Google Business Profile: showing up on Google Maps
On mobile, Google's first screen isn't websites: it's three businesses on a map. If your listing is neglected you're not there, no matter how good your website is.
Real case: the same site had average position 9.9 on mobile and 27.4 on desktop. Those seventeen places came from the map, not the website.
Why the listing matters more than the website
Working on the SEO for a psychology practice in Vigo I ran into the one figure that sums up this whole service: the same website, on the same day, had an average position of 9.9 on mobile and 27.4 on desktop.
It isn't that the site worked better on mobile. It's that on mobile Google gives the first screen to the map block, and that block isn't fed by the website: it's fed by the listing. Seventeen positions of difference that no amount of work on the site will fix.
If your client searches from a phone — and in local searches most of them do — the listing is your ranking.
What I actually do
Not "optimising the listing" in the abstract. This list:
- Claim or create the listing and check who the primary owner is. If a previous agency or a former employee created it, that role can't be removed from the inside: it has to be transferred, and it's the single thing that most often blocks everything else.
- Pick the primary category, the heaviest decision of all. Google uses it to decide which searches you appear for. Most listings I review carry the generic category instead of the one for what they actually want to sell.
- Line up the NAP: name, address and phone identical character by character on the listing, your site, directories and your professional body. One "unit 4" that shows up in one place and not another is enough for Google to doubt you're the same business.
- Services and products described one by one, which associates you with more searches without building new pages.
- Real photos of the storefront, interior and team, and opening hours with the holidays filled in.
- Wire the website to the listing with the exact URL, no redirects, and local-business structured data on the site saying the same thing as the listing.
- Set up your review system: the direct "write a review" link, as a QR code or ready to send over WhatsApp, plus a short script for asking without being a nuisance.
What I don't do, and why I'm telling you
- I don't buy reviews or trade them for discounts. Google detects and removes them, and at worst suspends your listing. A suspended listing takes weeks to recover, if it recovers.
- I don't stuff keywords into the business name. It breaks the guidelines and is grounds for suspension. It's tempting because it works for a few months.
- I don't create extra listings at addresses that aren't yours.
All of this can be done, and some people do it. It's also what turns an asset that brings you clients into a problem. If someone offers it to you, now you know what they're selling.
How it's measured
Google gives you the data inside the listing itself, and it's better than the website's: how often you appeared on the map, how many asked for directions, how many called, and exactly what they searched to find you. That last one usually changes what you thought you were selling.
Every month I send you that crossed with Search Console: map searches, calls, new reviews and position on the searches you care about. No lock-in.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a listing without premises open to the public?
Yes. If you visit clients, see them by appointment or work remotely, the address is hidden and a service area is defined. It's the norm for professionals and for trades that travel.
How long until my business shows on the map?
A verified listing appears within days. Climbing on competitive searches takes weeks or months, and depends mostly on reviews and how far away the person searching is. That last part can't be changed, which is why choosing the right searches matters.
Do I need a website if I have the listing?
The listing brings calls, but it falls short as soon as the search gets specific, and it won't convince someone who is still deciding. What works is the two reinforcing each other: the listing gets you on the map and the site closes. If you don't have a site, see web design and SEO in Ourense.
What if my listing already exists and is wrong?
That's the most common case, because Google creates listings on its own from public data. It gets claimed, corrected and cleaned of whatever it dragged along: old categories, wrong hours or a website that no longer exists.
Do you work outside Galicia?
Yes. The listing is worked remotely for any city in Spain. In Ourense and nearby we can meet in person if you'd rather.
Related work
What it costs
Real starting prices, so you know whether we are a fit before writing to me. The quote is fixed after the free audit: no surprises halfway through.
- Custom software — from €3,500. Intranet, automation, a dashboard wired to your ERP or an industrial catalogue with its own admin panel. Scope agreed in writing before we start.
- Website + full SEO — from €1,290. New site or redesign up to 10 pages, technical SEO, one page per service, Google listing and a migration that keeps your rankings.
- Monthly SEO — €290/month. New content, Google listing, local links and a report on rankings and enquiries. No lock-in: leave whenever you want.
The smallest site worth building is 3 pages: €195, at €65 per page. Below that it does not pay off for either of us.
Prices exclude VAT. As a business or freelancer, you deduct it.