To get found on Google Maps: claim and verify your profile in your name, choose the right primary category, list your services and areas, keep hours accurate, add real photos, match your details with your website — then post weekly and reply to every review within 48 hours.
Why your Google Business Profile matters
When someone searches for a service “near me”, Google usually shows a map with a few local businesses before any website. Those listings come from Google Business Profiles. For many local businesses, the profile is the first impression — and sometimes the only one before a customer calls.
Set it up properly (once)
- Claim and verify your profile in your business’s name, not your agency’s.
- Choose the right primary category — the one that best describes your main service — and add a few relevant secondary ones.
- List your services with short descriptions and, where you can, prices.
- Set your service areas (if you go to customers) or your address (if they come to you).
- Add accurate hours, including public holidays.
- Write a clear description: what you do, for whom, where, and what makes you different.
- Upload real photos of your work, team and premises.
- Match your details — name, address, phone — exactly with your website.
Keep it active (every week)
- Post weekly: an offer, a recent job, a tip or news.
- Add new photos regularly.
- Answer questions customers ask on your profile.
- Reply to every review within 48 hours — positive or negative, briefly and politely.
Getting more reviews, the right way
Ask happy customers at the right moment — right after a job is finished or a goal is reached — with a direct link. Don’t offer incentives for reviews and never post fake ones; that breaks Google’s policies and Australian consumer law.
How Allygro helps
Every Allygro plan includes Google Business Profile optimisation and posts: 4 a month on Presence and Enquiries, and 8 on Growth. More about our Google Business Profile service.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. You only pay if you choose to run ads.
Can I have a Google Business Profile without a shopfront?
Yes. Service-area businesses, like plumbers or mobile cleaners, can hide their address and show the areas they serve instead.
How long until my profile shows up?
After verification, a profile can appear within days, but ranking well in local results builds over time with complete details, regular activity and reviews.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help Centre
- ACCC, guidance on fake online reviews