To optimise your Google Business Profile, verify it, fill in every section, show real photos, collect reviews and keep it up to date. It's free, and it can increase your visibility in local search and on Google Maps. Here's how, with examples for freelancers and businesses in Valencia, Alicante, Elche and Elda.
At a glance:
- Claim your profile and get it verified.
- Complete your basic business info.
- Pick a precise primary category.
- Describe what you do and where.
- Fill in services, products and attributes.
- Show real pictures and videos.
- Ask for a review after every job.
- Post regularly.
- Keep your site and other listings consistent.
- Check your results every month.
What does it mean to optimise your Google Business Profile?
It means completing your profile, keeping it accurate and using its features, so that potential customers understand what you do and where, and can contact you directly. Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is the free tool that controls how your company appears online, in Google Search and on Maps.
How Google ranks local businesses
According to its help pages, local search results depend mainly on three factors:
- Relevance: how well your listing matches the search, based on what you fill in, such as your categories.
- Distance: how far you are from the searcher, or from the place they name.
- Prominence: how well known your business is, including its reviews, its rating and links from other websites.
You can't pay for a better local ranking, and businesses with complete information are easier to match with relevant searches, Google explains. Your position in web results also counts towards prominence, so your site's SEO matters too: this work is central to local SEO.
Claim and verify your profile
To claim your business on Google, sign in at business.google.com and search for your business name. If it already appears on Maps, claim it instead of creating a duplicate: only one listing is allowed per location. Learn how in our guide on adding your business to Google Maps.
Verification methods
Verification proves that you run the business; until it's done, you can't manage your profile fully. Google chooses the methods available to you, which may include:
- a phone call or a text message with a code;
- an email with a code;
- a video recording of your location and proof that you manage the business;
- a live video call with a support representative, while you're open;
- a postcard with a code, in some cases.
Google's review can then take up to five working days. Once verified, you manage your Business Profile from Google Search: look up “my business” while logged in to the linked Google Account, then select Edit profile. If an employee or another company helps you manage it, add them as a manager rather than sharing your password, so ownership stays with you.
Complete your business information
These basics are important: they tell customers how to reach you, so fill in every field that applies.
Use your real business name
Write your name exactly as it appears on your sign and invoices. Adding keywords or a town is a tempting SEO shortcut, but Google's guidelines don't allow it, and it can get your Business Profile suspended: “Peluquería Carmen” follows the rules, “Peluquería Carmen cheap haircuts Valencia” doesn't.
Address or service area
If customers visit you, at a shop in Elda or an office in Valencia, enter your full address and check that the pin is properly placed on your building. Service-area businesses, such as electricians and plumbers who travel to clients, can hide their address and list the towns or postcodes they really cover, such as Alicante, Sant Joan d'Alacant and El Campello.
Phone number, website and booking link
Use a phone number you answer, the same as on your site, and link to the page that best matches the listing. Where available, also link to the booking tool you already use, so visitors can book online.
Opening hours and special hours
Enter your regular hours, then set special hours for public holidays, including fiestas such as the Fallas or the Hogueras, and any August closure. If you close for a while, mark the business as temporarily closed rather than deleting the listing.
Choose your primary and secondary categories
Your primary category tells Google what your business is and strongly influences the results you can appear in, so it's worth getting right. Pick the one that best describes your business as a whole, as specific as possible: “Electrician” rather than “Contractor”, or “Nail salon” rather than the broader “Salon”.
Add other categories only for related work you really do, because Google asks businesses to use as few as possible. Before adding one, check that:
- it's a service you offer regularly, such as air-conditioning installation for an electrician in Alicante;
- it describes what your business is, not something it has, such as parking or Wi-Fi, which belong in the attributes;
- it isn't just a broader version of your primary category.
Your choice also changes the features available to you, such as booking options. To manage your business category later, open Edit profile; Google may ask you to verify your business again after a change. You'll learn more, with examples from Spain, in our guide on choosing your categories.
Write a clear business description
You have up to 750 characters to explain what you do, for whom and where. Write for readers first: a plain summary naturally contains the relevant words they search for. Include:
- your services, named the way customers would name them;
- the area you cover, such as Valencia city and l'Horta Sud;
- what sets you apart, such as same-day call-outs or written quotes;
- the languages you work in, which is important if you serve English-speaking clients.
Links and promotional offers aren't allowed in the description, and keyword stuffing, an old SEO habit, only makes it harder to read. A plumber in Elche might write: “Family plumbing business in Elche covering leaks, blocked drains and boiler repairs across the Baix Vinalopó. We work in Spanish and English.” To learn which terms to use, see our guide to choosing local keywords.
Fill in services, products and attributes
Services with descriptions and indicative prices
List each specific service separately, starting from Google's suggestions for your category, with a short summary and, where useful, an indicative price. A locksmith in Valencia might list emergency door opening, lock changes and security doors as separate entries.
Products, if you sell them
Shops and other businesses can show what they sell, with a photo, a price and a short text. Google's automatic import of in-store items doesn't cover Spain, so retailers here use the Product Editor. If you don't sell anything, skip this part.
Attributes that customers check at a glance
Attributes are short labels, such as a wheelchair-accessible entrance, card or mobile payments, Wi-Fi, parking, outdoor seating or online appointments; the ones available depend on your category and country. Select only what's true, and manage your business attributes whenever something changes.
Show your business with real photos
Photos show potential customers what to expect before they call or visit, and Google's tips recommend them, along with video, to show what you offer and tell your business's story. Use real, good quality images rather than stock shots or heavy filters, including:
- your logo and a cover photo;
- the outside of your premises, especially the entrance;
- the inside, if customers come to you;
- your team at work and your van;
- finished jobs or what you sell.
