To set up a Google Business Profile, claim your listing at google.com/business, verify by post or video, then complete every field: exact business name, primary category, service areas, hours, phone, website and photos. Category and review count affect map ranking most. Verification usually takes about a week.
Primary category matters more than anything else you control. Google decides which searches you are eligible for largely from this one field, so pick the most specific one that fits and add secondary categories for the rest.
Review count and recency come next. A business with 40 recent reviews beats one with 200 reviews from four years ago. This is why I include an automatic review system, because doing it by hand always stops after a fortnight.
Service areas matter for trades. List the suburbs you actually work in. Listing all of Melbourne to cast a wider net does the opposite, because Google reads it as low relevance for every one of them.
Stuffing keywords into your business name breaks Google guidelines and gets listings suspended. It works right up until the day it costs you the whole listing.
Posting weekly updates has almost no ranking effect. Do it if you enjoy it. Do not do it instead of getting reviews.
Go to google.com/business, search for your business in case a listing already exists, claim it or create one, then verify by postcard or video call. Complete every field afterwards, especially the primary category. Verification usually takes about a week.
The usual causes are an unverified listing, a category that does not match what people search, no reviews, or a service area so broad Google cannot tell where you are relevant. Distance from the searcher also matters and you cannot change that one.
Postcard verification takes about a week. Video verification is often same day. If a postcard does not arrive within a fortnight you can request another.
They are separate rankings, the map pack and the normal blue links, but they feed each other. A strong profile with consistent details and real reviews supports the website, and the website supports the profile. Doing one without the other leaves results on the table.
I build websites for Melbourne businesses and do the search work as part of it. $225 per month, no build fee.
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