Google Business Profile Optimisation: Run Your Listing Like a Mini Shopfront

Google Business Profile Optimisation: Run Your Listing Like a Mini Shopfront

If your website is your digital premises, your Google Business Profile is the shopfront on the busiest high street in town.

Google Business Profile optimisation isn’t a “nice to have” anymore – it’s how you make sure people find you before they ever reach your website. Whether you’re a plumber in Portsmouth, a beauty salon in Birmingham, or an accountant in Aberdeen, this free tool can send you a steady stream of local customers… if you set it up properly.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to treat your Google listing like a mini shopfront that:

• Shows up when people search locally
• Makes you look trustworthy at a glance
• Encourages real people to call, book or visit

All in plain English, no SEO gobbledygook.

Why Your Google Business Profile Matters More Than You Think

Imagine a busy street where people are walking around asking strangers:

“Know a good electrician near me?”

That’s basically what Google is. When someone types “electrician near me”, Google often shows a map with three local businesses at the top – the Local Pack.

Those three spots are prime real estate. And your Google Business Profile is what decides whether you appear there or get buried under competitors.

For most service businesses, this profile will:

• Be seen more often than your actual website
• Be the first impression people have of your business
• Decide whether someone calls you or scrolls past

So let’s make it work as hard as your best staff member.

Step 1: Claim and Verify – Get the Keys to Your Shopfront

You can’t tidy a shop you don’t own. Same with your listing.

1. Go to https://www.google.com/business
2. Sign in with a Google account (ideally a business email)
3. Search for your business name – if it exists, claim it; if not, create it
4. Follow the verification steps (postcard, phone, email or video – Google decides)

Tip: Use a shared business email for this (e.g. marketing@yourbusiness.co.uk) so access doesn’t disappear when someone leaves the company.

Step 2: Get Your Core Details 100% Right (and Consistent)

Think of this like your shop sign and opening hours. If they’re wrong, people don’t come back.

Business Name: No Keyword Stuffing

Use your real-world business name – the one on invoices and signage.

• ✅ Brighton Family Dental Clinic
• ❌ Brighton Family Dental Clinic - Emergency Dentist Open Late

Adding loads of keywords might feel clever, but it breaks Google’s rules and can get your listing suspended.

Address & Service Area

• If customers visit you (salon, clinic, shop): show your full address
• If you go to customers (plumber, mobile dog groomer): hide your address and set a service area instead

Keep your address identical everywhere online – same spelling, same formatting. Don’t be:

• Unit 4, High Street in one place and
• Unit Four High St in another

Google likes consistency. So do customers.

Phone Number & Website

Use a local landline where possible – it feels more trustworthy than a mobile.

And make sure your website link goes to the most relevant page. For example:

• Restaurant? Link to your menu/booking page
• Clinic? Link to your appointments page

This is where a well-built site really helps. At Los Webos, we often design landing pages specifically to convert this kind of traffic.

Opening Hours

Treat this like you would your front door sign:

• Keep it updated for holidays and seasonal changes
• Add special hours for bank holidays
• Don’t list 24/7 unless you genuinely operate 24/7

Out-of-date hours are one of the quickest ways to annoy customers and rack up negative reviews.

Step 3: Choose the Right Categories (Your Shop Aisle, Not Your Job Title)

Categories tell Google what you are, a bit like which aisle you’d sit in at a supermarket.

Your primary category is the most important. It should match your main service, not your job title.

• ✅ Plumber
• ❌ Property Maintenance Specialist

Then add secondary categories for other key services, but don’t go wild. 3–5 well-chosen ones are usually enough.

Examples:

• A dental practice: Dentist (primary), Cosmetic Dentist, Emergency Dental Service
• A beauty salon: Beauty Salon (primary), Nail Salon, Facial Spa

If you’re not sure, search for your best local competitors and see what they’re using.

Step 4: Write a Description That Sounds Human (Not Like a Robot)

Your business description is your 30-second pitch if someone stopped at your stall in a market.

Aim for 2–3 short paragraphs that cover:

• Who you help
• Where you work
• What makes you different

Example:

"We’re a family-run plumbing company helping homeowners across Leeds with everything from emergency leaks to full bathroom installations. With over 15 years’ experience, we turn up when we say we will, give clear pricing, and leave your home tidy. We cover all LS postcodes and offer same-day appointments where possible."

Include your main services and local area naturally. No need to cram in every keyword under the sun.

