When someone searches for a dentist, a bakery or a plumber nearby, Google often shows a map with a few businesses first. Those spots send a lot of calls, visits and messages. Most of them come from a free tool called Google Business Profile.

If you run a local shop, a clinic or a service company, this profile may matter as much as your website. It takes an afternoon to set up properly, and it costs nothing.

This guide explains how the profile works, what Google says about ranking, how to verify your business and which mistakes to avoid.

What a Business Profile is

Your Business Profile is the box that appears for your business name in Search and Maps. It shows your address, hours, phone number, photos, reviews and links.

Google's help page says that to show your business on Search, Maps and other Google services, you have to add or claim your business and then verify it. So the profile is the starting point for local visibility.

Think of it as a second front door. Many customers will see your profile before they ever see your website, so it should be accurate and complete.

How local ranking works

Google explains how to improve your local ranking with three factors.

• Relevance. How well your profile matches what the person searched for.

• Distance. How far your business is from the searcher, or from the area named in the search.

• Prominence. How well known your business is. Reviews, ratings and mentions around the web all help.

You can't change distance. But you can improve relevance and prominence with good information and good service.

There is one more line that is worth remembering. Google says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. So ignore anyone who sells a guaranteed spot. The work is to be accurate and well reviewed.

How Google ranks local results

Verify your business first

Verification proves that you are the real owner or an authorized representative. Google's page on verifying your business says some businesses must verify before they can edit their information.

Two details from that page matter. If you move to a new address after verifying, you may need to verify again. A name change can also trigger re-verification.

Google also reviews changes before they go live, so edits may take a little while to show. Don't keep changing the same field every hour. Make a change, then wait.

Follow the guidelines

Google publishes guidelines for representing your business. Breaking them can get a profile suspended, which is painful. These are the points that trip up small businesses most often.

Eligibility. You need a physical location customers can visit, or a business that travels to customers.

Name. Use the name your business is known by in the real world. Leave out taglines, store codes, hours, phone numbers, web addresses and extra product or location details.

Address. Use a precise, real address. P.O. boxes and virtual offices aren't eligible.

One profile per location. Don't create duplicates.

Service-area businesses. If you travel to customers, use one profile for your central office with a defined service area. You can hide your address if customers don't visit you there.

Categories. Choose the fewest categories that describe your core business, and make them as specific as possible.

Hours. List your regular customer-facing hours.

Description. Keep it relevant and free of links, promotions and prices.

The name rule deserves extra attention. Some owners add keywords to their business name, such as "Best Plumber Dallas Cheap". That breaks the guidelines and often leads to removal.

Fill in every detail

An incomplete profile looks careless. Google's ranking page says to keep your address, hours, category and attributes accurate and detailed.

Go through this list:

• Address and service area. Make sure they match your website exactly.

• Phone number. Use a number you answer. Match it to your site.

• Hours. Add regular hours, and add special hours for holidays.

• Category. Pick a primary category that is specific, such as "dental clinic" rather than "health".

• Attributes. Add details such as parking, Wi-Fi, wheelchair access or online appointments, if they apply.

• Website link. Point to the page that best serves the customer, such as a local landing page.

• Description. Write a plain summary of what you do and who you serve, without links or offers.

Keep the same business details across your website, social pages and directories. Matching details help Google trust that you are one real business.

Photos and videos

People like to see a place before they visit. Google's guide says to add photos and videos to show what you offer.

Good choices include:

• The outside of your building, so people can spot it.

• The inside, including the reception or dining area.

• Your team at work.

• Your products or finished jobs.

Use real photos, not stock images. Add new ones every month. It shows that the business is active.

Reviews

Reviews build prominence. Google says that responding to reviews, along with a higher number of reviews and better ratings, supports your standing in local results.

Here is a simple review routine:

1. Ask happy customers to leave a review, face to face or by email. Make it easy by sending the direct link.

2. Reply to every review, good or bad, within a few days.

3. Thank people by name and mention something specific.

4. For a bad review, stay calm. Apologize, offer to fix the issue and invite them to contact you.

Don't buy reviews or write your own. Fake reviews break the rules and customers can usually tell.

Products and updates

Eligible retail businesses can showcase products, which may appear in local results. If you sell items in a shop, add your best sellers with a photo and short description.

You can also share updates. Use them for news, offers within the rules and seasonal hours. Keep the tone plain and useful.

Measure what your profile brings in

A profile is only worth the time if it brings customers. Check the numbers once a month. Look at how many people called, asked for directions or visited your website from the profile. Compare the figures with the month before.

If calls are low, check that your phone number and hours are right. If direction requests are low, check your address pin and your photos of the entrance. If website clicks are low, check that the link opens a page that answers the visitor's question quickly.

Write down the numbers in a simple sheet. After three months you will see which changes helped and which did nothing.

Answer messages and questions

Customers can message your business or ask questions straight from the profile. Treat these like phone calls. Reply quickly, keep answers short and friendly, and give the details people need, such as hours, prices and how to book. A fast reply often decides who gets the job.

If the same question keeps coming up, add the answer to your profile description or to a page on your website. That saves you time and helps the next customer.

Keep your profile and website in sync

Your website and your profile should tell the same story. Use the same name, address and phone number on both. If you change your hours or move, update the profile and the website on the same day. A local landing page with your address, a map, your services and a few customer comments gives visitors a good reason to stay after they click from the profile.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding keywords to the business name.

• Using a P.O. box or a virtual office as the address.

• Creating several profiles for the same location.

• Picking too many categories.

• Leaving old hours after a change.

• Ignoring reviews.

• Using stock photos.

• Letting the details drift away from what the website says.

30-minute profile setup

A 30-minute setup plan

1. Search for your business and see if a profile already exists. Claim it if so.

2. Verify it.

3. Check the name, address, phone and hours against your website.

4. Choose a specific primary category.

5. Write a short description with no links or prices.

6. Upload at least five real photos.

7. Send your first ten review requests.

8. Set a monthly reminder to check hours and add a photo.

Final thoughts

A Business Profile isn't a one-time task. It is a small, living page that customers check before they decide. Keep it accurate, keep it active and answer people kindly.

Start with verification and the basics. Then add photos and reviews, and keep the details consistent across the web.

If you want a hand with your local listing and local pages, Online Workings, a Frisco SEO company, helps small businesses get found on Google Maps and in local search.

Google Business Profile Basics: Get Found by Local Customers

A plain guide to claiming, verifying and improving your Google Business Profile so nearby customers can find you.