They might search for “electrician near me”, “accountant in Brisbane”, “best café nearby” or “plumber in Perth”.
The question is: will they find your business?
One of the simplest ways to improve your local visibility is by properly setting up and optimising your Google Business Profile.
A Google Business Profile is the business listing that can appear in Google Search and Google Maps. It can display your address or service area, phone number, opening hours, website, photos, reviews and other useful information.
Creating a profile is only the beginning, though. If you want to get more value from it, you need to keep it accurate, useful and up to date.
This beginner’s guide explains how.
What Is a Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile is Google’s free platform for businesses that interact with customers in person, either at a physical location or by travelling to customers.
When someone searches for your company or for services you provide locally, your profile may appear in Google Search or Google Maps.
Depending on your business and profile setup, customers may be able to:
- Call your business
- Visit your website
- Get directions
- Check your opening hours
- Read customer reviews
- View photos
- Discover your services
- Make bookings or enquiries
For a local business, that makes your profile an important part of your overall local SEO strategy.
Why Is Google Business Profile Optimisation Important?
Think about the way you search for a local service.
If you need an emergency plumber, you probably don’t want to spend half an hour researching companies on the other side of the country. You want a reputable plumber who serves your area and can help.
Google tries to provide exactly this type of useful local result.
Google explains that local search results are mainly determined by three factors: relevance, distance and prominence.
Relevance considers how closely a business matches what someone is looking for.
Distance considers how far the business is from the location associated with the search.
Prominence relates to how well known a business is. Information from across the web, links and customer reviews can all contribute to prominence.
You can’t control every one of these factors. You obviously can’t move your business closer to every person searching.
What you can do is make sure Google has accurate and detailed information about your business.
1. Claim and Verify Your Google Business Profile
Before worrying about optimisation, make sure you actually control your profile.
Search Google for your business and see whether a Business Profile already exists. If it does, you may be able to claim it. If it doesn’t, you can create one.
You will normally need to complete Google’s verification process to prove that you’re authorised to manage the business.
Don’t create unnecessary duplicate profiles simply because you find an existing listing that you don’t control.
Once verified, you can manage important business information and start improving your profile.
2. Get Your Basic Business Information Right
This sounds obvious, but it is one of the most important parts of Google Business Profile optimisation.
Check your:
Business name: Use the real name customers know your business by. Don’t stuff additional keywords or locations into the name simply because you want to rank for them.
Address: If customers visit your premises, make sure the address and map location are accurate.
Service area: If you travel to customers, such as a plumber, electrician or mobile service provider, configure the areas you genuinely serve.
Phone number: Use an active number that customers can actually reach you on.
Website: Link to the most relevant version of your website.
Opening hours: Keep your regular and special hours accurate.
Incorrect information creates a poor customer experience. Imagine somebody driving across town because Google says you’re open, only to find the doors locked.
Accuracy comes first.
3. Choose the Most Appropriate Business Category
Your category helps Google understand what your business actually does.
Choose the category that most accurately represents your core business rather than trying to cover every possible keyword.
For example, if your main business is plumbing, your primary category should represent that service as accurately as possible.
Where appropriate, additional categories can help describe other genuine aspects of the business.
The important word here is genuine.
Your categories should describe what your company actually is rather than becoming a wish list of search terms you’d like to rank for.
4. Write a Useful Business Description
Your description gives potential customers some context about your business.
Use it to explain:
- What your business does
- The main services you provide
- Who you help
- Areas you serve
- What distinguishes your business
- How long you’ve been operating, where relevant
Avoid turning it into a wall of keywords.
A sentence such as:
“We provide residential and commercial plumbing services throughout Brisbane, including blocked drains, leak repairs and hot water system servicing.”
is far more useful to a potential customer than repeating “best Brisbane plumber” five times.
Write for customers first.
5. Add Your Products and Services
Don’t assume people already understand everything you provide.
Depending on your business type and the features available to your profile, you may be able to add services or products.
A digital marketing agency, for example, might list services such as:
SEO, local SEO, Google Ads management and website optimisation.
A landscaping company might include:
Garden maintenance, lawn care, landscape design and commercial landscaping.
Be specific enough to help customers understand what they can contact you about.
6. Upload Genuine, High-Quality Photos
Photos can make your profile feel much more credible.
Instead of relying entirely on generic stock images, use real photographs wherever possible.
Useful images might include your:
- Storefront
- Office or premises
- Team
- Products
- Completed projects
- Vehicles
- Equipment
- Work in progress
A restaurant might upload photographs of its dining area and dishes. A builder could show completed renovations. A dentist could show the practice and treatment rooms.
Keep adding useful, current images as your business evolves.
7. Build a Consistent Review Strategy
Reviews can play an important role in both customer decision-making and local visibility.
Google specifically notes that review count and positive ratings can contribute to local ranking.
The simplest approach is to make requesting reviews part of your normal customer process.
