When someone in Auckland searches for a plumber, a dentist or an IT company, the first thing they see is a map with three businesses on it. Those three get most of the calls. Which businesses appear there is decided largely by Google Business Profile, which is free.
Most profiles we look at are half finished. Here is how to fill yours in properly.
Claim it first
Google may already have created a listing for you from other sources. Search your business name and look for an option to claim or manage it. If nothing exists, create one at google.com/business.
Verification comes next. Google will ask for a postcard, a phone call or a short video showing your premises, your equipment and yourself. The video route is the most common now. Record what they ask for and nothing else.
Get the category right
Your primary category does more for your ranking than any other single field. Pick the one that names what you mainly do, not a broader one that sounds bigger. A category of Marketing Agency and a category of Advertising Agency will surface you for different searches.
Add secondary categories for the other things you do, and keep the list honest. Categories you do not genuinely serve will bring you calls you cannot take.
Set your service area correctly
If customers come to you, use your street address. If you travel to them, switch to a service area business and list the suburbs or the whole of Auckland. You can hide the address entirely while still appearing in local results.
Do not list every region in the country. Google reads a huge service area as a signal that you are not local to anywhere.
Fill in the parts most people skip
- Services. List each thing you do as a separate service with a short description. This is the field that most often sits empty, and it feeds the searches you appear for.
- Opening hours. Including public holidays. A profile showing closed when you are open loses the call.
- Description. Say plainly what you do, where, and for whom. Keep the keyword stuffing out of it.
- Photos. Real ones of your work, your team and your vehicle or premises. Profiles with photos get noticeably more clicks than profiles without.
- Opening date. Small field, and it affects how established you look.
Reviews are the part you cannot skip
Reviews influence both where you rank and whether anyone calls you once they find you. The practical approach is to ask every satisfied customer, at the moment the job finishes, with a link that takes one tap.
Google gives you a short review link in your profile. Put it in your invoice emails, in your text messages and on a card you hand over when you leave. Reply to every review you get, including the poor ones, because future customers read the replies.
Keep it alive
A profile that never changes slowly loses ground to one that does. Post an update every few weeks. A finished job, a new service, a seasonal reminder. Keep the wording plain and leave your phone number out of the post text, because Google rejects posts that read like adverts.
Check your details match everywhere else
Your business name, address and phone number should be written identically on your website, your Facebook page, and any directory you appear in. Inconsistencies make Google less confident about your location, and that costs you map positions.
If you would like us to look at your profile and tell you what is missing, send us your business name. There is no charge.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing the profile costs nothing. Google may offer to sell you ads alongside it, and you can ignore that.
How long does verification take?
Usually a few days by postcard or phone. Video verification is common now and can be same day if your recording shows what Google asks for.
Can I use my home address?
Yes, and you can hide it. If you travel to customers, set yourself up as a service area business so your address stays private while you still appear in the right suburbs.
How many reviews do I need?
There is no threshold. More recent reviews help more than a large pile of old ones. Ten genuine reviews from the last year beats fifty from three years ago.