The Complete Google Business Profile Optimisation Guide for 2026: Every Field, Every Feature, Every Ranking Signal

Every field, every ranking signal, every feature — and the weekly routine that compounds into map-pack dominance

There is a free tool that sits at the top of Google's local search results, above every organic listing, above every paid ad, directly in front of every person searching for a local business in your category — and the majority of businesses using it are doing so at roughly 20% of its potential. That tool is Google Business Profile. And the gap between a profile that is claimed-and-forgotten and one that is actively, intelligently optimised is the gap between a business that gets found and one that is invisible.

46% — of all Google searches have local intent — the searcher is looking for a business near them (Google)

76% — of people who search for a local business on their smartphone visit a business within 24 hours (Google)

28% — of local searches result in a purchase (Google)

Google Business Profile — formerly Google My Business — is the single highest-return free marketing tool available to any local or service business in 2026. It determines whether your business appears in the map pack (the three-business panel that dominates the top of local search results), what information searchers see before they click anything, and whether a visitor calls you, visits your website, or chooses a competitor. A fully optimised GBP does not just rank higher — it converts at a higher rate than one that is half-complete, because the information a searcher needs to make a decision is already there, without a click.

This guide covers everything. Every field in the GBP dashboard, every ranking signal Google has confirmed or credibly hinted at, every feature most businesses ignore, and the specific weekly routine that — applied consistently over three to six months — produces map-pack rankings that are extremely difficult for competitors to displace. The Google Business Profile service that WebWise sets up and manages for clients is built on exactly this framework. But every step in this guide is actionable independently, without hiring anyone. Work through it in order, section by section, and by the end you will have a GBP that is performing at a level most competitors in your category never reach.

1. The Three Ranking Signals Google Uses for Local Search

Before optimising anything, it is essential to understand what Google is actually measuring. The local search algorithm — the one that determines which three businesses appear in the map pack for a given search — uses three primary signals. Every optimisation decision in this guide is aimed at one or more of these three signals.

1.1 Relevance

Relevance is the match between what a searcher is looking for and what Google knows about your business. A plumber who has configured their GBP to include "boiler installation" as a service, has written descriptions that mention boiler installation specifically, and has reviews that mention boiler installation will rank higher for "boiler installation near me" than a plumber whose profile only says "general plumbing services". Google matches the specificity of the profile to the specificity of the search — which means the more precisely your profile describes what you do, the more searches it matches.

1.2 Distance

Distance is the physical proximity of the business's registered address to the searcher. It is the signal you cannot manipulate — your address is your address. What you can do is ensure your address is accurate, consistent with every other online mention of your business (the NAP consistency principle: Name, Address, Phone number), and that your service area is clearly defined for the searches where you serve customers at their location rather than yours.

1.3 Prominence

Prominence is Google's assessment of how well-known and trusted the business is, online and offline. It is built from: the number and quality of Google reviews, the consistency of citations across directories and the web, the quality and quantity of links pointing to your website, how often your GBP is updated, and how actively you use its features. Prominence is the signal most directly influenced by ongoing GBP management — and the one most businesses neglect after the initial setup.

The optimisation guide that follows is structured around maximising all three signals — relevance through precise, complete profile information; distance through accurate address and service area configuration; and prominence through reviews, photos, posts, Q&A, and the full suite of GBP features that most businesses never activate.

2. Step One — Claim, Verify, and Secure Your Profile

Before any optimisation work begins, the profile must be claimed and verified. An unclaimed GBP is a significant risk: Google auto-generates profiles for businesses it finds mentioned on the web, and those auto-generated profiles can contain inaccurate information, wrong categories, and incorrect addresses — all of which damage both rankings and the first impression a searcher receives.

2.1 How to Claim

1. Go to business.google.com and sign in with the Google account you want to own the profile permanently — ideally a business-specific Google account, not a personal Gmail.

2. Search for your business name. If a profile exists, request ownership. If it does not exist, create a new one.

3. Complete the verification process. In 2026, most businesses can verify by phone call, SMS, email, or video recording. Postcard verification (which takes up to two weeks) is now a fallback for businesses that cannot verify by the faster methods.

