Where people actually see you

Somebody searches on a phone. They see a map with three businesses, opening hours, a rating and a call button. Many never reach a website at all. They ring whoever looks credible in that little box.

So the profile is not a side task. For plenty of local businesses it is the shop window, and the website is the room behind it.

What it is costing when it is neglected

Every week a profile sits half finished, you lose calls you never hear about. There is no failed campaign to point at and no bounce rate to check. The enquiry simply goes to somebody who filled theirs in.

The frustrating part is that fixing it is free. It costs an afternoon, not a budget.

The things worth getting right

The primary category, because it decides which searches you can appear for. Real photos, taken by you, updated occasionally. Hours that are actually correct, including bank holidays.

Services listed properly, in plain language. A description that reads like a person wrote it. And reviews arriving steadily, with replies from you, because that is visible to everyone reading.

The bit most people skip

Answer the questions section yourself. You can post a question and answer it. If customers always ask whether you cover a certain area or charge for quotes, put it there where it gets read.

Then connect it to the site

Your profile and your site should say the same things about the same places and services. When they agree, Google trusts both more. When they contradict each other, neither gets the benefit.