01Why it matters
When someone searches for a business “near me” or in your area, Google often shows a map with a few local businesses before any website. Your Google Business Profile is what appears there, with your reviews, photos, hours and a button to call or get directions.
02The essentials checklist
- Primary category: pick the one that best describes your main business. It is one of the strongest signals you control.
- Extra categories: add the others that genuinely apply.
- Name, address and phone: exactly as they appear on your website and other listings.
- Hours: including holiday hours, so customers don’t arrive to a closed door.
- Website link: to your site, or to the most relevant page.
- Services or products: with short descriptions and prices where it makes sense.
- Description: what you do, who for and where, written for customers, not stuffed with keywords.
03Photos, reviews and posts
Add real photos of your shopfront, interior, team and work, and keep adding new ones. Profiles with good photos look more trustworthy and tend to get more clicks.
Reviews matter to Google and to customers. Ask happy customers to leave one, make it easy with a direct link, and reply to every review, good or bad. Never buy reviews or offer rewards for them; it breaks Google’s rules and can get the profile suspended.
Posts let you share offers, events and updates on the profile itself. Regular posts show customers the business is active.
04Connect it to your website
Your profile and your website support each other. Make sure your website shows the same name, address and phone number, has a page for each main service, and loads fast on phones, because that is where most local searches happen.
Every ByteShark new website includes Google Business Profile setup. See the website pricing page.