Your GBP is what shows up when someone searches "plumber near me" or "Arnprior bakery" on Google. It's the panel on the right side of the screen with your hours, your phone number, your photos, and your reviews. It loads instantly. It works on every phone. And most businesses treat it like a checkbox they filled in three years ago and forgot about.
What Google Business Profile Actually Does
Before someone decides to visit your website, they've already looked at your GBP. They've checked your hours. They've read two or three reviews. They've looked at your photos. If any of that looks wrong, outdated, or empty, they've already moved on to your competitor.
GBP also controls your appearance in Google Maps. "Near me" searches. Local Pack results, the three businesses that show up in a box at the top of the search results page. Getting into that box is worth more than ranking on page one for most local businesses.
Why Businesses Ignore It
It's free, so it doesn't feel serious. There's no invoice to justify the time. And when Google auto-generates a listing from your website data, it looks like it's "done," even if half the fields are wrong.
Google also lets anyone suggest edits to your listing. Competitors. Bots. Random people who got your hours wrong. If you're not monitoring it, your listing may already have incorrect information and you wouldn't know.
What a Complete Listing Looks Like
The basics (non-negotiable)
- NAP, Name, Address, Phone. Exactly matching what's on your website and every other directory you're listed on. One character off and it signals inconsistency to Google.
- Hours, Including holiday hours. Wrong hours are the fastest way to lose a customer's trust permanently.
- Primary category, This is the biggest ranking factor most businesses get wrong. "General contractor" is worse than "kitchen renovation contractor." Be specific.
The stuff most businesses skip
- Photos, Real ones. Not stock. Your shop, your work, your team. Listings with photos get 42% more direction requests. That stat is from Google, not me.
- Business description, 750 characters. Use them. Include your service area, what you actually do, and why you're different. Don't write it like a press release.
- Services list, Google lets you add specific services with descriptions. Most businesses leave this blank. Fill it in.
- Google Posts, Short updates that show on your listing. Announcements, seasonal offers, events. They expire after a week, but they signal that your business is active.
Reviews Are the Real Work
The simplest review strategy: ask every satisfied customer, immediately after the job. Send a direct link to your review page. Don't make them hunt for it. A text message works better than an email. Something like: "Glad the job went well. If you have a minute, a Google review helps us a lot. Here's the link."
Respond to every review. The good ones ("Thanks, glad we could help") and the bad ones (professionally, without being defensive). Your response is public. Future customers read it.
Four Things to Do Today
- Search your business name on Google. Claim your listing if you haven't. Fix anything that's wrong.
- Check your primary category. Is it as specific as it could be?
- Upload at least five real photos of your work or business.
- Text your last five customers and ask for a review.
None of this costs anything. It takes a couple of hours. And it will do more for your local search visibility than most paid advertising.
Need help getting your online presence sorted? We're based in Arnprior and work with local businesses across the Ottawa Valley. Reach out, or start with the web design Arnprior page to see what we build.