For many searches with a place in them, the Google Business Profile is the first thing a buyer sees, before any website. It feeds Google Maps and the local results and Google’s AI answers draw on it. For a new company it is free and takes an hour to set up.
Setting it up
- Name. The exact trade name on your licence. No keywords added to the name, which Google’s guidelines forbid.
- Category. The most specific one that fits, like Tax consultant rather than Consultant. You can add secondary categories.
- Address or service area. If clients visit you, show the address. If you go to them, set a service area and hide the address.
- Hours and contact. Including changes for Ramadan and public holidays.
- Services and description. In the words buyers use, with the areas you serve.
- Photos. The office, the team, the work. Real ones.
Then complete Google’s verification. The method depends on the business. Follow what Google offers for yours.
Reviews
Reviews are the proof buyers read first. Ask every client once the work is done, with a direct link. Reply to every review within a week, thanking good ones and answering criticism calmly.
Google forbids offering anything in exchange for reviews and asking only satisfied clients. Reviews that mention the service and the area help the most.
Keep the facts the same everywhere
Name, address and phone number should be identical on the profile, your website, LinkedIn and any directory or free zone listing. Assistants and Google connect sources more confidently when they agree.
Why it matters for AI answers
Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews sit close to Google’s own data. Other assistants draw on similar listings and reviews. A complete profile with real reviews is one of the clearest signals a small company can give of what it does and where.
Keep it alive
Post an update when something changes and correct hours before every holiday. A profile left alone for a year tells buyers nobody is looking after it.