Creating a profile is done in no time. The difference lies in what you do with it afterwards. These are the five things that deliver the most in practice.
1. Make sure your details are exactly the same everywhere
Name, address, phone number, website, description, category and attributes. Google indexes those details for both the search results and Maps, and they form the basis of your local visibility. If your address is written differently on your website than in your profile, that works against you.
For your address, check that the pin on the map really sits on your building and that your postal code matches the one on your site. A local phone number often works better than a national 088 number. And choose your category carefully: it determines which searches you are eligible for at all. Be honest about it, because stuffing categories with terms you do nothing with backfires.
2. Actively ask for reviews and respond to them
Reviews are the lifeblood of local search. Good ratings bring in revenue, and more good ratings bring in more revenue. Even a less positive review is useful, because future customers read your reply too.
How do you get them? By asking. Google actually encourages it. There is a handy way to get the right link: click on your own reviews, go to the overview of all ratings, and click “Write a review” at the top right. You can copy that URL and send it by email, WhatsApp or text message. Google personalises it per recipient, so nobody can post anything in your name.
3. Publish posts in your profile
With Google Posts you share updates directly in your profile: a new collection, an event, changed opening hours or an offer. You can add text, photos and a button, such as Order, Sign up, Learn more or Book.
Keep it short. You can use a few hundred words, but on a phone people only see the first sixty to seventy characters. So put the most important thing first.
4. Check your statistics
Google shows how people found you, and that distinction is more valuable than it seems. If they search for your business name, they already knew you. If they search for your service or industry, that is a new audience. That second number is the one you want to see grow.
You also see what people do next: click through to your site, request directions, call or view your photos. If almost nobody calls while you count on calls, that says something about your profile or your opening hours.
5. Fill in your products, services and frequently asked questions
Most businesses leave this part empty, and that is a shame. You can list your services separately with a short description, and there is a questions section where anyone can ask something. Note the last part: anyone can answer there too. So fill it yourself with the questions you already get every day, before someone else does it for you.
Together these five points largely determine whether you end up in the local three-pack, the block with three businesses above the map. How to work on that systematically is explained on our page about local SEO.
