10 Essential Ways to Optimise Your Google Business Profile for Local Success

Your competitor down the road is fully booked. You're not.

Same service. Similar prices. Sometimes you're even better at what you do. But when someone in your area searches Google for what you offer, your business shows up in that coveted map pack at the top of search results. Yours doesn't.

The difference? They've optimised their Google Business Profile. You haven't.

 

 

Here's what most UK business owners don't realise: your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most powerful free marketing tool you're probably ignoring. It's not just a digital listing. It's your shopfront on Google Search and Google Maps, where 46% of all searches have local intent.

Research shows that 76% of people who search for something nearby on their smartphone visit a business within a day. That's not a statistic to gloss over. That's potential customers actively looking for you right now, this minute, whilst you're reading this.

But here's the kicker: having a Google Business Profile isn't enough. Most businesses claim their profile, fill in the basics, then never touch it again. That's like opening a shop, putting up a sign, then boarding up the windows and wondering why nobody comes in.

This article walks through ten essential strategies to optimise your Google Business Profile properly, so you show up when local customers are searching, and more importantly, so they choose you over your competitors.

Why Google Business Profile Actually Matters for Local Success

Let's get specific about what we're talking about.

When someone searches "plumber near me" or "best café in Brighton" or "accountant Manchester", Google shows them a map with three businesses highlighted. This is called the local pack, or the map pack. These three spots are prime digital real estate.

Below that map, there are traditional website results. But studies consistently show that most people first interact with the map pack. They look at those three businesses, check ratings, read a few reviews, look at photos, then either call, get directions, or visit the website.

Your Google Business Profile determines whether you're one of those three businesses or whether you're invisible.

The algorithm Google uses to decide who appears considers three main factors: relevance, distance, and prominence. Relevance means how well your business matches what someone's searching for. Distance is self-explanatory. Prominence is how well-known and reputable your business is, based on factors such as reviews, links, and your overall online presence.

Here's what happens when you optimise properly: businesses with complete Google Business Profiles receive 42% more requests for driving directions and 35% more click-throughs to their websites compared to incomplete profiles. That's not a marginal improvement. That's the difference between thriving and surviving.

Take Sarah, who runs a boutique coffee shop in Leeds. She'd claimed her Google Business Profile years ago but never really maintained it. Her photos were outdated, she had seventeen reviews she'd never responded to, and her opening hours were wrong (which meant Google sometimes told people she was closed when she was actually open).

After properly optimising her profile – better photos, regular posts, responding to every review, updating her services – her profile impressions increased by 180% within six weeks. More importantly, foot traffic increased noticeably. People started mentioning they'd found her through Google. Her revenue increased by 23% quarter over quarter.

That's the power of doing this properly.

1. Claim and Verify Your Profile Properly

First things first: you actually need to own your Google Business Profile. Many businesses either haven't claimed theirs, don't realise one already exists, or have lost access to it.

Start by searching for your business name plus your city in Google. If a profile appears, great – you need to claim it. If nothing appears, you'll create one from scratch.

To claim an existing profile:

Open Google Maps. Search for your business. If it appears, click on it. Look for an option that says "Claim this business" or "Own this business?" Follow the verification process.

Google will need to verify that you actually own or manage this business. They typically offer several verification methods: a postcard sent to your business address, a phone call, an email, or instant verification if you've already verified your website through Google Search Console.

The postcard method is most common for new verifications. Google sends a physical postcard with a verification code to your business address. This takes about five to seven days to arrive. Once you receive it, you enter the code in your Google Business Profile dashboard.

Use your business email (yourname@yourbusiness.co.uk) rather than a personal Gmail account. This looks more professional and ensures continuity if team members change.

For businesses with multiple locations, you'll need to verify each location separately. Service-area businesses (such as mobile plumbers or electricians who travel to customers rather than having customers visit a shopfront) have slightly different setup requirements, but the verification process is similar.

2. Complete Every Single Field

This is where most businesses fail. They fill in the obvious stuff – name, address, phone number – then stop. Google's algorithm rewards completeness.

Every empty field is a missed opportunity to provide Google with information it can use to show your business in relevant searches.

Essential fields to complete:

Business name – use your actual registered business name, exactly as it appears on Companies House and your signage. Don't stuff keywords into your business name ("Best Plumber London Emergency Services 24/7"). Google penalises this.

Address – must be your actual physical location. Use the exact format: building number, street name, city, postcode. No variations. This needs to match your address everywhere else online (your website, directories, social media) exactly. Even "Street" versus "St." can cause consistency issues.

Phone number – your main business number. Use a local UK number, not an 0800 or international number. Include the area code.

Website URL – link to your homepage or, if you have multiple locations, link to the specific location page for that branch.

Category selection – we'll cover this in detail next, but choose your primary category carefully.

