Your Google Business Profile is often the first and only thing a local customer sees before deciding to call you. Most businesses set it up once and never touch it again, which is exactly why optimizing yours is such an easy win.
Claim, verify, and lock down the basics
Claim your profile at business.google.com and complete verification. Then make the foundational fields airtight: exact business name (no keyword stuffing, Google suspends for it), correct primary category, service areas, hours including holidays, and a local phone number.
The fields everyone skips
- Services and products. List every service with descriptions and price ranges. These appear in searches and feed AI assistants deciding who to recommend.
- Attributes. Wheelchair access, women-owned, online appointments. They filter searches you otherwise miss.
- The description. 750 characters. Use the words customers search, state who you serve and where, and skip slogans.
Photos are a ranking and conversion factor
Profiles with fresh, real photos get dramatically more direction requests and calls. Upload monthly: storefront, team at work, completed projects, before-and-after shots. Skip stock photography; customers can tell, and so can Google.
Use posts like a micro-blog
Weekly posts (offers, projects, tips) signal an active business and occupy more screen space in your listing. Recycle your social content; five minutes a week is enough.
Reviews: the compounding asset
Ask at the moment of success with a direct link. Respond to every single review, positive and negative, within 48 hours. Mention the service in your response naturally; it reinforces relevance without keyword games.
Q&A: answer before strangers do
Anyone can answer questions on your profile, including competitors and confused customers. Seed the obvious questions yourself and monitor weekly.
Track actions, not just views
Calls, direction requests, website clicks, and booking actions are the metrics that pay rent. Review them monthly and double down on what moves.
Dazzle Tech manages profiles for service businesses in four countries, including reviews, posts, and monthly reporting. Ask us for a free profile audit.