SEO
Google Business Profile optimisation: how to get found in Google Maps
When people search Google for “kitchen studio near me” or “tax adviser Hanau”, they usually see a map with three listings. These listings come from Google Business Profile, formerly called Google My Business. For local businesses, the profile is often the first contact with new customers, even before they see the website. This guide shows step by step how to optimise it, sticking to Google’s own rules.
How Google ranks local results
Google ranks local results by three factors: relevance, distance and prominence. Google says so itself in its help article on local ranking. It also states there that a better ranking cannot be bought, not even by paying for it.
| Factor | What Google means by it | What you can influence |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | How well your profile matches the search query | Complete details, the right categories, matching services |
| Distance | How far your business is from the person searching | Only a correct address or a correct service area |
| Prominence | How well known your business is, also measured by linking websites and reviews | Reviews, mentions, links, your website |
You cannot change distance. Relevance and prominence you can. That is what the following steps are about.
Step 1: Verify your profile
According to Google, a verified profile is more likely to be shown in search results. Verification shows Google that you are authorised to represent the business. Without verification, you cannot manage the details yourself. Check beforehand whether a profile already exists for your business. Only one profile is allowed per location.
Step 2: Name, address and phone number exactly as everywhere else
Name, address and phone number must appear in the profile exactly as they do on your website, in your legal notice (Impressum) and in all directories. Google and customers compare these details. Contradictions cost trust. In SEO jargon, this is called NAP consistency.
The name must match your real name, as it appears on your sign, business cards and invoices. According to Google’s guidelines, the following are not allowed in the name, among other things: advertising slogans, services and products, location details, opening hours, phone numbers and legal form suffixes such as GmbH (a German limited company) unless they are verifiably part of the name.
| Not allowed | Correct |
|---|---|
| Malerbetrieb Weber, cheap painter Hanau | Malerbetrieb Weber |
| Studio Lumen, now open 24 hours | Studio Lumen |
| Autohaus Krämer GmbH 06181 123456 | Autohaus Krämer |
The examples are made up, the rules come from Google.
The address must be a real location. A rented mailing address without your own business on site, a virtual office, is not allowed. According to Google, a desk in a coworking space only counts if it has signage and your own staff receive customers there during opening hours. If you travel to your customers, for example as a tradesperson, you specify a service area instead of a visible address.
We are seeing how important this is right now ourselves: our office in Hanau has moved from Hauptstraße to Karlstraße 63. The new address now has to be identical in the profile, on the website, in the legal notice, in the structured data and in every industry directory. These listings are called citations.
Step 3: Choose the right primary category
The primary category is one of the most important settings in the profile, because according to Google, categories directly affect ranking in local search results. Choose the category that most accurately describes your core business. Google gives the example of “nail salon” instead of “salon”.
Additional categories are meant for areas you actually offer. Google advises choosing as few as possible and not creating a separate category for every service. A kitchen studio with an installation service does not need ten categories. A good starting point: look at which primary category is used by the businesses that appear at the top of the map for your most important search queries.
Step 4: Services, opening hours and description
The more complete your profile is, the better Google can match it to relevant search queries. So fill in everything that applies to your business:
- Opening hours, including special hours on public holidays. Wrong hours lead to annoyed customers in front of a locked door.
- Services or products, using the terms your customers use themselves.
- Attributes such as parking, Wi-Fi or accessibility, where your business offers them.
- Description: According to Google, you should use it to highlight what makes your business special. Write for people, not for search engines. A list of search terms does not help and looks unprofessional.
- Website link: Link to the relevant page, and if you have several locations, to the respective location page instead of the homepage.
Step 5: Real photos and videos
With photos and videos, you show customers what to expect before they call or drop by. Google explicitly recommends them. Real images have a stronger effect than stock photos: your shop from the outside so people can find it, the premises, your work, finished projects, vehicles. Add new images regularly, for example after completed jobs. More on this in the glossary under local images and videos.
Step 6: Collect reviews, but the right way
Reviews are the lever you have most control over yourself. According to Google, the number of reviews and positive ratings feed into prominence: the more good reviews a business has, the better its local ranking can be.
How it works: Ask every customer for their honest opinion after a completed job. Google provides a dedicated link and a QR code for this, which you can pass on by email, on the invoice or on a card. Ideally, ask soon after the job, while the experience is still fresh.
According to Google’s review policies, the following is prohibited:
- Incentives such as payments, discounts or free services in exchange for a review or for removing a negative review.
- Selectively asking only satisfied customers for positive reviews.
- Pressuring customers to write a review while they are still on site.
- Telling employees how many reviews to collect or what the reviews should say.
Reply to every review, including the good ones. Google writes that replies show that you value your customers’ feedback. For criticism: keep it short and factual, do not justify yourself and offer to resolve the problem directly. Your reply is read not only by the critic but by every future customer. More on the topic under customer reviews.
Step 7: Connect your profile and website
Profile and website strengthen each other. As part of prominence, Google explicitly names the number of websites that link to your business. Your own website is the most important building block here:
- The same company details in the footer, the legal notice and on the contact page.
- Structured data with name, address, opening hours and coordinates, so that Google clearly matches the website to your profile. More on this under local structured data.
- Pages for services and locations with real content. MAINe Küche in Hanau, for example, has its own pages for Frankfurt, Offenbach, Aschaffenburg and other towns in the area. Each one explains how planning and installation work there.
- Links from the region, for example from partners, associations, clubs or the local press. How to get them is explained under local backlinks.
Step 8: Keep it up to date and review changes
A profile is never finished. Details can change even without your involvement, for example when other users suggest edits. So check your profile regularly, review suggested changes and keep opening hours, services and photos up to date. Set a fixed date for this each month, for example together with replying to new reviews.
The most common mistakes
These mistakes are common among local businesses. Some of them violate Google’s guidelines and can lead to Google restricting the profile.
- Search terms in the name, such as “Malerbetrieb Weber Hanau cheap”.
- A virtual office as the address, in order to be visible in another city.
- Multiple profiles for the same location.
- Bought or rewarded reviews.
- Too many categories that do not match the core business.
- Inconsistent company details on the website, in the profile and in directories, often after a move or a new phone number.
How to measure success
In the profile itself, Google shows statistics under “Performance”: how often your profile was found and how many calls, direction requests and clicks to your website there were. Compare these figures month by month, not day by day. In the end, what matters more than any single number is how many enquiries come in via Google. So ask new customers how they heard about you.
When support is worth it
You can carry out the steps in this guide yourself. Support is worth it if you have several locations, work in a competitive market or have no time for regular maintenance. We take care of maintaining and optimising your Google Business Profile from €500 per month. If you also want consistent company details in directories, review building and location pages with real content, that is local SEO from €1,500 per month. If you first want to know where you stand: the initial analysis is free.