Hours of operation – be precise. Include special hours for bank holidays. If you're closed on certain days, mark that clearly. Wrong hours frustrate customers and hurt your reputation.

Business description – you have 750 characters to explain what you do, who you serve, and what makes you different. Include your primary keywords naturally ("family-run Italian restaurant in Birmingham serving authentic Neapolitan pizza") but write for humans, not algorithms. Mention specific services, your location, and anything unique about your business.

Attributes – these are specific features such as "wheelchair accessible," "free Wi-Fi," "outdoor seating," "women-led," and "LGBTQ+ friendly." Select everything relevant. These appear as filters in search results.

Opening date – when you first opened. This helps establish credibility.

Service areas – if you're a service-area business, specify which areas you cover. Be specific about postcodes or neighbourhoods.

James runs a Manchester-based electrical contracting business. When he first optimised his profile, he filled in only about 40% of the available fields. After completing everything – including service areas, specific services offered, attributes, and a detailed description – his profile views increased by 67% in the first month. The completeness signals to Google that this is an active, legitimate business worth showing to searchers.

3. Choose Your Categories Strategically

Categories seem like a minor detail. They're not. Your category selection determines which searches Google considers you relevant for.

Google forces you to choose one primary category from their predetermined list. This is crucial. Your primary category should be the most accurate description of what your business fundamentally does.

If you run a café that also sells books, your primary category should be "Café", not "Book shop" – unless selling books is genuinely your main business and the café is secondary.

You can (and should) also add secondary categories. These expand the range of searches you're eligible for. A café might add categories like "Coffee shop," "Breakfast restaurant," "Lunch restaurant," and "Wi-Fi spot."

How to choose strategically:

Research your competitors. Look at the Google Business Profiles of successful competitors. What categories are they using? Google shows its categories when you click its profile.

Think about search intent. What would someone type when looking for your business? "Italian restaurant" or "Pizza restaurant" or "Fine dining restaurant"? Choose the category that matches the most common search behaviour.

Don't overdo it. Google allows multiple secondary categories, but adding twenty irrelevant ones doesn't help. It confuses the algorithm. Stick to genuinely relevant categories that accurately describe what you offer.

Use Google's autocomplete as research. Start typing potential categories in the category field. Google will suggest options based on what's available and commonly used. This gives you ideas and ensures you're using Google's exact terminology.

4. Upload High-Quality Photos and Videos

Visual content matters enormously. Businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more website clicks than businesses without photos.

But not just any photos. Quality matters. Blurry phone snapshots from 2015 don't cut it.

What to upload:

Exterior photos showing your building, signage, entrance, and surrounding area. This helps people recognise your location when they arrive. Multiple angles work well.

Interior photos showcasing your space. If you have a physical location that customers visit, show them what it looks like inside. Clean, well-lit photos that make your space look inviting.

Product and service photos. Show what you actually sell or do. A restaurant should show its dishes. A salon should show hairstyles. An accountant might show their office or team at work.

Team photos. People like seeing who they'll interact with. Photos of your staff (with their permission) humanise your business.

Logo and cover photo. Your logo appears next to your business name in search results. Make it clear and professional. The cover photo is the large image at the top of your profile – make it count.

Videos are increasingly important. Google prioritises profiles with video content. A 30-second tour of your premises, a quick introduction from the owner, or a demonstration of your service can significantly boost engagement.

Photo specifications and tips:

Format: JPG or PNG. Size: between 10KB and 5MB. Resolution: 720px by 720px minimum for square photos; 720px by 540px for landscape photos.

Natural lighting looks better than harsh flash. Take photos during daylight hours when possible.

Keep photos updated. Add new photos every month. Seasonal updates work brilliantly – showcase your business at different times of year, for special events, and for new products or services.

Emma runs a florist in Edinburgh. She started uploading photos of every major arrangement she created, tagged appropriately. Within three months, her profile had over 200 photos. Customers started specifically mentioning they'd chosen her because they could see examples of her work on Google. Her wedding booking enquiries tripled.

5. Post Regular Google Updates

Google Posts are updates that appear directly on your Google Business Profile. Think of them as mini social media posts, but they appear in Google Search and Google Maps.

Most businesses don't use them. Which means you have an immediate advantage if you do.

Google's algorithm favours active profiles. Regular posting signals that your business is operational and engaged with customers. Profiles with regular posts rank higher than identical profiles without posts.

What to post about:

Special offers or promotions. "20% off all services this week" or "Free consultation for new customers."

Events. If you're hosting something, running a workshop, or attending a local market, post about it.

New products or services. Launched a new menu item, added a service, or stocked a new product line? Post it.

Updates and news. Changed your opening hours? Post it. Won an award? Post it. Hired new staff? Post it.

