Why your Google profile matters more than your website
For a local business, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees, before your website and before your Instagram. It appears in the map results and on the right side of a search for your name. People call, get directions and read reviews without ever clicking through to your site.
Google is open about what drives local results: relevance, distance and how well known a business is. It also says plainly that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. So the work is free, but it is work. Use the checklist below and tick off what you already have.
The basics: get these exactly right
- Verified profile. Unverified profiles can be edited by others and may show less often.
- Real business name only. Use the name on your sign. Adding keywords such as "Best Toronto Plumber" goes against Google's guidelines and can get a profile suspended.
- Primary category. Pick the most specific option. "Vietnamese restaurant" beats "Restaurant".
- Secondary categories. Add the other things you genuinely do, for example "Coffee shop" and "Bakery".
- Address or service area. Storefronts show an address. Mobile businesses such as cleaners and contractors should set service areas and hide the home address.
- Hours, including holidays. Wrong hours are the fastest way to lose a customer forever. Set special hours before every long weekend.
- Phone number that is answered. If you miss calls, add your booking link so people have another way in.
- Website or booking link. Link to the page where someone can act, not a homepage that hides the button.
The details that make people choose you
- Business description. 750 characters. Lead with what you do and who it is for, then what makes you different. Write it for people, not for search engines.
- Services or menu. List your main services with short descriptions and starting prices where you can.
- Attributes. Wheelchair accessible, free Wi Fi, outdoor seating, women owned and others. They help people filter.
- Photos. Exterior (so people recognize you), interior, team, and lots of the product itself. Add new ones every month.
- Logo and cover photo. Clear and current.
- Products. Retailers in eligible regions can add products so they appear on the profile.
- Questions and answers. Answer common questions yourself, such as parking, payment methods and whether you take walk ins.
Reviews and activity
- A steady flow of new reviews. Recency matters to customers. Read how to get more Google reviews without breaking the rules.
- A reply to every review. Short, specific and human. Templates for bad reviews are in this guide.
- Regular updates. Post offers, events and news. Even one a fortnight shows you are active.
- Messaging, if you can answer. Turn it on only if someone will reply quickly. Slow replies look worse than none.
- A monthly check. Anyone can suggest edits to your profile. Log in monthly and make sure nothing changed without you knowing.
Common mistakes we see in the GTA
- Two profiles for the same business after a move, splitting reviews in half.
- Holiday hours never set, so customers drive to a closed shop on Victoria Day or Boxing Day.
- Photos only from opening day, years ago.
- A home based business showing a home address publicly.
- The owner replying to bad reviews angrily, which every future customer reads.