4. Once verified, do not use the same Google account for any other business GBP. If you manage multiple businesses, use a dedicated manager account.

💡 TIP — Check for duplicate profiles before claiming

Search your business name on Google Maps before claiming. If multiple profiles appear for your business — perhaps one created by a previous owner, one auto-generated by Google, and one you created — you must merge or remove the duplicates before optimising. Duplicate profiles split your review equity and confuse Google's understanding of your business. Use the "suggest an edit" function on duplicates to mark them as closed or duplicates, and contact Google Business support if the duplicates cannot be removed through self-service.

2.2 Securing the Profile

Once claimed, add a backup manager to the profile — a second Google account that can access and recover the GBP if the primary account is ever locked, hacked, or lost. Go to Business Profile Settings > Managers > Add. Set the backup account as an Owner (not just a Manager) so it can fully recover the profile in an emergency. This is a five-minute task that most businesses skip and some eventually regret.

3. Step Two — The Foundation Fields: What Every Profile Must Have

The foundation fields are the ones Google uses most directly for relevance matching and distance calculation. Getting these right is the prerequisite for everything else in this guide. Do not move to the advanced features until every foundation field is complete, accurate, and consistent with your website.

3.1 Business Name

Your business name in GBP must match your real-world business name exactly — the name on your signage, your invoices, and your website. Do not add keywords to your business name ("Jim's Plumbing — Best Emergency Plumber London"). This is a violation of Google's guidelines and a known trigger for profile suspension. Businesses that keyword-stuff their names may see a short-term ranking benefit followed by a suspension that takes weeks to resolve and permanently damages the profile's authority.

✅ DO — Use your real trading name

Marshall Brickwork & Construction, WebWise, City Prime Investments — exactly as it appears on your website and invoices.

❌ DON'T — Add keywords to your name

"Marshall Brickwork — Best Builder in Kent" — this violates Google's guidelines and risks suspension.

3.2 Primary and Secondary Categories

Category selection is the single most impactful relevance signal in the GBP. Your primary category tells Google what type of business you are — and it must be as specific as possible. "Plumber" ranks better for plumbing searches than "Home Services Company". "Emergency Locksmith" ranks better for emergency locksmith searches than "Locksmith".

The rules for category selection:

• Primary category: The most specific accurate category for your main service. If you are primarily a boiler installation specialist, your primary category is "Heating Contractor" or "Boiler Installation Service" — not the broader "Plumber".

• Secondary categories: Add up to nine additional categories covering the other services you offer. A plumber who also does bathroom fitting can add "Bathroom Remodeler". A builder who does loft conversions can add "Loft Conversion Contractor". Each secondary category is an additional relevance signal for that service category.

• Do not over-categorise: Adding categories for services you do not offer dilutes your relevance for the categories you do. Every category should represent a service you genuinely provide and would want to receive enquiries for.

💡 TIP — Research competitor categories

Search for your target keyword on Google Maps and open the profiles of the top three results. Scroll to the "Category" section to see their primary and secondary categories. This reveals the category taxonomy Google is using to rank businesses for that search and tells you whether your current category selection is competitive.

3.3 Service Area vs Physical Location

If customers come to your premises (a restaurant, a clinic, a retail shop), you have a physical location profile. If you go to customers (a plumber, a builder, a mobile dog groomer), you have a service area business. If you do both (a dental practice that also does home visits), you can configure both.

For service area businesses: define your service area by the specific cities, towns, or postcodes you serve — not by a radius. Radius-based service areas are less specific than named-location service areas and produce weaker relevance signals for searches in specific towns. A builder serving Maidstone, Sittingbourne, Rochester, Chatham, and Gillingham should list all five towns explicitly, not set a 20-mile radius from their home postcode.

3.4 Phone Number, Website, and Hours

Phone number: use the same number that appears on your website, on your business cards, and in every directory listing. This consistency — NAP consistency — is a citation signal that contributes to prominence. If you use a tracking number for calls from GBP, ensure it redirects to the main business number and that the main number also appears somewhere on the profile.

