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Your Google Business Profile Is Your Most Underused Growth Tool

By Rand Runners
December 2024 · 4 min read

When someone in your area searches "plumber Cape Town" or "hair salon near me" — who shows up? The difference between appearing at the top or not appearing at all often comes down to one completely free tool most SA businesses ignore: your Google Business Profile.

📍 Google Business Profile is free, takes 30 minutes to set up, and can be your single biggest source of new local customers.

Why it matters so much

Google shows a "map pack" — three local businesses with ratings, photos, and contact details — before any website results. Getting into that map pack is the most valuable free real estate on the internet for a local business.

Set it up in 6 steps

1

Claim your profile

Go to business.google.com and search for your business. Claim it or create it. Verify via postcard or phone.

2

Fill in every single field

Business name, address, phone, website, hours, category, description. Google rewards completeness.

3

Add at least 10 photos

Businesses with photos get 42% more direction requests. Real photos outperform stock images every time.

4

Collect reviews actively

Ask every satisfied client to leave a Google review. Send them a direct link from your dashboard. Respond to every review.

5

Post weekly updates

Google lets you post offers, events, and updates. Businesses that post weekly rank significantly higher.

6

Add your services with prices

List every service you offer. Google uses this to match you to searches you'd otherwise miss.

The one thing that moves the needle most

Reviews. A business with 50 reviews and a 4.8 rating will outrank a business with 5 reviews and a 5.0 rating almost every time. Build a system for collecting reviews immediately after every great service experience.

Want us to optimise your entire local presence?

We set up and optimise Google Business Profiles as part of all our growth packages.

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