How to Optimise a Google Business Profile

Get the basics exactly right

Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. Relevance starts with complete, accurate information, so begin with the core details and verify the profile.

Use your real-world business name, as it appears on your signage and website. Google's guidelines say unnecessary information in the business name isn't permitted, so adding ‘Best Plumber Manchester’ is a breach that can get the profile suspended, not a ranking tactic.

If customers come to you, show your address. If you travel to customers, as most trades do, Google says service-area businesses should hide their address and set a service area instead. Use a local phone number rather than a call centre where possible, link to your own website rather than a social media page, and keep opening hours, including bank holidays, up to date.

Choose categories and services carefully

The primary category does more work than anything you write in the description. Google advises using as few categories as possible, choosing ones that are specific but representative of your core business, and picking categories that complete the statement ‘this business is a…’, rather than listing everything you sell.

Then fill in services in the words your customers use: ‘boiler servicing’, ‘emergency call-out’, ‘teeth whitening’. Write a plain description that explains what you do, where you work and how people can book. Avoid repeating keywords; it reads badly and does not help.

Review your categories when the business changes. If you add a new line of work, add it as a service first, and only add a secondary category if it describes a real, substantial part of what you do. Switching the primary category to chase a different search term tends to confuse the profile rather than help it.

Photos that show the real business

Google encourages businesses to use photos and videos to show what they offer and tell their story. Real photos do this far better than stock images: your team, your van, your premises, finished jobs, the waiting room. They answer the question every customer has: are these people real, and is this what I'll get?

Add a clear logo and cover image, then keep adding photos as you complete work. A profile whose newest photo is years old suggests a business that isn't paying attention. Customers can add their own photos too, so check now and then what is being shown under your name.

Reviews: ask every customer, never fake them

Reviews feed both prominence and trust. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, and its policy allows you to ask customers to review a genuine experience. It does not allow incentives such as discounts or free services in exchange for reviews, asking only happy customers while discouraging others, reviews from staff, or paid reviews.

In the UK the law now backs this up. As CMS's legal update explains, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act ban on fake reviews came into force on 6 April 2025. It covers fake reviews, concealed incentivised reviews and misleading presentation of reviews, and the CMA can impose fines of up to 10% of annual global turnover.

Reply to reviews, good and bad, in your own words. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US consumers, 89% said they expect owners to respond, 50% were put off by generic or templated replies, and 74% only cared about reviews from the last three months. The sample is American, but the lesson travels: ask for reviews steadily, not in one burst.

Use posts to keep the profile active

Posts let you publish updates, offers and events with a photo and a button to book, order or learn more. Use them for things a customer would care about: a new service, seasonal availability, a finished project, or an offer with clear dates.

Google archives posts older than six months unless you set a date range, and a post with a phone number in its description may be rejected if that number can't be verified as the business's, so rely on the call button instead. Answering questions and updating holiday hours also shows the profile is looked after.

Track visits and keep it consistent with your website

Add UTM parameters to the website link on your profile so visits from it show up separately in Google Analytics 4. Always set utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, and remember that values are case-sensitive, so pick one convention, for example utm_source=google, utm_medium=organic and utm_campaign=gbp, and stick to it.

Your profile and website should tell the same story. The business name, address, phone number, hours and services should match your website's contact page and footer, and the main directories you appear in. Link the profile to the most relevant page, usually the homepage or main service page for a single-location business, and make sure it loads quickly on a phone.

Check the profile's own performance figures too: calls, direction requests and website clicks. Together with the tagged visits in GA4, they show whether the changes you make are bringing in enquiries.

How Tudor Digital Systems helps

Google Business Profile optimisation is part of our Growth package, from €849, alongside local SEO, a complete website of 8 to 12 pages and GA4 and Google Tag Manager tracking. If you already have a website you're happy with, start with our free audit for a first view of your online visibility, and we can then look at your profile in detail. If your profile has been suspended or you suspect a duplicate listing, mention it early, as that needs sorting out before any optimisation.

We work within Google's rules: no keyword-stuffed names, no bought or incentivised reviews, and no promise of a guaranteed position in the map results.