Website URL: link to the most relevant page, not always the homepage. A plumber whose GBP is optimised for emergency plumbing in Croydon should link to the emergency plumber Croydon page — not the homepage — for the strongest possible relevance signal. The website build service WebWise provides includes dedicated location pages for exactly this purpose.

Hours: must be accurate and kept current. Update hours for bank holidays, Christmas, summer closures, and any periods where availability changes. A profile showing "Open" when the business is actually closed creates a negative experience — and a negative review — that is entirely avoidable.

4. Step Three — Description, Services, and Products

4.1 Business Description

The business description (up to 750 characters) is one of the most underused relevance tools in GBP. Most businesses write a generic two-sentence overview that mentions nothing specific. A well-written description covers: what specific services you offer, the areas you serve, how long you have been trading, any notable credentials or accreditations, and a natural mention of the primary service keyword and location.

📍 EXAMPLE — Weak vs strong description — plumber in Croydon

WEAK: "We are a professional plumbing company offering a range of services to residential and commercial customers. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing quality workmanship and excellent customer service." — No location, no specific service, no credential, no keyword. STRONG: "Gas Safe registered plumber based in Croydon, serving Croydon, Bromley, Sutton, and surrounding areas. Specialists in emergency callouts, boiler installation, boiler repair, and bathroom fitting. Available 24/7 for emergency plumbing. Over 12 years trading in South London. Fixed prices, no call-out fee for local jobs." — Location, specific services, credentials, availability, experience, and a trust signal in 750 characters.

4.2 Services List

The Services section is one of the most powerful and most neglected relevance tools in GBP. Google uses the services list to match your profile to specific service searches — independently of your business description and your website. A plumber who lists "Boiler Installation", "Boiler Repair", "Annual Boiler Service", "Emergency Plumbing", "Bathroom Fitting", "Leak Detection", and "Radiator Installation" as separate services will match a wider range of specific searches than one who lists only "Plumbing".

For each service:

• Service name: Use the name a customer would search for, not the internal name your business uses. "Boiler Installation" rather than "Heat System Fitting".

• Service description: Up to 300 characters. Use this to add specificity: brands you work with, what is included, typical duration, relevant accreditations.

• Price: Optional. Listing a price range (e.g., "from £80") can increase click-through rate by setting expectations — but only if the price is genuinely representative.

4.3 Products

The Products section is primarily relevant for businesses that sell physical products — but it is also used effectively by service businesses that install or supply specific products (boiler brands, solar panel systems, specific flooring materials). For each product, add a photo, a name, a price or price range, and a description. Products appear in a carousel on the GBP profile and provide additional visual real estate on the search results page.

5. Step Four — Photos and Videos: The Trust Layer Searchers Actually Look At

42% — more requests for directions to businesses with photos than those without (Google)

35% — more click-throughs to websites from GBPs with photos vs those without (Google)

Photos are the most visited section of most GBP profiles after the name, rating, and hours. They are the first visual evidence a searcher sees of what the business actually looks like — the team, the work, the premises, the vehicles — and they are the most powerful trust signal available on the profile because they cannot be faked the way a description or a service list can be.

5.1 The Photo Types That Matter

• Cover photo: The image that appears most prominently on the profile. Should be a high-quality, landscape-orientation photo of the business in action — the team on a job, the premises, or a representative before-and-after. Not a logo.

• Logo: Used in the profile thumbnail. Should be a clean, square-format version of the brand logo on a white or transparent background.

• Work photos: The highest-value category for most service businesses. Completed jobs, in-progress work, before-and-after comparisons. Real photos of real work in identifiable locations (with the customer's permission) are dramatically more effective than stock imagery.

• Team photos: People trust people. A photo of the actual business owner and team — in work clothes, on a real job, not a staged studio shot — builds the kind of trust that a description paragraph cannot.

