Two things sit behind most local searches: your website and your Google Business Profile. They are often confused, and a lot of businesses have one and not the other. They do different jobs, and they work best as a pair.
What each one is
Your Google Business Profile is the free listing that can appear on Google Maps and beside Google search results when someone looks for a business like yours. It shows things like your name, address, opening hours, phone number, photos and reviews.
Your website is the place you control completely. It holds the full story: what you offer, how you work, who you help, what it costs, and how to get started.
Think of the profile as the shop sign and the website as the shop. The sign gets people to the door. The shop is where they decide.
What the profile does well
- It puts you on the map, literally, for people searching nearby.
- It gives quick answers: are you open now, what is the number, how do I get there.
- It collects reviews from real customers where other people can see them.
- It is free to set up and manage.
For many local businesses, the profile is the first thing a customer sees, sometimes before they ever visit the website.
What the profile cannot do
A profile has set fields and limited space. It is not the place to explain your process, show a full gallery of your work, list your services in detail or tell your story. That is the website's job. A profile also sits inside Google's system, so you follow Google's layout and rules.
How to set the profile up properly
- Search your business name and see whether a listing already exists. Many do, even if you never made one.
- Claim it. You will be asked to verify that the business is yours. Google decides which verification options it offers, and it can take a little time.
- Choose the right category. Pick the one that best describes your main service, then add others that genuinely apply.
- Fill in every detail. Opening hours, phone number, a short description, the services you offer.
- Add real photos. Your premises, your team, your work. A phone camera and good daylight are plenty.
- Add your website address. This is how the two connect.
If you work from home or travel to customers, Google lets you set up a service area instead of showing a street address. That keeps your home private while still telling people where you work.
Keep the two matching
This is the easy one to miss. Your phone number, address, hours and business name should be identical on your profile, your website and your social pages. If they differ, customers get confused and the business looks careless. We touched on this in why your website is not showing up on Google.
When your hours change for a public holiday or a busy season, update the profile as well as the website.
Reviews
Reviews appear on your profile, and you can reply to them. A polite, brief reply to a good review is nice. A calm, helpful reply to a poor one shows future customers how you handle problems.
Asking happy customers to leave a review is fine. Paying for reviews, or writing them yourself, is not. It is dishonest, and customers can tell.
How the website helps the profile
The website gives the profile somewhere to send people. A visitor who taps through from your listing should land on a page that says clearly what you do and where, with an easy way to get in touch. A confusing or slow site wastes the interest the profile worked to create. Our homepage checklist covers what that page needs.
What we do
Setting up your Google Business listing is part of every build we do. It is claimed and filled in, not left for you to work out. We will not promise any particular position in the results, because nobody honest can. What we can do is make sure nothing basic is holding you back.
If you have a profile but no real website yet, or the other way round, tell us about your business and we will say honestly what would help most.