A quick exercise. Open Google and search the way one of your customers would — not by your business name, but by the service you provide.
“Painter near me. Pool builder in Sonoma. Estate planning attorney Napa.”
Where do you show up?
If you're in Google's top three map results, you're in front of a large percentage of local customers at the exact moment they're looking to hire someone.
If you're not, there's a good chance those inquiries are going to a competitor instead.
Many business owners assume that simply having a Google Business Profile is enough. It isn't. Having a profile and having a profile that consistently ranks are two very different things.
What Google is looking for
Google is looking for signals that your business is active, trustworthy, and relevant. Some of the biggest factors include:
- Reviews — A healthy volume of genuine, high-quality reviews builds credibility and helps improve visibility.
- Profile activity — Fresh photos, updates, posts, and accurate business information tell Google your business is active and engaged.
- Service relevance — Your profile should accurately reflect every service you offer, so you're eligible to appear in more searches.
- Citation consistency — Your business name, address, and phone number should match everywhere they appear online. Small inconsistencies across directories can quietly work against your rankings.
Take another look at the businesses ranking above you
How many reviews do they have? When did they last upload photos? Is their profile more complete? Are they showing services you don't? That's the gap you need to close.
If you'd like help improving your visibility
If you'd like help improving your visibility, I built the Google Business Profile Supercharger specifically for businesses that want to strengthen their local presence without having to learn the complexities of local SEO.
It focuses on the work that actually moves the needle: optimizing your profile, strengthening your citations, improving relevance, and helping your business earn more visibility over time.