Most local businesses set up a Google Business Profile once and never look at it again. Here's a practical half-hour checklist to get it working harder.
If you serve customers in Liverpool, Sefton or anywhere else nearby, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing people see - before your website. It's free, it takes half an hour to sort out properly, and most profiles we look at are half-finished.
Check your business name, address, phone number and website link. They should match your website and every other listing letter for letter. Pick the most specific primary category you can - 'Electrician' beats 'Contractor' - then add secondary categories for the other things you genuinely do.
Wrong opening hours cost you more goodwill than almost anything else. Set bank holiday hours in advance and update them when you change them. If you're appointment-only, say so in the description rather than leaving people to guess.
List the services you offer in plain words - the way a customer would search for them. Add real photos: your premises, your team, your work. Phone snaps are fine if they're clear and well lit. Skip the stock images; people can tell.
Send customers the direct review link straight after a job goes well, while it's fresh. Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly. Never offer incentives for reviews - it breaks Google's rules. For a deeper look at the wider picture, see our guide to local SEO for North West businesses.
A short update now and then - a seasonal offer, a finished job, new opening hours - shows the profile is alive. Also check for customer questions and messages. An unanswered question is a lost enquiry.
We can look at your profile, your website and your listings and tell you what's worth fixing first.
Start a conversation →Check it at least once a month, and any time your hours, services or contact details change. A quick post or new photo every few weeks is a sensible habit.
Yes. Service-area businesses can hide their address and list the areas they cover instead. Follow Google's guidelines for your business type so the profile isn't suspended.
Reply calmly and factually, and flag it to Google if it breaks their content policy. A professional response often reassures future customers more than the review itself worries them.
