Setting up and running a Google Business Profile for local SEO

When someone searches "dentist near me" on their phone, the map box at the top gets far more clicks than the blue links below it. To show up there, your Google Business Profile matters much more than your website.

It's free, takes half an hour to set up, and for small businesses it's usually the SEO work that pays off fastest.

Setup#

You add your business at business.google.com. Google posts a card with a verification code to your address, though in some sectors you can verify by phone or video instead. The card can take around two weeks to arrive.

Choosing a category is the most important step#

Your primary category decides which searches you appear in. "Dentist" and "Dental clinic" bring up different results.

Look at your competitors' profiles and see which category the top-ranked ones chose. Make your primary category the work you do most, and add the rest as secondary categories.

NAP consistency#

NAP stands for name, address and phone. These three must be written exactly the same way everywhere online: on your profile, your website, social media and directory sites.

Even "St." versus "Street" matters. If Google can't be sure it's the same business, it trusts the listing less.

Photos#

Businesses with photos on their profile get noticeably more clicks. Skip stock images and use photos of your actual premises, team and products.

Upload at least ten: the outside of the building (people look for it when they come to find you), a few shots inside, the team and the products. Adding one or two new photos a month keeps the profile active.

Reviews#

Reviews are one of the biggest factors in local ranking, and both the number and how recent they are count. Twenty reviews from three years ago do less for you than five from this month.

How to ask#

Ask on the day you finish the job, while the customer is happy. Your profile gives you a short review link, so send that over WhatsApp. Sending the link directly gets far more responses than asking "could you leave us a review on Google?"

If a negative review arrives#

You can't delete it, so reply. Keep it short, don't get defensive, and say how you're putting things right. Most of the people who read that reply will be future customers looking at your profile, not the reviewer.

Posts and questions#

You can post short updates from the profile, such as offers, a new service or holiday hours. They show that the profile is active.

There's also a Q&A section, and leaving it empty is a common mistake. You can post and answer your own questions, like "Is there parking?" or "Do you take walk-ins?". Add the three things customers ask you most.