5 Aug 2026 · 5 min read
Your Google Business Profile is free, and for most local service businesses it drives more enquiries than any other single channel. Most listings are only half filled in. Here's how to get yours working properly.
If you haven't already, search your business name on Google, claim the listing under "Own this business?" and complete Google's verification process — usually a postcard, phone call or email.
Your primary category has a big influence on which searches you show up for. Pick the most specific, accurate category available — "Electrician" rather than just "Contractor", for example — and add relevant secondary categories.
If you travel to customers rather than operating from a storefront, set your profile as a service-area business and list every suburb or region you genuinely cover — not just your home base.
Use the business description field to naturally mention what you do and where you do it — for example, "24/7 emergency plumbing across the Gold Coast and northern NSW" — rather than generic marketing language.
Listings with photos get significantly more clicks and calls than listings without. Add photos of completed jobs, your team, and your vehicle or premises, and keep adding new ones over time.
Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals and the first thing potential customers check. Make asking for a review part of your standard process after every job, and respond to each one, positive or negative.
Google Business Profile lets you post short updates — offers, recent jobs, seasonal reminders. Regular posts signal an active, trustworthy business and give you another reason to show up in local results.
None of this requires paid ads or technical skill — just a bit of time spent getting the fundamentals right. If you'd rather it was set up and maintained for you, Google Business Profile optimisation is included with every Settled Media website build.