• Vehicle and equipment photos: For mobile service businesses (plumbers, builders, landscapers), the branded van is a trust signal. It says: this is a real business with a real vehicle and real equipment.

5.2 Photo Quality and Frequency

Google rewards profiles that add photos regularly — not profiles that uploaded forty photos on launch day and never added another. The algorithm tracks photo recency as a freshness signal. A profile that adds two to three photos per week — a completed job here, a team photo there, a photo of a product being installed — is signalling to Google that the business is active, trading, and engaged. A profile that has not uploaded a photo in six months is signalling the opposite.

✅ DO — Add 2–3 photos per week from real completed work

Take a quick photo at the end of every job. Before-and-after pairs are particularly effective and particularly shareable.

❌ DON'T — Upload all photos at once and stop

Batch uploading and going quiet is one of the most common GBP mistakes. Google's freshness signal rewards consistent uploads, not volume spikes.

5.3 Videos

Videos on GBP are underused by the vast majority of businesses and rewarded by Google with additional profile prominence. A thirty-second video — a time-lapse of a job in progress, a before-and-after walkthrough, a brief introduction from the business owner — performs significantly better than a static photo in terms of viewer engagement and time spent on the profile. Videos must be under 30 seconds, under 75MB, and at least 720p resolution. A phone camera in good light is sufficient.

6. Step Five — Google Posts: The Weekly Signal Most Businesses Miss

Google Posts are the most underused feature in GBP. They function like a mini social media feed attached to the business profile — appearing directly in the map panel and in the knowledge panel when someone searches the business name. They are visible for seven days (for standard posts) or until the event/offer expires. And they are a confirmed freshness signal: Google uses post activity as an indicator that a business is active and engaged.

Most businesses have never published a Google Post. Of those that have, most published two or three when they first discovered the feature and then forgot about it. The businesses that post consistently — once or twice per week — have a freshness advantage over every competitor who does not.

6.1 The Four Post Types

• Update (standard post): The most common type. A brief update about the business — a completed job, a tip, a seasonal announcement, a new service. Include a photo and a call to action button ("Call Now", "Get a Quote", "Book"). 150–300 words. Published weekly as a minimum.

• Offer: A time-limited discount or promotion. Requires a start and end date. Appears with a special offer badge on the profile. Use sparingly — too many offers trains the audience to wait for discounts.

• Event: For businesses running workshops, open days, or community events. Less relevant for most service businesses but highly relevant for clinics, studios, restaurants, and retailers.

• Product: Links to a specific product in the Products section. Use for businesses with a defined product catalogue.

6.2 What to Post Every Week

The simplest weekly posting strategy for a service business:

This four-week rotation requires approximately twenty minutes per week to execute — one photo taken at a job, one sentence describing the work and area, one call to action. Compounded over twelve months, it produces 52 additional freshness signals, 52 additional opportunities for searchers browsing the profile to see evidence of active trading, and a post history that reinforces prominence in Google's ranking assessment. The AI content service WebWise provides can draft the weekly post text from a single-sentence brief — reducing the twenty-minute task to a two-minute approval.

7. Step Six — Q&A: The Ranking Feature Nobody Is Using

The Q&A section of GBP is one of the least understood and most underused features on the platform. It allows anyone — the business, existing customers, potential customers — to post questions about the business, which are then answered publicly and appear on the profile. The Q&A section surfaces in Google Search, in Google Maps, and increasingly in voice search results. It is, in effect, a free FAQ section that Google indexes and uses for relevance matching.

The critical insight about Q&A that most businesses miss: you can ask and answer your own questions. You do not need to wait for customers to ask questions — you can populate the Q&A section with the ten questions you are most commonly asked, answered accurately and in the language your customers use. Each question-answer pair is an additional relevance signal, an additional keyword match, and an additional trust-building interaction for searchers who are evaluating the business.

7.1 The Ten Questions Every Service Business Should Seed

• "Do you cover [specific town or area]?" — answered with the full service area list

• "What are your callout / emergency fees?" — answered with accurate pricing or a "free quote" response

• "Are you [registered/accredited] with [relevant body]?" — Gas Safe, NICEIC, FMB, etc.

