Google Business Profile is the free listing that makes your business appear on Google Maps and in the local block of search results. For a shop, a restaurant or a professional practice, it often generates more calls than the website itself: it is the number one lever for local visibility, and the most neglected.
Here is how to fill it in, keep it alive and avoid the mistakes that make it disappear.
Filling in your profile: what really counts
- The primary category: this is the strongest local ranking factor. Choose the most precise one (“employment attorney” rather than “lawyer” if it exists).
- Exact opening hours, bank holidays included: an inaccurate listing destroys both trust and ranking.
- Recent, real photos: shopfront, interior, team, products. Listings with photos get significantly more actions.
- The description: who you are, who you serve, where. Natural, with no keyword stuffing.
- Attributes: wheelchair access, terrace, online appointments. Every field you fill in wins you a search filter.
Keeping it alive: this is where ranking is won
Google favours active listings. Three habits are enough:
- Reply to every review, positive and negative, quickly and calmly: your reply is read by every future customer.
- Post one update a month: a new dish, an anonymised case won, a new service.
- Update without delay: summer hours, an exceptional closure, a new service.
The mistakes that cost you your ranking
- A business name stuffed with keywords (“Cheap Plumber Paris”): against the rules, and grounds for suspension.
- Inconsistencies between the listing, the website and directories: name, address and phone number must be identical everywhere.
- Buying reviews: detectable, penalised, and as obvious to your customers as it is to Google.
- Leaving questions unanswered in the Questions and answers tab: anyone can answer them in your place.
FAQ
Is Google Business Profile really free?
Yes, completely. Be wary of cold callers who charge for “ranking your listing”: everything is done from Google’s free interface.
How long does it take to appear on Google Maps?
The listing appears as soon as it is verified, often within a few days. Your ranking in the local block is then built up through activity, reviews and consistent information.
Do Google reviews affect ranking?
Yes: their number, freshness and rating, and your replies, are among the most closely observed local factors. Regularity beats a one-off campaign.
Local SEO is part of every BLACKT project: our expertise, and our offers for restaurants and lawyers.
Further reading
- online visibility for restaurants: Google Business Profile, reviews and local SEO.
