminder to ask one customer for a review once a week.
Want us to check how your business performs in local results and what to fix first? Start with a free audit or simply get in touch.