Google Business Profile: free, and most businesses skip it
· 2 min read
Showing up on Maps comes before building a site, and it costs nothing. The fields to fill and the mistakes people make.
When someone looks for you, they usually type "air conditioning service near me" or "dentist in Kadıköy". The map box at the top of those results sits above every website. Getting into that box is free, and it is called a Google Business Profile.
Why it comes before the website
Building a site takes time. A business profile can be created in an afternoon and verified in a few days. The moment you appear in search, the phone starts ringing — even before your site is live.
The fields that matter
- Business name. Exactly what is on your sign. Stuffing keywords into it is against the rules and can get the profile suspended.
- Category. The single most important field; it decides which searches you appear in. Pick the main category precisely, add secondary services as extra categories.
- Address or service area. An address if you have premises, districts if you travel to customers.
- Opening hours. Wrong hours mean a customer arriving at a closed door and leaving a bad review. Add holidays too.
- Phone. A number that is genuinely answered.
- Photos. Inside, outside, the team, finished work. Your own photos, not stock.
- Website. Add it once you have one; the profile sends real traffic.
Reviews
Review count and average rating weigh heavily in map rankings. Ask every customer for a review — not on the phone, but with a short message straight after the job, containing the direct review link.
Reply to bad reviews. An unanswered bad review does far more damage than an answered one. Skip the defensiveness and state what you did.
Common mistakes
- Creating the profile but never completing verification. Unverified profiles do not appear.
- Moving premises and leaving the old address up.
- Running two profiles for one business; they cannibalise each other.
- Buying fake reviews. Google removes them and penalises the profile.
How it relates to your site
The profile makes you findable; the site makes you convincing. Someone arriving from the profile should find prices, past work and a way to get in touch. They work together — neither replaces the other.