Your Google Business Profile is often the very first thing a potential customer sees — before your website, before your social media, before anything else. Yet most small businesses set it up once and forget it. A complete, active profile is one of the most effective free marketing tools available.

Claim and verify your listing

Search for your business on Google Maps. If a listing already exists, claim it. If not, create one at business.google.com. Verification usually arrives by postcard within five days. Until you verify, you cannot fully manage the listing and it will rank poorly.

Fill in every section

Google rewards completeness. Work through every field: primary and secondary categories, business description (up to 750 characters), services with descriptions and prices, hours for each day including public holidays, and your phone number and website. The category you choose first matters most — pick the one that best describes your core offer.

Add photos and keep them fresh

Listings with photos receive significantly more direction requests and website clicks. Add at least ten photos: your team, your work, your location, and your finished results. Upload a new photo every month or two so the profile looks active. Avoid stock imagery — real photos of real work build trust much faster.

Build a steady stream of reviews

Ask after every successful job. Most customers are happy to leave a review — they just need a direct nudge and a simple link. Reply to every review, positive and negative, with a thoughtful response. Google sees this as a signal of an engaged, trustworthy business. Aim for a steady drip of reviews rather than a one-off burst.

Use Google Posts regularly

The Posts feature lets you share updates, offers, and news directly on your profile. A short post each month — a completed project, a seasonal offer, or a tip — signals that the business is active. Posts expire after seven days for offers, but standard updates stay visible longer.

Set your service area correctly

If you travel to customers rather than having them visit you, set a service area instead of (or alongside) a physical address. Add the towns and postcodes you cover. This helps Google show you in searches from those locations even when the searcher is not near your premises.

Quick checklist