How to Improve Your Google Business Profile

When someone searches for a plumber, a dentist, a café or a charity shop near them, Google often shows a panel with a map, opening hours, photos and reviews before it shows any website. That panel comes from your Google Business Profile: a free listing you manage yourself. Many customers decide whether to call, visit or move on after a quick look at it.

The good news is that most improvements are simple and need no technical knowledge. They need accuracy, a little time and a habit of checking in. This guide covers the main areas in a sensible order.

Start with accurate basics

Begin with the facts a customer needs to reach you: your business name, address or service area, phone number, website and opening hours. If any of these is wrong, nothing else on the profile will make up for it. A customer who arrives at a closed door because your Bank Holiday hours were never updated is unlikely to try again.

Use your real trading name, as it appears on your shopfront, van or invoices. Do not add extra keywords or a list of services to the name in the hope of standing out. It looks untrustworthy to customers and can lead to the listing being suspended.

If you travel to customers, as many electricians, mobile hairdressers and home-care providers do, you can show the areas you cover instead of a street address. Be honest about where you really work, rather than listing every town in the West of Scotland.

Choose categories and list your services

A category is the label that tells Google what kind of business you are, such as 'Italian restaurant' or 'Physiotherapist'. Pick the one that best describes your main work, then add a few secondary ones only if they are genuinely accurate.

Next, list your services in plain words that customers would use. A joiner might add 'fitted wardrobes', 'kitchen fitting' and 'door repairs'. A GP-adjacent practice might list the treatments it offers. A short, honest description of each helps customers see that you do what they need.

Write your business description for people, not for search engines. Say what you do, who you do it for and what makes you reliable, in a couple of short paragraphs.

Use photos that show the real business

Photos let customers picture what they are walking into. Good ones do not need a professional photographer: clear, well-lit pictures taken on a recent phone are usually enough.

• Your shopfront or entrance from the street, so people recognise it when they arrive.
• The inside of the premises: the dining room, treatment room, showroom or waiting area.
• Your team at work, if they are happy to be photographed.
• Examples of finished work, such as a tiled bathroom, a cake order or a refurbished shopfront.
• Your logo, so the listing is easy to recognise.

Avoid stock images and anything that no longer looks like your business. If photos show customers or staff, make sure they have agreed first. Replace old pictures when you refurbish, change your menu or move.

Ask for reviews, and reply to them

Reviews are often what tips a customer's decision. The best time to ask is straight after a job goes well, when the customer is pleased. A friendly request in person, on an invoice or in a follow-up message works better than a vague sign on the wall.

Do not offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, and never write reviews yourself or ask friends to do so. Google has rules against this, and customers can often spot it.

Reply to every review, not just the glowing ones. Thank people by name, mention something specific, and keep it brief. With a critical review, stay calm, apologise where it is fair to, and offer to sort things out offline. Future customers are reading your reply as much as the complaint. Do not include personal details about the customer in a public reply, particularly in healthcare or other sensitive settings.

Keep everything consistent

Your Google profile should match what appears elsewhere: your website, Facebook page, directory listings, email signature and printed material. If your phone number or opening hours differ between them, customers get confused and search engines may be less sure which details to trust.

Pick one version of your name, address and phone number and use it everywhere. Then check the places that most often go out of date: old directory entries, a previous address after a move, or a former mobile number.

Where help can fit in

If keeping listings in order is falling down the to-do list, On The Spot offers SEO and local visibility support, which includes looking after profiles like this. Where your website's details are out of step with your profile, website management can help bring the two into line.

If you would like an outside view of how your business appears online more broadly, On The Spot also offers a free digital strategy review.

In short

A strong Google Business Profile is mostly about being accurate, honest and up to date: correct contact details, clear services, real photos, replies to reviews and the same information everywhere. A few minutes each month usually matters more than one big overhaul.

Next steps

1. Search for your business on your phone and note anything that is wrong or out of date.
2. Correct your name, contact details, opening hours and service area, including any holiday hours.
3. Check your main category, add your services in plain words, and upload several recent, genuine photos.
4. Reply to any unanswered reviews, then start asking satisfied customers for feedback after each job.
5. Compare your details with your website and social media pages, and put a monthly check in the diary.