• "How quickly can you respond to an emergency?" — answered specifically: "Within the hour for [area] during business hours; 24/7 for true emergencies"

• "Do you provide a written quote before starting work?" — answered: "Yes, always in writing, with a fixed price"

• "Do you guarantee your work?" — answered with the specific guarantee offered

• "How long have you been trading?" — answered with year established and any notable milestones

• "Do you have public liability insurance?" — answered with yes and, if possible, the cover amount

• "Can I see examples of your previous work?" — answered with a link to the portfolio page

• "What payment methods do you accept?" — answered completely: cash, card, bank transfer, BACS

💡 TIP — Monitor Q&A weekly — anyone can answer

The Q&A section allows any Google user to answer questions on your profile — not just you. A competitor, a disgruntled former customer, or simply an uninformed member of the public can post an answer that appears on your profile. Check the Q&A section weekly and report any inaccurate or harmful answers. If a customer asks a new question, answer it within 24 hours — both for the customer's benefit and as a freshness signal.

8. Step Seven — Reviews: The Most Powerful Ranking and Conversion Signal

Google reviews are simultaneously the most discussed and the most misunderstood element of GBP optimisation. The discussion tends to focus on star ratings. The misunderstanding is about what actually matters — which is not the rating alone but the combination of volume, velocity, recency, diversity, and response rate.

3.5× — more likely to rank in the local pack: businesses with 50+ reviews vs those with fewer than 5 (Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors)

88% — of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal 2025)

8.1 What Google Measures in Reviews

• Volume: More reviews, all else equal, signals greater prominence. A business with 80 reviews is more prominent than one with 8 — even if both average 4.9 stars.

• Velocity: The rate at which new reviews arrive. A consistent drip of two to four reviews per month signals active trading. A burst of thirty reviews followed by silence is less well-regarded — and patterns of sudden review spikes can trigger Google's spam detection.

• Recency: The age of the most recent reviews. A business with 100 reviews and the most recent dated eight months ago presents a different impression from one with 40 reviews and three received last week. Recency matters for both Google's algorithm and the searcher's perception.

• Content: Review text that mentions specific services, specific locations, and specific names contributes to relevance matching. A review that says "Jim replaced our boiler in Croydon — excellent job" is more valuable to relevance than one that says "Great service, highly recommend."

• Response rate: Google rewards businesses that respond to reviews — both positive and negative. A 100% response rate is a prominence signal. Responses also demonstrate to searchers that the business is attentive and professional.

8.2 How to Get More Reviews Without Paying for Them

Paying for reviews or incentivising them with discounts is a violation of Google's guidelines — and Google's spam detection is increasingly effective at identifying patterns of incentivised reviews. The legitimate approach is systematic automation, which the reviews automation service WebWise configures for clients.

The manual version of the same approach:

5. At the end of every completed job or transaction, send a personalised WhatsApp or SMS to the customer: "Hi [name], hope the [job] is all sorted — if you have 30 seconds, a Google review would really help the business: [direct link]. No pressure, and thanks again."

6. Use the direct review link (business.google.com/reviews) — not the general Google Maps page. The direct link removes every friction point between the customer's intent and the completed review.

7. Send the request within two to four hours of job completion — when the customer is at their most satisfied and the experience is freshest.

8. If no review arrives within five days, send a single gentle follow-up. One follow-up only. Two follow-ups is pressure; one is a helpful reminder.

9. Respond to every review within 24 hours — positive and negative. For positive reviews, thank the reviewer by name and mention the specific service. For negative reviews, acknowledge the concern, apologise for the experience, and offer a resolution channel (phone or email) — never argue in public.

8.3 How to Respond to Negative Reviews

A negative review, handled well, is often a more powerful trust signal than a string of five-star reviews — because it demonstrates that the business responds to problems professionally and cares about resolution. The formula for a negative review response:

• Acknowledge: "I'm sorry to hear your experience didn't meet the standard we aim for."

