CONTACT
CONTACT
SEO

Google Business Profile Optimisation: What to do for More Local Enquiries

✍️ Joe Smith - SiteJacket  |  15.07.26  | 

A person looking at an optimised google business profile on a phone and laptop

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Why Your Google Business Profile Matters More Than You'd Think
  3. Where to Focus First
  4. The Businesses That Get Google Business Profile Optimisation Right
  5. Conclusion
  6. Google Business Profile Optimisation FAQS

Introduction

Google Business Profile optimisation is one of the highest-return jobs a local business can do, and most never get round to it properly. For most local businesses, the first thing a potential customer sees isn't your website. It's your Google Business Profile: the box with your name, reviews, opening hours and a map pin that shows up when someone searches for what you do nearby.

That makes it one of the most important things you own online, and one of the most neglected. A lot of business owners set theirs up once, years ago, and haven't touched it since.

Google backs this up directly. According to Google's own guidance, customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable if they find a complete Business Profile, and 70% more likely to visit and 50% more likely to consider buying from a business whose profile is filled in properly. That's not a small edge. That's the difference between someone calling you or calling the business one listing down.

Here's a practical, no-nonsense overview of where to start with Google Business Profile optimisation.

Why Your Google Business Profile Matters More Than You'd Think


Search habits have shifted more than most business owners realise. Nearly half of consumers now say they "always" or "often" add "near me" to their searches, and Google Business Profile factors have the single biggest impact on whether you show up in the local map pack, ahead of most on-page SEO work on your website.

Despite that, BrightLocal's 2025 research found only 35% of small businesses have a Google Business Profile at all. If you're one of the ones who does, and you keep it properly maintained, you're already ahead of most of your local competition before you've done anything clever.

Local SEO agencies and marketers rank Google Business Profile optimisation and management as the local SEO service that does the most for their clients, ahead of content and citations. There's a reason for that. It tends to move the needle faster than almost anything else.
Graphic representing a person looking at an optimised Google Business Profile

Where to Focus First

Full Google Business Profile optimisation covers a lot of ground, categories, attributes, verification, ongoing maintenance, and it's not something we'll walk through end to end here. But if you're looking at your own profile today, these are the areas that make the biggest difference.

Get your primary category right

This is the single biggest ranking factor within your profile. Pick the most specific, accurate category for what you actually do, not the broadest one. A "roofing contractor" will usually outrank a generic "contractor" for roofing searches, even with a weaker profile otherwise.

Write a description that earns its space

You've got up to 750 characters. Use them to say what you do, where you cover, and what makes you worth choosing, in plain English. Skip the keyword stuffing. It doesn't help rankings here and it reads badly to actual customers.

Fill in your services properly

This is one of the most underused parts of a profile. Each service you list is a chance to capture a specific search, and each one should have a short, honest description in the words customers actually use. Google sometimes adds its own suggested services automatically, so it's worth checking back every so often to remove anything irrelevant.

Add real photos, regularly

Stock images are obvious and don't help. Photos of your actual work, van, team or premises build more trust in ten seconds than a paragraph of copy will. Aim to add something new most months, not just at setup.

Take reviews seriously

This is the one most business owners already know matters, and still don't have a system for. BrightLocal's most recent research found 97% of consumers read reviews before choosing a local business. The businesses that do well here aren't the ones with zero bad reviews, they're the ones who ask consistently and respond properly.

Post something occasionally

Google Posts are the most overlooked feature on most profiles. A short update about recent work, an offer, or an event tells Google (and anyone looking at your profile) that someone's actually running the business. It doesn't need to be often. It needs to be consistent.

The Businesses That Get Google Business Profile Optimisation Right


The pattern is usually the same. It's not the business with the flashiest photos or the longest description that wins the enquiry. It's the one that looks actively looked after: accurate hours, real photos, recent reviews, a recent post. That's what "reputable" actually looks like to someone scrolling through their options on their phone, standing in their kitchen with a leak.

Want us to do this for you?

Get a free audit of your Google Business Profile & we'll tell you exactly what needs fixing.
Get My Free Audit

Conclusion

Your Google Business Profile isn't a one-off form you fill in and forget. It's a live part of how customers decide whether to call you or the next business down the list, and it rewards the businesses that keep it properly maintained.

If you've read through this and realised yours hasn't been touched in a while, that's a good sign you're due a proper look at it. That's exactly the kind of thing we check first in a free local SEO audit, no obligation, just a clear picture of where you stand.

Google Business Profile Optimisation FAQS

Do I need to pay for a Google Business Profile?
How long does it take to see results from optimising my profile?
Can I optimise my own Google Business Profile without help?
What's the difference between a Google Business Profile and my website?
Joe Smith, director of SiteJacket
Joe Smith

Joe is a web designer and SEO specialist with over two decades of experience helping small businesses build visibility online. As the founder of SiteJacket, he delivers high-performing websites paired with strategic, results-led SEO.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Why Your Google Business Profile Matters More Than You'd Think
  3. Where to Focus First
  4. The Businesses That Get Google Business Profile Optimisation Right
  5. Conclusion
  6. Google Business Profile Optimisation FAQS

Free Local SEO Audit

Find out exactly where your business stands on Google — for free. No obligation, no sales call.

Get My Free Audit

About SiteJacket

Local SEO and web design for UK trades and service businesses. Based in Cornwall, working UK-wide.

SiteJacket site icon

Related Blog Posts

8 Website Features Your Customers Expect in 2025
Why Does SEO for Small Business Matter in 2025?

Categories

Found This Useful?

Get a free local SEO audit for your business & we'll show you exactly what to work on first.

Get Your Free Audit

Recent posts from the Blog

A person looking at an optimised google business profile on a phone and laptop
SEO
Google Business Profile Optimisation: What to do for More Local Enquiries

15.07.26

SEO, Web Design
8 Website Features Your Customers Expect in 2025

10.10.25

A frustrated man having to paint something he doesn't know how to
Web Design
The Real Cost of a DIY Website Builder (And Why It Matters for Your Business)

08.09.25

✕

Reach Out Today

[fluentform id="3"]

✕
✕

Request Your Free Report

[fluentform id="4"]

✕
CONTACT
✕