Step 5: Photos – Dress Your Shopfront Properly

Profiles with photos get more clicks, calls and direction requests. Think of photos as your digital window display.

Add:

• Logo – clear, square, easy to recognise
• Cover photo – something that represents your business (the front of your premises, your team, or your main service)
• Interior & exterior – help people recognise your place from the street
• Team photos – faces build trust
• Work in progress & finished jobs – especially good for trades and creatives

Avoid stock photos where possible. People can usually tell, and they don’t build the same trust as real images.

Pro tip: Add new photos regularly – even one a month shows Google (and customers) you’re active.

Step 6: Reviews – Turn Happy Customers into Your Sales Team

Reviews are like digital word-of-mouth. They’re also a strong signal for local rankings.

Make It Easy to Leave a Review

1. In your Google Business dashboard, go to "Ask for reviews"
2. Copy your unique review link
3. Share it:
   • In follow-up emails
   • On invoices
   • Via WhatsApp after a job
   • On your website’s thank-you page

Ask the Right Way

Don’t say: “Can you leave us a 5-star review?”

Instead try: “If you’ve been happy with our service, a quick Google review really helps other people find us.”

Reply to Every Review – Good and Bad

• Positive reviews: say thank you, mention something specific if you can
• Negative reviews: stay calm, apologise if needed, and invite them to talk privately

Example reply to a negative review:

“Sorry to hear you weren’t happy with your experience, Sarah. This isn’t the level of service we aim for. We’ve tried to contact you directly to understand what went wrong and see how we can put it right. Please feel free to call us on 01234 567890.”

Google sees active review management as a sign of a trustworthy business. So do potential customers.

Step 7: Use Posts Like a Noticeboard

Google Posts are small updates that appear on your profile – think of them as the chalkboard outside your shop.

You can use posts to share:

• Special offers
• New services
• Seasonal updates
• Events or workshops

Keep them short and clear, with a simple call to action:

“Book your free 15‑minute consultation today”

Posting once a week or even once a fortnight is enough to show you’re active.

Step 8: Add Services and Products (Your Menu of What You Do)

The Services and Products sections are where you list what you actually sell – like a menu or price list.

For service businesses, this is gold.

Break your work into clear items:

• “Boiler servicing”
• “Emergency call-out (within 2 hours)”
• “New bathroom installation”

For each one, add:

• A simple name
• Short description (1–2 sentences)
• Price or “From £X” if appropriate

This helps Google understand what you offer and gives customers confidence before they even visit your website.

Step 9: Keep Your Profile in Sync with Your Website

Your Google Business Profile and your website should tell the same story.

• Same services
• Same areas covered
• Same branding and tone

If your profile promises “online booking”, your website needs to make that process smooth and simple. That’s where a well-designed, conversion-focused site really pays off.

At Los Webos, we often see businesses with decent Google profiles but clunky websites. People click, then give up. Fixing the website can instantly turn those clicks into calls and bookings.

Step 10: Check Your Insights (But Don’t Obsess)

Inside your profile dashboard, you’ll find Insights – a simple analytics view.

You can see:

• How many people found you via Google Search vs Maps
• What search terms they used
• How many called, visited your website, or asked for directions

Treat this like a basic till report:

• Are calls going up over time?
• Are more people visiting your website?
• Which photos or posts get the most interactions?

You don’t need to check daily, but a quick look once a month can show what’s working.

A Quick Checklist: Is Your Mini Shopfront Ready?

Run through this once and you’ll be ahead of most local competitors:

• [ ] Claimed and verified your Google Business Profile
• [ ] Correct business name, address, phone, website and hours
• [ ] Smart primary and secondary categories
• [ ] Clear, human-friendly business description
• [ ] Quality logo, cover photo and real business photos
• [ ] Regular system for asking customers for reviews
• [ ] Replies to all reviews (good and bad)
• [ ] Occasional posts for offers, news or updates
• [ ] Services/products listed with simple descriptions
• [ ] Profile information matches your website

Want Your Google Profile and Website Working Together?

Optimising your Google Business Profile is one of the simplest ways to win more local customers without spending money on ads. But it works best when your website is ready to turn those clicks into enquiries.

If you’d like a hand:

• Reviewing your current Google Business Profile
• Making sure your website matches what your profile promises
• Building a fast, professional site that converts local visitors into customers

Los Webos can help. We design and build SEO-friendly websites for UK service businesses that want more of the right enquiries – not just more traffic.

Book a friendly, no-jargon chat with our team, and let’s turn your online presence into the hardest-working member of your staff.