• Do not argue: Even if the review is factually inaccurate. The public forum is not the place to correct the record — it makes the business look defensive.

• Take it offline: "I'd really like to understand what went wrong — please call me directly on [number] or email [address] and I will make it right."

• Keep it brief: Three sentences maximum. Searchers reading the response do not want a lengthy explanation — they want evidence that the business is professional and responsive.

❌ DON'T — Ask friends and family to leave reviews

Reviews from accounts with no history of reviewing other businesses, or from accounts connected to the same IP address as the business, are easily identified by Google's spam filters. A cluster of reviews from new accounts over a short period is a suspension risk. Build reviews from real customers, through systematic automation, over time.

9. Step Eight — Attributes, Accessibility, and Special Features

GBP attributes are the tick-box features that appear on the profile to communicate specific information about the business. Most businesses either do not know attributes exist or have left them all unchecked. Attributes are a relevance signal — Google uses them to match searches that include attribute-specific terms — and a conversion signal, because they answer specific questions searchers have before they decide to contact a business.

9.1 Service Attributes

Examples that matter for different business types:

• Trades: "Online estimates", "On-site services", "Emergency service available", "Gender-neutral toilets on-site" (for businesses with premises)

• Health and wellness: "Appointment required", "Online appointments", "Wheelchair accessible", "Accepts new patients"

• Hospitality: "Dine in", "Takeaway", "Outdoor seating", "Reservations", "Good for groups", "Vegetarian options", "LGBTQ+ friendly"

• Retail: "In-store pickup", "Same-day delivery", "Free parking nearby", "Accepts credit cards", "NFC mobile payments"

9.2 The "From the Business" Section

This section — available to businesses in specific categories — allows a short statement written in the first person about what makes the business distinct. It is separate from the business description and appears in a highlighted format on the profile. If this section is available for your category, use it for a specific, credible differentiator — not a generic quality claim.

9.3 Booking and Appointment Links

For businesses that accept bookings — clinics, salons, personal trainers, restaurants — adding a booking link (connected to Cal.com, Calendly, OpenTable, or a custom booking system) to the GBP allows customers to book directly from the profile without visiting the website. This reduces friction in the conversion journey and is a feature that significantly increases the actionability of the profile for appointment-based businesses.

10. The Weekly GBP Routine: Twenty Minutes That Compound Over Time

The difference between a GBP that ranks in the top three for local searches and one that sits at position seven is not a single dramatic optimisation — it is a consistent weekly routine applied over three to twelve months. The following routine takes approximately twenty minutes per week and covers every freshness and prominence signal Google rewards.

The monthly review of GBP Insights is particularly valuable for understanding which search queries are surfacing the profile, which actions searchers are taking (calls, direction requests, website clicks), and which photos are receiving the most views. This data informs both GBP content decisions (post more of what drives calls, fewer of what does not) and broader local SEO priorities (the searches that surface the GBP but do not convert to calls are often content gaps that blog posts or service pages can fill).

The WebWise care retainer includes this weekly GBP routine as a managed service — the studio executes the posts, monitors the reviews, and sends the monthly plain-English report. For businesses who want the outcome without the twenty minutes, that is the route. For businesses who want to do it themselves, this guide is the playbook.

11. GBP and Your Website: The Reinforcement Loop

GBP and a well-built website are not independent assets — they reinforce each other. Every signal that connects the two strengthens both. The following are the specific connection points that matter most.

11.1 NAP Consistency

NAP — Name, Address, Phone number — must appear identically on your GBP and on every page of your website. If your GBP lists "Marshall Brickwork & Construction" but your website footer says "Marshalls Brickwork and Construction Ltd", Google cannot fully verify that the two entities are the same business. This inconsistency weakens the prominence signal. Check that the business name, address format, and phone number are character-for-character identical across GBP and website — including whether "Street" is abbreviated to "St" or written in full.