General engagement. Share helpful tips related to your industry. A gardener might post seasonal gardening advice. An accountant might share tax deadline reminders.

Posting strategy:

Aim for at least one post per week. More is better, but consistency matters more than frequency. If you post five times one week, then nothing for two months, that's worse than posting once weekly consistently.

Keep posts concise – 100 to 300 words works well. Include a clear call to action: "Call now," "Book online," "Visit our website," "Learn more."

Add a photo or video to every post. Posts with visuals get significantly more engagement than text-only posts.

Use the appropriate post type. Google offers different formats: offers (with expiry dates and terms), events (with dates and times), products, and standard updates. Use the right format for better visibility.

Posts expire after seven days for standard updates, or on their specified end date for offers and events. This means you need to keep posting regularly to keep your profile fresh.

6. Build and Manage Your Reviews

Reviews are simultaneously the most powerful and most neglected aspect of Google Business Profile optimisation.

They impact your rankings directly. They influence whether potential customers choose you over competitors. And they're completely within your control – not in terms of what people say, but in terms of how many you collect and how you respond to them.

Businesses that respond to reviews see a 12% increase in review volume and 15% improvement in average rating scores. Let that sink in. Responding to reviews makes people more likely to leave reviews and improves your overall rating.

How to get more reviews:

Ask. Most businesses don't. After providing excellent service, ask satisfied customers if they'd be willing to leave a review. Make it easy by giving them direct instructions.

Create a direct review link. Google provides a short URL specifically for review requests. Find this in your Google Business Profile dashboard under "Get more reviews." Share this link via email, text, or even on printed cards.

Timing matters. Ask immediately after the positive experience. Don't wait three weeks. Strike while the iron is hot and they're still pleased with your service.

Make it effortless. The easier you make it, the more reviews you'll get. A simple text message with a direct link works better than asking them to "find us on Google."

How to respond to reviews:

Respond to every single review. Positive, negative, neutral – all of them. This shows you value customer feedback and are actively managing your business.

For positive reviews, thank them specifically. "Thanks for the kind words about our Sunday roast, Sarah! We're delighted you enjoyed your visit. Hope to see you again soon."

For negative reviews, stay professional and constructive. Never argue or get defensive. Acknowledge their concern, apologise if appropriate, and offer to make it right. "We're sorry your experience didn't meet expectations, John. We'd love the chance to make this right. Please get in touch with us directly at [number] so we can resolve this."

Include keywords naturally in responses. If someone reviews your "amazing fish and chips in Brighton," your response might mention, "We're so pleased you enjoyed our fish and chips. Fresh fish delivered daily is our priority."

Respond quickly. Within 24-48 hours is ideal. This shows you're attentive and care about customer satisfaction.

Tom owns a small plumbing business in Bristol. He started systematically asking satisfied customers for reviews and responding to every review he received. Within six months, his review count increased from 23 to 147, and his average rating improved from 4.1 to 4.7 stars. His conversion rate from profile views to phone calls increased by 34%.

7. Use the Questions & Answers Feature

The Q&A section is criminally underutilised by most businesses, which is bizarre given its SEO power.

Google prominently displays the Q&A section on your profile. People can ask questions publicly, and anyone – including you – can answer them.

Here's what most businesses don't realise: you can (and should) seed your own Q&A section by asking and answering common questions yourself.

Why this matters:

You control the narrative. Rather than waiting for someone to ask, "Do you offer parking?" you can proactively add that question and answer it.

Keywords in questions and answers help with relevance signals. If people often search for "pet-friendly café Bristol," having a Q&A that asks and answers "Are you pet-friendly?" helps Google understand that you're relevant to that search.

It addresses customer concerns before they need to ask. This reduces friction and increases the likelihood that someone will choose your business.

How to use Q&A effectively:

Identify the common questions customers ask you in person, by phone, or by email. These are perfect for your Q&A section.

Add them yourself. Log in to your Google Business Profile, go to the Q&A section, post questions from a separate Google account (or ask a friend to post them), then answer them from your business account. Or use your business account for both – it's allowed.

Typical useful questions include: "Do you offer parking?" "Are you wheelchair accessible?" "Do you accept card payments?" "What are your busiest times?" "Do you take appointments or walk-ins?" "Is there outdoor seating?" "Are dogs allowed?"

Answer thoroughly but concisely. Include relevant keywords naturally. For example: "Yes, we have a free car park with 15 spaces directly behind our Birmingham city centre location. Parking is available to all customers during business hours."

Monitor regularly. Anyone can post questions on your profile, and anyone can answer them. Check your Q&A section at a minimum once a week. If someone's posted a question, answer it within 24 hours. If someone's posted an incorrect answer (yes, this happens), post the correct answer and upvote it, then flag the wrong answer.

