Search “barber near me” or “plumber Falkirk” and look at what comes up first. Before any website, you usually see a map with a few businesses on it. That is Google Business Profile, and for a lot of local businesses it does more work than the website ever will.
It is free. Most businesses set it up once and never touch it again. Which is exactly why sorting yours properly puts you ahead.
Get the basics exactly right
Business name, address, phone number and opening hours, matching your website word for word. Pick the most accurate main category you can. “Barber shop” beats “hair care” if you are a barber.
Add real photos, and keep adding them
The outside of the building so people can find you, the inside so they know what to expect, and your actual work. A profile with fresh photos looks open and busy. A profile with one blurry logo looks like it might have closed a while ago.
Reply to every review
The good ones get a thank you. The bad ones get a calm, short reply that fixes what can be fixed. People reading reviews care less about one bad review than how you handled it.
Ask for reviews, every time
Happy customers rarely leave a review unprompted. Ask at the end of the job. Send the link in a text. Put a QR code by the till. Make it take ten seconds.
Post updates
You can post offers, news and events straight to your profile. It keeps the listing looking alive and gives people one more reason to pick you.
Link it to a website worth landing on
The profile gets people interested. The website is where they decide. Make sure the link goes somewhere that loads fast on a phone and makes the next step obvious: call, book or get a quote.
Not sure your website holds up once they click? Send it to us for a free roast.
