Google Business Profile Optimisation: 12 Fixes

When someone searches for a service near them, Google usually shows a few local businesses on a map above the normal results. Google says it picks those businesses mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence.

You can’t change how far you are from a customer. You can improve how relevant and how well known your business looks, and most of that work happens in your Google Business Profile.

This playbook lists 12 fixes, all taken from Google’s own guidelines. Work through them in order. Plan an afternoon for the first nine, then a few minutes a week for reviews.

Get the basics right

1. Verify your profile

An unverified profile is less likely to show in search results, and your photos and performance reports only appear once you’re verified. If your profile says “Verify now”, do that before anything else. Google will tell you which verification method it needs for your business.

2. Use your real business name and nothing else

Google’s guidelines say your profile name must match the name on your signage, website and stationery. Adding keywords, locations or taglines, like “Smith Plumbing | 24 Hour Plumber Johannesburg”, breaks those rules and can get your profile suspended. If your name has extra words in it, take them out.

3. Pick the most specific primary category

Your primary category tells Google which searches to show you for. Google’s test is to finish the sentence “This business is a…”. Choose the most specific match, such as “Family law attorney” over “Law firm” if family law is what you do.

Google also asks you to use as few categories as possible. Add a second category only when it describes another core part of the business.

4. Set your address or service area correctly

If customers come to you, show your full street address. If you travel to customers, such as plumbers, electricians and cleaners, hide your address and set a service area instead. Google’s guideline is that a service area shouldn’t reach further than about two hours’ drive from where you’re based.

Two common mistakes get profiles removed. A virtual office isn’t eligible, and a desk in a co-working space only counts if it has your signage and is staffed during your business hours.

5. Keep your hours right, including public holidays

Wrong hours send customers to a closed door. Check your regular hours, then add special hours for public holidays. For December 2026 that means Wednesday 16, Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December.

To add them, open your profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours, then Special hours, and pick the dates.

6. Use a phone number you answer and the right web page

Google asks for a local number that is under your direct control, so skip call centre lines and numbers that forward elsewhere. Link the website button to the page that best matches the profile. For a single-location business that is usually your home page. For a branch, link to that branch’s page.

Tell Google what you do

7. Write a clear 750-character description

You get 750 characters to describe your business. Use them to say what you offer, who you serve and which areas you cover, in plain words a customer would use.

Google doesn’t allow links, prices or special offers in the description, so keep those for your website.

8. List every service you offer

Service businesses can list services on the profile. Choose Edit services, tick the ones Google suggests, then choose Add custom service for anything missing. You can add a short description and a price to each one.

This matters because your category says what you are, while your services say what you do. A “Plumber” profile that lists “Geyser installation” and “Burst pipe repair” matches more of the searches customers really type.

9. Fill in the attributes

Attributes are the small details customers filter by, such as wheelchair access, parking or Wi-Fi. Google lists them in its local ranking tips as part of a complete profile. Tick every one that is true for your business.

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Build trust with photos and reviews

10. Add real photos of your work

Add your logo, a cover photo and photos that show your premises, your team and finished jobs. Real photos tell customers what to expect better than stock images.

Google’s photo specs are simple:

Photos: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, ideally 720 by 720 pixels.
Videos: up to 30 seconds and 75 MB, at 720p or higher.

11. Ask every customer for a review

Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. To get your review link, open your profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then the Share icon, and copy the link. The same screen gives you a QR code you can print on invoices or put at your counter.

Send the link on WhatsApp after every finished job, while the experience is fresh. Three rules from Google’s content policy keep your profile safe:

No incentives. Never offer a discount, gift or payment for a review.
No cherry-picking. Ask every customer. Google bans asking only the happy ones.
No reviews from your side. Staff, former staff, family and business partners count as a conflict of interest.

12. Reply to every review

A reply shows future customers how you treat people. Google’s advice is to keep replies short, polite and conversational, and to avoid turning them into adverts.

For a negative review, apologise where it’s fair, explain what you’ll do, and take the detail offline. Never share the customer’s personal details in a reply. Google’s policy prohibits it, and it may also breach POPIA.

Check what’s working each month

Once a month, open your profile and choose Performance. Pick the last 30 days and look at three numbers:

Calls: how many people tapped your call button.
Website clicks: how many visited your site from the profile.
Searches: the words people typed to find you. If customers use words that aren’t in your description or services, add them.

Write the numbers down each month, so you can see whether your changes are bringing more calls.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay Google to rank higher in the map results?

No. Google states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Google Ads can show you in a separate, labelled ad slot, but that doesn’t change your free ranking.

Should I add keywords like “near me” to my business name?

No. Google’s guidelines say your name must match your real-world name, and adding keywords can get your profile suspended. Put your services and areas in the description and services list.

Can I use my home address for my Business Profile?

Yes, if you run the business from home. If customers don’t visit you there, hide the address and set a service area, which is what Google recommends for service-area businesses.

Can my staff or family leave us a review?

No. Google treats reviews from current or former staff, family and business partners as a conflict of interest and may remove them.

How many categories should I choose?

As few as possible. Choose the most specific primary category, and add others only for genuinely separate parts of the business.

Need a hand with yours?

If you’d rather not do this yourself, we set up and verify your Google Business Profile for R1,500 once-off, or manage it for you for R2,500 a month. Both are add-ons to any of our SEO packages, and the package builder shows your total.

To see where your website ranks for local searches and what to fix first, request a free local SEO audit. You get a PDF within 2 business days. For the bigger picture on ranking in your city, read our Johannesburg SEO guide or see our SEO services in Johannesburg.

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Google Business Profile Optimisation: 12 Fixes for More Calls