A short video of your workshop or a job in progress works too. Nothing goes live until your Business Profile is verified and passes Google's policy check, and a low-quality cover photo may be replaced by an image from a user. Upload new pictures when something changes and report customer uploads that break the rules. To learn which formats work, read our guide on what to upload to your Google listing.
Get more reviews and respond to them
Online reviews are free marketing: they help people choose between businesses, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can improve your local ranking. Two habits make the difference: asking everyone and replying promptly.
Ask every customer
The ideal moment is just after a job well done. Copy the review link from your Business Profile and send it by WhatsApp or email, or print it as a QR code for your counter or invoices. Then follow Google's rules:
- ask everyone: selectively asking for positive ratings breaks its policies;
- offer nothing in exchange, not even a discount;
- never write or buy reviews.
Learn what to send on each channel in our guide on how to get more Google reviews.
How to reply
Replies to feedback are public and build trust. Google's tips say you don't need to thank every reviewer publicly: reply when you have something useful to say and keep it short. Always answer critical feedback, which can also show where to improve: stay calm, acknowledge the problem, give the facts and offer to talk privately; see our advice on replying to negative comments.
Publish posts for your visitors
Posts are short updates with a photo and a button, shown when people find you on Google. They add fresh content and can encourage engagement, but Google doesn't mention them in its ranking tips: use them to inform customers already looking at your listing, not to rank higher. Share something relevant:
- Updates: news, a finished job or a new service;
- Offers: a promotion with start and end dates;
- Events: an open day or a stand at a town fair, on a specific date.
A simple strategy is to pick a rhythm you can keep, say, one post a week. Learn about each type in our guide to publishing Google posts.
Connect your profile with your website and local SEO
Google uses information from across the web to understand businesses like yours, and many visitors check your site before calling, so your profile and site should work as one piece of marketing and say the same thing.
Keep your NAP consistent
NAP stands for name, address and phone number, and keeping it identical everywhere is a basic SEO rule: on your listing, your site, your social media pages and directories such as Páginas Amarillas. When something changes, update all your listings. Learn more in our guide to citations and NAP.
Make your site match your profile
Include the same jobs, towns and timetable on your site, and make it easy to reach you. LocalBusiness schema can help search engines read those details, and our guide on how to rank your website on Google covers the rest.
No website yet? WebAutonomos can design and build one from your Google Business Profile and your own photos, with basic SEO: titles and texts that mention your service and area, and details that match your listing. You see a free demo in less than 24 hours, before paying anything.
How do you know if your changes are working?
Once a month, open the Performance section of your Business Profile, which replaced the old Insights reports. It's only available for verified profiles, and it shows:
- how many people viewed your listing on Search and Maps;
- the searches that led them to you, a good source of keyword ideas;
- calls, direction requests and website clicks.
Use these insights to see whether your visibility is growing and what to change: if you appear in searches for a service you don't list, add it. Figures move with the seasons, so it's important to compare each month with the same month a year earlier. Every so often, try a search for your business on Google from your phone, compare it with your competitors and fix anything that looks wrong.
Google also uses information from other sources, such as user reports, and may update your Business Profile if your info is reported as wrong or outdated; you can manage these Google updates and accept, discard or edit them.
What has changed with messaging and Q&A?
Google has withdrawn the chat it used to run inside Business Profiles and is changing how Q&A works: check older advice on both against what Google says today.
- Messaging: in some regions, verified businesses can now show a WhatsApp or text message option in their contact info, under Chat in the profile editor, so visitors can message you directly from your Business Profile (if you set both, only the text option appears). Otherwise, make your phone number easy to find and show WhatsApp on your site; here's how to set up WhatsApp Business.
- Q&A: according to Google's announcement, people can now put their question to Google Maps and get an instant answer based on your answers and on reviews. You can still answer existing questions, and the section is limited to some regions and sectors. Also copy key information to your Business Profile fields and to an FAQ page on your site; learn what changes with Q&A in our separate guide.
Where can you get help with your Business Profile?
Begin with Google's help pages; if they don't solve the problem, ask other users or contact Google support.
- Guides: the Google Business Profile Help Centre explains each feature, and its Learning Centre is a good place to learn how to set up and manage your Business Profile.
- The community: you can post to the Help Community, an online forum, and get answers directly from community members; never share anything private there.
- Google support: if you need more help, for instance with a stuck verification, the articles end with a link to reach Google.
Optimisation checklist
Go through this list today, then again every few months:
- Profile claimed, verified and owned by you.
- Name, location, phone, site and timetable correct.
- A precise primary category, with only relevant extra ones.
- A description naming your services and area.
- Services, products and attributes filled in.
- Real, recent photos of your premises, team and work.
- Review link shared after each job; critical feedback always answered.
- A post published regularly.
- The same details on your site, social media and directories.
- Performance checked every month.
A short weekly routine then keeps it current:
| When | What you do | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Publish a post with a photo | 10 min |
| Wednesday | Reply to new reviews | 5 min |
| Friday | Check your timetable and pictures | 10 min |
| Every month | Look at calls, clicks and direction requests | 15 min |
If you'd rather not manage your Business Profile yourself, WebAutonomos does it for €29/month, plus a one-off €49 to create and verify yours if you don't have one yet: we optimise your profile, publish four posts a month and reply to your reviews. You can buy this service without a website from us; see our services page.
Optimising your Google Business Profile is ongoing marketing, not a one-off job: set it up properly once, then spend a few minutes a week keeping it accurate. A complete profile and a site that matches it give customers who find you online good reasons to call you.