A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the free Google listing that controls how your UK business appears on Google Search and Maps. For local businesses, optimising the profile is the highest-leverage SEO action you can take. Verify your business, add complete information, get reviews actively, and post regular updates. Done well, the profile drives 30-60% of local search visibility for most UK SMEs.

Most UK SMEs claim their Google Business Profile then forget about it. The profile sits half-completed. Reviews are sparse. Posts are nonexistent. Meanwhile competitors with active profiles outrank them in local search.

The fix is not complicated. It is consistent effort over 90-180 days.

Why it matters

For any business where local customers find you on Google:

• The Business Profile appears in the "local pack" (the map and 3 listings shown at the top of relevant searches).
• It appears on Google Maps.
• It can appear in regular search results.
• Mobile searches default to local results.

For a typical UK local business (restaurant, shop, professional services), the Business Profile drives 30-60% of online visibility. For pure-online businesses, it's less critical but still useful for brand searches.

Setting up

If you don't have a profile:

1. Go to business.google.com.
2. Enter the business name. If Google finds an existing unclaimed listing, claim it. Otherwise create new.
3. Choose the primary category (the most specific one that fits).
4. Enter the business address (if you serve customers there) or set as service-area only.
5. Add phone number and website.
6. Verify the business (typically by postcard sent to the address, sometimes by phone, video, or email).

Verification can take 5-14 days. Don't promote anything that links to the unverified profile.

Complete the profile

Once verified, fill in everything Google offers:

Business name

Use your actual business name. No keyword stuffing ("Smith Plumbing | Best Plumber Birmingham" violates guidelines and triggers suspensions).

Categories

One primary category, multiple secondary categories. Pick the most specific options Google offers. The primary category is the strongest ranking signal.

Address and service area

If customers visit you, the address is shown. If you serve customers at their locations, set a service area (e.g. "within 20 miles of Birmingham") and hide the address.

Hours

Including special hours for bank holidays, Christmas, etc. Wrong hours are a common review complaint.

Photos and videos

20-50 photos minimum. Include: business exterior, interior, team, products/services, before/after where relevant. Replace seasonally.

Profiles with 100+ photos significantly outperform those with under 20.

Description

Up to 750 characters. Specific. Includes the keywords customers actually search but reads naturally.

Services / products / menu

Depending on the business type, Google provides specific fields for services, products, menu items. Fill them all.

Attributes

Specific attributes Google offers (wheelchair accessible, women-led, family-friendly, free Wi-Fi, etc.). Add all that apply.

Q&A

Anyone can ask questions on your profile. Anyone can answer. The business should be the most prominent voice. Pre-answer the common questions yourself.

Getting reviews

Reviews are one of the strongest ranking factors for local search. Plus they directly influence whether customers choose you.

Tactics that work:

Ask every happy customer. At the moment they tell you they're happy. Send them a direct link to the review form.

Make it easy. A QR code on a thank-you card, a button in the post-purchase email, a link in the email signature.

Respond to every review. Positive ones get a personal thank-you. Negative ones get a calm, professional response addressing the specific concern.

Don't buy fake reviews. Google catches them, suspends profiles, and the long-term damage outweighs any short-term benefit.

Don't filter reviewers. Asking only customers you know loved you is technically allowed but creates a misleading picture. Ask broadly.

Target: 50+ reviews to be competitive in most local categories. Active categories (restaurants, beauty, fitness) often need 100+.

Posting

Google Business Profile Posts appear on your profile. They expire after 7 days (event posts longer).

Post types:

• What's new: general updates, content, news.
• Offers: promotions, discounts, special pricing.
• Events: upcoming events with dates.
• Products: featured products.

Cadence: post 1-2 times per week.

Posts are a small ranking signal but a meaningful visibility signal. Customers seeing fresh activity trust the business more.

Q&A management

Anyone can ask questions on your profile, including competitors. Anyone can answer.

Best practice:

• Pre-answer the 10 most common questions yourself (asking and answering them).
• Monitor for new questions weekly.
• Answer every question quickly and accurately.
• Report inappropriate questions or answers.

What ranks Business Profiles

The top ranking factors for local search (in rough order):

1. Proximity: how close the business is to the searcher.
2. Relevance: how well the profile matches the search.
3. Prominence: signals of authority (reviews, citations, mentions on other websites).
4. Reviews: quantity, recency, rating, response rate.
5. Profile completeness: filled-in fields, photos, posts.
6. Behavioural signals: clicks, calls, direction requests from the profile.
7. Backlinks: links from other websites to your website (which Google associates with your profile).
8. Categories: especially the primary category.

Proximity is fixed (you can't move the business). Relevance and prominence are where the work happens.

Common UK Business Profile mistakes

Duplicate profiles

Multiple profiles for the same business. Often happens when employees create profiles independently. Causes ranking dilution and customer confusion.

Fix: report duplicates to Google for merging.

Wrong address or service area

Address that doesn't match the actual location, or service area too broad (e.g. "all of UK" for a local business). Google detects mismatches and suppresses the profile.

Keyword stuffing

"Best Affordable Plumber London Emergency 24/7" as business name. Triggers automatic suspension.

Stale information

Hours that no longer match, photos from 5 years ago, no recent posts. Customers and Google both notice.

Ignoring negative reviews

A negative review with no response looks worse than the original complaint. Always respond professionally.

What to do this quarter

If you have a Google Business Profile:

• Audit for completeness. Fill anything blank.
• Add 20+ new photos.
• Ask 20 recent customers for reviews.
• Set up a posting schedule (1-2 per week for the next 12 weeks).
• Respond to every review you haven't responded to.

If you don't have a profile:

• Create and verify this week.
• Complete every field over the next 30 days.
• Begin asking for reviews from day one.

Bottom line

A Google Business Profile is the cheapest high-impact marketing channel for UK local businesses. The work is not technical. It's just consistent. The businesses that win in local search are the ones who actually do the work.