How to Set Up a Google Business Profile That Gets Customers

Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is free, and for most local businesses it drives more enquiries than the website itself. Yet most profiles are half-empty. Here's how to set yours up to actually win customers.

Why it matters so much

When someone searches for your service nearby, Google shows a map with business listings before the normal results. A complete, active profile is how you get into that map pack. This works hand-in-hand with your local SEO and helps you appear on Google Maps.

Step-by-step setup

1. Claim your profile at google.com/business and verify it (usually by postcard or phone). 2. Pick the right category. Be specific — "Hair Salon" not "Beauty Services". Your main category heavily influences what you rank for. 3. Fill in every field — address, phone, hours, website, services with prices, and a keyword-rich description. 4. Add real photos — your shop front, your work, your team. Profiles with photos get far more clicks. 5. List your services individually so they show up in search.

Keep it active

Google rewards active profiles. Post updates, offers, and photos regularly. Answer questions. Respond to every review — good and bad. An active profile outranks a dormant one even if the dormant business is closer.

Reviews are the engine

Reviews are one of the strongest signals for the map pack. Ask every happy customer. See our guides on getting Google reviews and your first 50 reviews.

Link it to a real website

Your profile should link to a proper website, not a Facebook page or a free subdomain. A fast, professional website on your own .co.uk domain reinforces everything your profile is telling Google, and gives customers somewhere to book.

For a restaurant or dog groomer, the profile gets you found and the website closes the deal.

The bottom line

Spend an afternoon getting your Google Business Profile genuinely complete, then keep it active. It's the highest-return free marketing any local business can do. Pair it with a proper website and you've got a local customer machine.