Rachel runs a yoga studio in Cardiff. She added fifteen Q&A entries covering everything from "What should I bring to my first class?" to "Do you offer pregnancy yoga?" Her profile engagement increased noticeably, and several new students mentioned they'd chosen her studio because the Q&A section answered all their concerns upfront.

8. Enable and Monitor Messaging

Google Business Profile messaging lets potential customers send you direct messages through your profile, like texting.

Many customers prefer texting to phone calls. Enabling messaging meets them where they are.

Google monitors response times. Fast responses improve your ranking signals and show a "Typically responds within minutes/hours" badge on your profile.

How to set up messaging:

In your Google Business Profile dashboard, enable messaging. You'll need to verify a phone number where you'll receive messages.

Download the Google Business Profile app on your phone. This ensures you receive message notifications immediately.

Set up quick reply templates for common questions. "Thanks for your message! We're open Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm. How can we help?" or "Thanks for getting in touch. We'd be happy to provide a quote. Could you tell us more about what you need?"

Best practices for messaging:

Respond quickly, ideally within an hour during business hours. The faster you respond, the better your visibility.

Be professional but friendly. This is often someone's first interaction with your business.

Move complex conversations to phone or email. If someone's asking detailed questions, suggest a quick call: "These are great questions! Would you prefer to discuss over the phone? You can reach us on [number]."

Set expectations outside business hours. Use an auto-reply after hours: "Thanks for your message. We're currently closed but will respond first thing tomorrow morning."

Marcus owns a mobile car valeting service covering Greater London. He enabled messaging and committed to responding within 30 minutes during working hours. Within two months, 40% of his new bookings came through Google messaging rather than phone calls. He found younger customers particularly preferred this method of contact.

9. Add Your Products and Services

The Products and Services sections let you showcase exactly what you offer, with descriptions and prices.

Not all business categories have access to products (it depends on your primary category), but most have access to services.

Why add these:

Clarity for customers. People know exactly what you offer before contacting you, which pre-qualifies leads.

Keyword opportunities. Service and product descriptions are another place to incorporate relevant keywords naturally.

Competitive differentiation. If you list your services clearly and competitors don't, you look more professional and transparent.

How to optimise this section:

List all major services or product categories you offer. A solicitor might list: "Family Law," "Employment Law," "Property Conveyancing," "Wills & Probate."

Write clear descriptions for each. 100-300 words explaining what's included, who it's for, and any relevant details.

Add prices or price ranges if appropriate. Transparency builds trust. If you can't give exact prices (because services vary), use ranges: "From £50" or "£200-£500 depending on requirements."

Include photos for products or services where visual representation helps. A bakery should absolutely include photos of its cakes and pastries.

Update seasonally or when offerings change. New service? Add it immediately. Discontinued a product? Remove it.

Sophie runs a beauty salon in Newcastle. She meticulously added every service she offers – manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing – with detailed descriptions and exact prices. She noticed that customers who booked appointments arrived better informed about what they wanted and how much it would cost. Her cancellation rate dropped because there were fewer misunderstandings about services and pricing.

10. Track Your Performance with Insights

Google provides detailed analytics about how customers find and interact with your profile. This data is a gold mine that most businesses completely ignore.

Your Insights dashboard shows you: how many people viewed your profile, how they found you (direct search, discovery search, branded search), what actions they took (website clicks, direction requests, phone calls), where they're searching from, what photos they viewed, and how many people messaged you.

This information tells you what's working and what needs improvement.

Key metrics to monitor:

Total views. Is your profile visibility increasing or decreasing over time? The upward trend is good. Downward suggests you need to optimise further.

Search queries. What search terms are people using to find you? This shows whether you're appearing for the right keywords. If you're a "wedding photographer Cardiff" but most searches find you for "portrait photography," you might need to adjust your categories or description.

Customer actions. What percentage of people who view your profile actually do something (call, visit website, request directions)? Low conversion suggests your profile isn't compelling enough – better photos, more reviews, or clearer service descriptions might help.

Photo views. Which photos get viewed most? This tells you what customers are interested in. If your product photos get 10x more views than your building exterior, focus on adding more product photography.

Peak times. When are people searching for you? Use this to ensure your phone is staffed during high-search periods or to time your Google Posts for maximum visibility.

How to use insights strategically:

Review monthly. Set a calendar reminder to check insights on the first Monday of each month.

Compare month-over-month. Is performance improving? If you implemented changes (e.g., started posting weekly, added more photos, got more reviews), check whether the metrics improved.

Adjust based on data. If certain posts get more engagement, do more of that content. If searches from a particular area are increasing, consider targeting that neighbourhood with services or promotions.

Benchmark against competitors if possible. Some tools (like Google Business Profile) let you see anonymised comparison data showing how your profile performs compared to similar businesses in your area.