Google Business Profile: what your business needs to show up on the map

You have a website, you have social media, but when someone searches for what you offer on Google, your competitors show up and you don’t. The problem often isn’t your website. It’s that you haven’t claimed your Google Business Profile.

What is Google Business Profile and why should you care

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free listing that Google offers so your business can appear in local searches and on Google Maps. It’s that side panel you see when you search for a business by name, or those three listings that show up with a map when you search for “hairdresser in La Laguna”.

If you don’t have a listing, you don’t exist for those searches. It doesn’t matter how good your website looks.

The most important thing: it’s free and you control it.

Creating the listing is just the first step

Many businesses create their listing, add their name and phone number, and forget about it. That’s like opening a shop and not putting up a sign. Google ranks complete, active listings above half-finished ones.

What you need to have properly set up

Categories: choose your primary category precisely. If you’re a florist, your primary category is “Florist”, not “Shop” or “Retail”. Secondary categories let you cover more searches (e.g. “Flower delivery service”, “Plant shop”).

Description: you have 750 characters to explain what you do and who you serve. Use this space with words your customers would search for. Don’t repeat your business name or use empty phrases like “we are the best”. Be direct: what you offer, where, and what sets you apart.

Hours: fill them in completely and keep them updated. Include holidays and special hours. Incorrect hours generate distrust and Google penalises it in visibility.

Services and products: Google lets you list exactly what you offer, with description and price. Fill them in. Each service is an opportunity to appear in a different search.

Photos: according to Google, businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their website. You don’t need a professional photographer: real photos of your premises, products, and team. What matters is that they’re recent and authentic.

Posts: the feature almost nobody uses

Google Business Profile lets you publish short updates that appear directly on your listing when someone searches for you. They work like mini-posts: brief text, optional image, and an action button.

They’re useful for two reasons:

1. They prove your business is active. A listing with recent posts conveys more trust than one that’s been static for a year.
2. You take up more visual space in search results, making it more likely someone clicks on your listing.

Posts expire after 7 days, so it’s worth publishing one every week or every two weeks. You don’t need to create anything elaborate: a new product, a quick tip, a recent photo of the business.

Reviews: the factor that carries the most weight

Customer reviews are the most powerful signal for local ranking. A business with 15 reviews at 4-5 stars will appear above another with zero reviews, even if the second one has a better website.

Some practical tips:

• Ask for reviews directly. Most satisfied customers will leave a review if you ask them. Don’t wait for them to do it on their own.
• Respond to all reviews, positive and negative. Google values this and future customers read them.
• Don’t buy fake reviews. Google detects them and can suspend your listing. One real review is worth more than ten fake ones.

Common mistakes that hurt your listing

Not verifying your business. Without verification, you don’t have control over the listing and you won’t appear in searches. The process usually takes between 1 and 5 days.

Inconsistent data. If your website says “5 High Street” and your listing says “5, High St.”, Google interprets uncertainty. Name, address and phone number must be identical everywhere.

Wrong category. If you choose a category that’s too broad or incorrect, you’ll appear for searches that don’t interest you and won’t appear for the ones that do.

Abandoned listing. A listing without activity (no new photos, no posts, no responses to reviews) loses visibility over time.

Businesses without a physical location

If you offer home services or work remotely, you don’t need premises to have a listing. Google allows you to create “service area” profiles where you configure the areas you serve without publishing a physical address. You appear in searches for those areas but without a pin on the map.

This is the standard setup for professionals like plumbers, electricians, designers, consultants, and any business that goes where the customer is.

How long does it take to see results

If you’re starting from scratch, the typical timeline is:

• First week: your listing appears in direct searches by your name.
• 2-4 weeks: you start appearing in category searches (“florist + city”).
• 1-3 months: if you accumulate reviews and post regularly, your position in the “local pack” (the map with 3 results) improves noticeably.

It’s not immediate, but it’s cumulative. Every review, every post, every photo adds up.

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If you have a local business and you still haven’t claimed your Google Business Profile, that’s the most cost-effective step you can take today. It’s free, it takes half an hour, and results become visible within a few weeks.

Not sure where to start or need help with your local SEO? Tell us about your business and we’ll take a look.