After completing a job or delivering a service, politely ask satisfied customers whether they would be willing to leave an honest Google review.
Don’t try to manufacture reviews or make every customer write a five-star testimonial. You want genuine feedback from genuine customers.
And don’t disappear when reviews start arriving.
Respond to them.
Thank customers for positive feedback and respond calmly and professionally to negative feedback.
Your response isn’t only for the person who wrote the review. Future customers may read it too.
8. Use Google Posts
Google Business Profile posts provide another way to communicate timely information to customers through your profile.
Depending on the features available, you can use posts for things such as:
New services, company news, events, seasonal information, announcements and special offers.
Posts shouldn’t simply exist for the sake of “feeding Google”.
Give people something useful.
If you’ve published a helpful new article, launched a genuine service or have an important company update, your Business Profile can be another place to share it.
9. Keep Your Profile Updated
Google Business Profile optimisation isn’t a one-time job.
Businesses change.
You introduce new services. Staff change. Opening hours change. You move offices. Holiday trading hours are different.
Your profile needs to reflect reality.
Set aside a little time each month to check your information, add recent photos, respond to outstanding reviews and update anything that has changed.
It’s much easier than trying to repair a neglected profile years later.
10. Don’t Forget About Your Website
Your Google Business Profile doesn’t operate in isolation.
Google can obtain business information from several sources, including your official website, third-party data and information contributed by users.
That means your broader online presence matters too.
Make sure your website clearly explains:
- What you do
- Where you operate
- How customers can contact you
- Your main services
- Your business details
Your business name, address and phone information should be accurate and consistent wherever appropriate.
Useful service pages and location-relevant content can also strengthen your broader local SEO strategy.
At Leapfrog Media, we treat Google Business Profile optimisation as part of local SEO rather than as an isolated marketing trick. Your website, content, technical SEO, links, reviews and local presence should work together.
Common Google Business Profile Mistakes to Avoid
Beginners often make optimisation more complicated than necessary.
Some common mistakes include using an incorrect business name, choosing irrelevant categories, forgetting holiday opening hours, leaving old contact information live, ignoring reviews, uploading low-quality or irrelevant photos and creating duplicate listings.
Another common mistake is trying too hard to “optimise” everything.
Your profile should first and foremost be an accurate representation of a real business.
Google’s guidelines require businesses to represent themselves accurately and consistently with how they’re recognised in the real world.
Google Business Profile Optimisation Checklist
Before you finish, check that you have:
- Claimed and verified your profile
- Used your genuine business name
- Selected accurate categories
- Added the correct address or service area
- Checked your phone number and website
- Updated your regular and special opening hours
- Written a useful business description
- Added relevant services or products
- Uploaded genuine photos
- Developed a process for requesting customer reviews
- Responded to reviews
- Published useful updates when appropriate
- Checked that your website’s business details are consistent
- Scheduled regular profile reviews
You don’t need to complete every improvement in one afternoon.
Start with accuracy, then gradually improve the quality and completeness of the profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Google Business Profile is free to use. Businesses can use it to manage how important information about their company appears across Google Search and Google Maps.
Does Google Business Profile help SEO?
It is an important part of local SEO for eligible businesses. Google uses Business Profile information when presenting local search results, alongside other signals.
How does Google decide which local businesses rank?
Google says local results are primarily based on relevance, distance and prominence. There isn’t a legitimate way to simply pay Google for a better organic local ranking.
How often should I update my Google Business Profile?
There isn’t one universal schedule. Update important information whenever something changes and review your profile regularly to make sure details remain accurate. Adding fresh photos and useful updates when you genuinely have something new to share is a sensible habit.
Should I put keywords in my Google Business Profile name?
Your profile should use the business name that accurately represents your company in the real world. Adding unnecessary keywords or locations purely for SEO can conflict with Google’s Business Profile guidelines.
Should I respond to Google reviews?
Yes. Responding shows customers that you’re paying attention to their feedback. Keep responses polite, professional and useful, including when you’re responding to criticism.
Can I optimise a Google Business Profile myself?
Absolutely. Business owners can manage their own profiles, and getting the fundamentals right is achievable for most businesses.
Where professional help becomes useful is when you’re competing in a difficult local market or want your Business Profile, website, content, technical SEO and authority-building strategy to work together.
Ready to Improve Your Local Visibility?
Google Business Profile optimisation doesn’t need to be complicated.
Start by giving Google and potential customers accurate information about your business. Choose appropriate categories, complete the important profile fields, add genuine photographs, encourage authentic customer reviews and keep everything updated.
Then look beyond the profile.
A strong local search presence combines your Google Business Profile with a well-optimised website, helpful content, genuine reviews and a broader SEO strategy.
If your business isn’t appearing where potential customers are searching, Leapfrog Media can help. Explore our local SEO and SEO services to discover how we can improve your visibility in Google Search and Maps and turn more local searches into genuine business enquiries.