Ask most small businesses where their next customer will come from, and the honest answer is often
Why your Google Business Profile matters so much
When someone searches
Fill in your Google Business Profile — really, everything
Most profiles are missing details that quietly cost enquiries. Go through and complete:
- Categories. Pick the most accurate primary category, then add relevant secondary ones.
- Hours. Keep them current, and set special hours for holidays so nobody turns up to a locked door.
- Photos. Real ones — your premises, your team, your work. They make a profile look alive and trustworthy.
- Services and description. Say plainly what you do and who you help.
Reviews are the engine
Reviews do two jobs: they reassure the person reading, and they help your Google Business Profile rank higher in local results. The best time to ask is right after you’ve made someone happy. Above all, always reply — a warm, brief response to a good review, and a calm, professional one to a bad review, both say a lot about how you run things.
Keep it alive
A Google Business Profile that never changes looks abandoned. Post the occasional update, add fresh photos, answer questions. It doesn’t take long, and Google rewards profiles that are clearly active.
If your profile is unclaimed, half-empty, or you’re not sure it’s even yours anymore, that’s a common and very fixable situation — and one of the highest-value afternoons you can spend on your business.