Most people who look for a tradesperson or a service nearby do not scroll. They type "movers in Ashkelon" or "lawyer in Ashdod", look at the top three results on the map, and call one of them. If your business is not there, that customer simply does not know you exist. Your Google Business Profile is where that is decided, and it is free.
What is a Google Business Profile and why does it matter for a local business?
A Google Business Profile is your business card as it appears in search and on maps: name, address or service area, opening hours, phone, photos, reviews and a link to your website. It is the first thing a customer sees, sometimes before they ever open your site.
Google ranks local businesses on three things that it states itself: how relevant the business is to what was searched, how close it is, and how well known and respected it is. You cannot change proximity. You can improve relevance and reputation, and they are exactly what your profile and your website communicate.
How do you create and verify a Google Business Profile?
Sign in to the business's Google account (preferably a dedicated account, not a personal one), search for the business name and check that no profile exists already. Often one does, created automatically or by someone else, and in that case you claim ownership instead of opening a duplicate. A duplicate profile hurts you.
- Check whether a profile already exists for the business, and if it does, claim it.
- Enter the business name exactly as it appears on your sign, your card and your invoice, without adding keywords to the name.
- Choose whether customers come to an address, or the business goes to the customers, in which case you define service areas.
- Complete verification using the options Google offers for your business: a call, a text, an email or a video.
- Wait for approval, and only then continue filling in the rest of the profile.
A business that travels to its customers, such as movers, contractors or a mobile therapist, can hide its address and define service areas. That is good for privacy, but you still need to enter the real areas where you work, and not spread them across half the country.
How do you choose the right category and services?
The primary category is one of the strongest signals Google gets about your business. Choose the most specific category that describes what makes you money, not the general one. "Moving company" is better than "business services", and "employment lawyer" is better than "law firm" if that is the bulk of your work.
- One primary category, as precise as you can find.
- Secondary categories only for what you really do and want inquiries about.
- A list of services with a short description for each, in the words your customers use.
- Real service areas, not cities you do not travel to.
What should you fill in so the profile works?
A half-complete profile looks like a half-abandoned business. Every empty field is a question the customer is left with, or a competitor answering it for you. Go through this list once, seriously:
- Accurate opening hours, including updates before holidays.
- A phone number you actually answer, and the same number on your website.
- A business description that explains in two sentences what you do, for which area and for whom.
- Real photos of your work, your team and your place, not stock photos.
- A link to your website, preferably to the relevant page and not only the home page.
- A link or button to WhatsApp, so contacting you is easy.
After filling it in, keep maintaining it. Short posts about a job you finished, or a change in hours, show that the business is alive. You do not need inflated marketing, two or three sentences and one photo are enough.
How do you get reviews without breaking the rules?
Reviews are the biggest reason a customer chooses you and not a competitor. The right way is to ask. After the job is done and the customer is happy, send them the direct review link on WhatsApp with one personal sentence. It takes half a minute, and people respond to a personal request far more than to a generic one.
- Do not buy reviews and do not write them yourself. Google removes them and can penalize the profile.
- Do not offer a discount or a gift in exchange for a positive review.
- Reply to every review, including the positive ones, with a personal sentence and your first name.
- Reply to a negative review politely, briefly and factually, and offer to continue by phone. The next reader sees how you handle things.
How does your website affect your ranking on maps?
The profile and the website talk to each other. Google reads your website to understand what the business does and in which areas, and if the site contradicts the profile or is empty, the signal weakens. A clear service page for each main service, with the name of the city or area, strengthens relevance exactly where it matters.
That is why we build both together. A fast, clear site connected to the profile is part of our local SEO and Google Business Profile service, and if you do not have a proper site, building a business website is the place to start. A real example: the website and local SEO we did for Hamovil Eli brought the business to the top of local search in the Ashkelon, Ashdod and Shfela area of Israel.
What happens when your business details are not identical everywhere?
Name, address and phone number should look identical in your profile, on your website, on Facebook and in every business directory where you are listed. When there are three versions of the same phone number or two spellings of the business name, Google is less sure who you are. Go through the places you know, fix what does not match, and remove old and duplicate listings.
How do you know whether it is working?
Inside the profile, Google shows how many people searched for the business, how many called, how many asked for directions and how many visited the website. You do not need an expensive tool to start. Check once a month and write down: the number of calls, the number of WhatsApp inquiries, and where the business ranks in the searches that matter to you, from the area where your typical customer lives and not from your own computer.
It is important to measure inquiries and not only views. A business that is seen a thousand times with nobody calling needs to improve its profile, its reviews or its website, not admire the number.
What should you do this week to get started?
- Search for your business on Google and check whether a profile exists, and whether it is yours.
- Verify it, or claim ownership.
- Set a precise primary category and a list of services.
- Fill in hours, phone, description and a link to your website and to WhatsApp.
- Upload at least a few real photos of your work.
- Send a review request to your three most recent happy customers.
- Set a monthly reminder to check calls, inquiries and reviews.
If you do not have time for this, or you want someone to organize everything and track your ranking, that is exactly what we do. We start with a 20-minute call, and the agreement is fair: you pay for the first month and stay only if it works.