The highest-return hour you will spend online
If your business serves a town or region — a shop, a workshop, a salon, a plumber, a restaurant — your Google Business Profile (the free listing that used to be called Google My Business) is the most valuable thing you can set up online. It is what puts you on Google Maps, in the pack of local results at the top of a search, and in the info panel when someone Googles your name.
It is free, it takes about an hour, and for local searches like "coffee shop near me" or "electrician in George" it often does more for you than your website. Here is how to set it up properly.
Step 1: Create or claim your profile
- Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account you control — ideally a business Gmail, not a personal one you might lose access to.
- Search for your business name. Google often auto-creates listings, so it may already exist. If it does, claim it; if not, create it.
- Enter your name exactly as you trade — no stuffed-in keywords. "Joe's Plumbing", not "Joe's Plumbing Cheap Geyser Repairs George". Google penalises that.
Step 2: Choose the right category
Your primary category is one of the biggest ranking factors. Pick the most specific one that fits — "Coffee shop", not "Restaurant"; "Electrician", not "Contractor". Add secondary categories for the other things you do. This one choice heavily influences which searches you appear in.
Step 3: Get verified
Google needs to confirm you are really there. Depending on the business, you will verify by postcard (a code posted to your address — still common in SA), phone, SMS, email, or a short video showing you are at the premises. Until you verify, your profile will not show publicly, so do not skip it — and start early, because postcards can take a week or two.
Step 4: Fill in everything
Complete profiles rank better and get more clicks. Fill in:
- Address, or your service area if you travel to customers,
- Hours — including public holidays, which matter a lot here,
- Phone and website,
- Services or products, with short descriptions and prices in Rands,
- A real business description written for a human,
- Photos — genuine ones of your premises, team and work. Profiles with photos get noticeably more enquiries.
Step 5: Get reviews — and reply to them
Reviews are a major ranking and trust factor. After a good job, ask the customer to leave one and send them the direct link from your dashboard. Then reply to every review, good or bad. A calm, helpful reply to a poor review often impresses people more than the five-star ones do.
Step 6: Keep it alive
A profile you set up and forget slowly sinks. Once a month, post an update or offer, add a few fresh photos, answer any questions in the Q&A section, and check your details are still correct.
Common mistakes that keep you invisible
- Not verifying — the profile simply will not show.
- A vague or wrong category — you appear for the wrong searches, or none.
- Inconsistent details — your name, address and phone should match exactly across your website, Facebook and any directories. Mismatches confuse Google.
- No reviews, or ignoring the ones you have.
- A keyword-stuffed business name — a quick route to getting suspended.
Where your website fits in
Your Google Business Profile and your website work as a pair: the profile gets you found locally, and the website does the convincing and captures the enquiry. Google also checks your website to trust your profile, so a fast, clear site with matching contact details actually strengthens your local ranking.
If you would like a hand setting yours up — or a website that turns those local searches into booked work — get in touch and you will get a straight quote in Rands within one working day.