Search for an electrician or a dentist in Belmont and the first thing on the screen is a little map with three businesses. Plenty of people choose from those three and never scroll further.
Those three spots are picked largely from Google Business Profiles. Category, completeness, reviews and proximity all count. Your address won't change, but a profile that's thorough, correct and consistent with your site is well within reach, and it's frequently the least expensive improvement a local business can make.
Our eight-point check
| Part of the profile | What we check |
|---|---|
| Main category | Nothing on the profile carries more weight. An almost-right choice quietly costs calls. |
| Extra categories | Used sparingly, for real lines of work only, so Google still knows your specialty. |
| Name, address, phone | Exactly the same as your website, suite number and all. |
| Service area | The towns you really drive to, like Belmont, Cramerton, Mount Holly and McAdenville, not half the state. |
| Services | Worded in customer language, with each one pointing to a matching page. |
| Photos | Recent shots of work, crew, vehicles or storefront, plus the gaps worth filling. |
| Reviews | Count, freshness, your replies, and a simple routine for collecting new ones. |
| Website link | Pointing at the matching page instead of the home page. |
What you get
A brief, ranked punch list. Most owners knock it out over a lunch break. Clients on the SEO plan get a new one monthly.
Maps listing questions
Do I have to give you my Google login?
Never. The check uses only what anyone can see on Google. You make the changes yourself from our list, or grant temporary manager access and pull it back when we're done.
How fast will it help?
Some fixes, like correcting a category or a stale phone number, can move things within weeks. Building up reviews and photos pays off over months.
I work from my truck, not a shop. Does this apply?
It does. Google lets mobile businesses keep a home address private and show a list of served towns instead.
Is your website helping or just sitting there?
Send Roger the link. He'll look at it on his phone like a Belmont customer would, search for you the way they would, and email back the one change he'd make first. It's free, and nobody will chase you afterward.