11.2 Website URL Pointing to Location-Specific Pages

The website URL field in GBP should link to the most relevant page for the primary service and location — not the homepage. A plumber in Croydon whose GBP is optimised for emergency plumbing in Croydon should link to the "Emergency Plumber Croydon" service page. This creates a closed relevance loop: the GBP says "emergency plumber Croydon", the page it links to says "emergency plumber Croydon", and Google can verify the match between the profile claim and the website content.

11.3 Schema Markup Connecting the Two

LocalBusiness schema markup on the website includes the business name, address, phone number, and opening hours in a machine-readable format that Google can cross-reference with the GBP data. When the schema on the website matches the GBP exactly, it provides a third verification of the NAP data — strengthening the prominence signal significantly. Every WebWise build includes LocalBusiness schema as a default precisely because of this reinforcement effect.

11.4 Review Schema on the Website

Aggregating Google reviews on the website — either through a review widget or by manually featuring selected reviews — and marking them up with Review schema allows Google to display the star rating in the organic search snippet, independently of the GBP. This means the business can have star ratings appearing in both the map pack (from the GBP) and in the organic results (from the website schema) simultaneously — doubling the visual trust signal on the search results page.

12. GBP by Niche: What Matters Most for Different Business Types

The fundamentals of GBP optimisation apply to every business. But the specific features, attributes, and content strategies that matter most differ by niche. The following covers the six most common categories.

13. Common GBP Mistakes That Kill Rankings

The following mistakes appear consistently across the GBP profiles of underperforming businesses. Each one is fixable in under ten minutes.

• Keyword stuffing the business name: Covered in Section 3.1. Violation of Google's guidelines. Suspension risk. Remove immediately.

• Wrong primary category: Using a broad category ("Home Services") instead of a specific one ("Plumber", "Emergency Locksmith") massively reduces relevance matching for specific service searches.

• No service area defined: A service area business with no service area set is invisible to Google for searches in the towns it actually serves. Adds service area towns immediately.

• Profile URL pointing to homepage: Covered in Section 11.2. Link to the most relevant location or service page, not the homepage.

• No photos uploaded since launch: A profile with twelve photos uploaded in 2022 and nothing since signals inactivity. Upload fresh photos every week.

• Zero Google Posts: The most visible and fixable inactivity signal. Publish a post this week.

• Unanswered reviews: Every unanswered review — positive or negative — is a missed prominence signal and a missed conversion opportunity. Respond to everything within 24 hours.

• Duplicate profiles: Multiple profiles for the same business split review equity and confuse Google. Merge or remove duplicates.

• Inconsistent hours: Hours not updated for holidays or closures create negative experiences and negative reviews. Update hours proactively.

• No Q&A content: An empty Q&A section is a missed relevance and conversion opportunity. Seed ten questions this week.

14. The 15 Keywords This Article Targets

Conclusion: The Free Tool That Most Businesses Are Wasting

Google Business Profile is the most powerful free marketing tool available to any local or service business in the world — and the majority of businesses using it are capturing less than a quarter of its potential. The gap between a profile that is claimed-and-forgotten and one that is actively managed — with a complete service list, weekly posts, consistent photo uploads, systematic review requests, a seeded Q&A section, and a 100% review response rate — is the gap between a business that ranks at position seven in the map pack and one that holds the top three, week after week, without paying for a single click.

The weekly routine in Section 10 takes twenty minutes. The one-off foundation work in Sections 2 through 9 takes three to four hours in total. The compound return on that investment — in rankings, in review velocity, in searcher trust, and in calls — continues for as long as the routine is maintained. Few other marketing activities offer this ratio of effort to return.

For businesses who want this done professionally — the setup, the weekly routine, the monthly reporting, and the connection between GBP and the website, the local SEO strategy, and the review automation system — the WebWise Google Business Profile service handles all of it. The starting point is a 15-minute call at webwise.digital/contact.

Further reading: Why UK Tradesmen Lose Jobs Online — the companion guide to local SEO, website architecture, and the full digital playbook for service businesses. And for the automation layer that handles review requests, post scheduling, and enquiry follow-up automatically: How to Automate Your Small Business in 2026.