Think about the last time you needed a plumber, a hairdresser or somewhere to eat. You probably typed it into Google or asked your phone. Before you clicked on a single website, you were looking at the business name, its star rating, a map, a few photos and a button to call.
That’s a Google Business Profile. For a lot of your customers it’s the first thing they see of you. Sometimes it’s the only thing they see before they pick up the phone. Or before they ring someone else.
What is a Google Business Profile?
It’s your free listing on Google. It shows up in Google Search and on Google Maps when someone looks for your business by name. It also shows up when they search for what you do, like “electrician near me” or “accountant in St Albans”.
It used to be called Google My Business. Before that it was Google Places. The name has changed a few times but the idea hasn’t.
Your profile can show:
- your business name, phone number and website
- your address and a pin on the map, or the areas you cover if you go to your customers
- your opening hours
- your reviews and your replies to them
- photos and videos of your work, your team and your premises
- the services you offer
- posts about offers, news or events
It costs nothing to have one. You don’t pay Google for it and you can’t pay to push it up the free results.
Why does it matter so much?
People make their mind up on it. Most people don’t get as far as your website. They look at your stars, read a few reviews, check you’re open and tap Call or Directions. If your profile looks tired or the number is wrong, they just move on to the next one.
It decides whether you show up at all. When someone searches for what you do, Google shows a map with a handful of businesses. Google says it picks them on three things: how well you match the search, how far you are from the person searching and how well known and trusted you are. You can’t move your premises. But you can make sure Google knows exactly what you do and where you work.
Reviews do two jobs. They tell customers what you’re like to deal with. They also count towards how much Google trusts you. A steady trickle of honest reviews, with a reply to each one, makes a real difference.
Photos sell you before you’ve said a word. Pictures of real jobs, your van, your team or your shop tell people you’re a proper business. Stock photos and empty profiles do the opposite.
Google is focused on the person searching, not on you. That’s the bit most business owners miss. Google wants the searcher to find the right business quickly and get the right information. Everything on your profile should help that person: the right hours, the right phone number, the right pin on the map. Do that and Google is on your side.
Why it needs looking after
A lot of people set up their profile once and forget about it. Then something goes wrong and they only find out when the phone goes quiet.
These are the problems I see most often:
- the profile gets suspended, often with no clear reason given
- someone else takes ownership of it, sometimes an old web designer or a stranger
- Google changes your details because a member of the public suggested an edit
- reviews disappear or fake ones turn up
- there are two or three versions of the same business splitting your reviews
- the pin is in the wrong place, so people end up at the wrong address
- verification fails and the profile won’t go live
Most of these can be fixed. Some take a few minutes and some take weeks of going back and forth with Google. They’re all much easier to sort out if someone’s keeping an eye on the profile and spots them early.
Where to start
Search for your business name on Google on your phone and look at it the way a customer would. Is the phone number right? Are the hours right? Does the pin take you to the right place? Are there recent photos? Have you replied to your reviews?
If anything there makes you wince, that’s what your customers are seeing too.
I’ve been working with Google Business Profiles since 2012 and I look after around 100 of them for businesses across the UK. I can sort out a one-off problem or look after your profile all year with my subscription. That covers Google, plus Bing and Apple Maps, so you show up on Windows laptops and iPhones as well.
Not sure if anything’s wrong? Send me your business name on WhatsApp on 07966 086133 and I’ll have a look for free.
