Google Business Profile: how to show up on Google Maps with your local business

Practical guide to your Google listing for local businesses: category, NAP, reviews, photos and posts. With real data on why the map outweighs the website on mobile.

When someone searches "plumber Ourense" or "psychologist Vigo" on their phone, the first thing they see isn't websites: it's a map with three businesses. That block comes from the Google Business Profile listing (formerly Google My Business), and for a local business it's probably the most important shop window it has.

Why the listing matters so much

For a psychology practice in Vigo I work with, the same website had an average position of 9.9 on mobile and 27.4 on desktop. Seventeen positions apart. The reason: on mobile Google gives huge weight to the map, and the map is fed by the listing.

9.9 Average position on mobile
</div>
<div class="stat-callout">
    <span class="stat-value">27.4</span>
    <span class="stat-label">Average position on desktop</span>
    
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<div class="stat-callout">
    <span class="stat-value">3</span>
    <span class="stat-label">Businesses in the map pack</span>
    
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In other words: you can have the best website in the world and not show up on mobile if your listing is neglected. If you would rather not fight with all of this, it is what I do in Google listing and local SEO.

1. Claim and verify your listing

Search for your business on Google Maps. If it already exists (Google creates listings from public data), claim it with "Own this business?". If not, create it at business.google.com. Verification is usually by video, phone or postcard.

Check who is the primary owner: if an agency or former employee created it, ask them to transfer it. It's the only role that can't be removed from inside.

2. The primary category is the most important decision

Google uses the primary category to decide which searches you appear for. Choose the one that describes what you most want to sell, not the most generic. Add secondary categories only if you truly offer that service.

3. Identical name, address and phone everywhere (NAP)

Use exactly the same name, address and phone on your listing, your website and directories. If one says "X Street, 8" and another "X Street, 8, ground floor, unit 4", Google doubts they're the same business.

The name must be your real business name. Stuffing keywords into it goes against Google's guidelines and can get the listing suspended.

4. Reviews: what moves the most, in one place

Reviews weigh the most for ranking in the map on competitive searches:

  • Always ask for reviews on Google, not spread across platforms.
  • Make the link easy: the listing has a button to share the direct "write a review" link. Send it by WhatsApp or print a QR code for the counter.
  • Reply to all of them, including negative ones, politely.

5. Photos, hours and services

  • Real photos: storefront, interior and team.
  • Up-to-date hours, including holidays.
  • Services and products with descriptions.
  • Exact website link, so people don't go through redirects.

6. Posts: little effort, good signal

You can post news, offers or events right on the listing. Once every two or three weeks tells Google the business is alive.

What you don't need (and shouldn't do)

  • Buying reviews or trading them for discounts: it breaks the rules and Google ends up removing them.
  • Creating several listings for the same business at made-up addresses.
  • Changing the name often to add keywords.
And your website, what score does it get? Try the free SEO checker and see what it's missing

Frequently asked questions

How long until my business appears on the map?

A verified listing appears within days, but climbing on competitive searches takes weeks or months and depends mostly on reviews and the user's distance.

Do I need a website if I have a Google listing?

The listing brings calls, but the website is what convinces and what ranks for more specific searches. Ideally they reinforce each other: that's how I work on the Google listing, web design and SEO in Ourense and SEO in Vigo.

Can I have a listing without premises open to the public?

Yes. If you serve clients at home or remotely you can hide the address and set a service area.

Want me to handle it?

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