Google Business Profile: steps to help customers find you in Athens

When someone searches for “bakery Pangrati” or “accounting firm Marousi”, the first results they see are often businesses on the map. These come from Google Business Profile, the free business profile on Google Search and Google Maps.

Google says that local results are based mainly on three things: relevance to the search, distance and how well known the business is. You cannot control distance. The other two depend to a large extent on how complete and active your profile is.

Claiming and verification

First, search for your business name on Maps. A profile may already exist, in which case you claim it instead of creating a new one. Two profiles for the same business confuse both customers and Google.

Next comes verification. Google shows you the methods available, such as a short video of your premises, a phone call or an email, depending on the business. Until verification is complete, your changes may not appear publicly.

If you serve customers at their own location and do not receive visitors, you can hide your address and specify the areas you cover, for example particular municipalities in Attica.

The details that must be correct

• Name: exactly as you use it on your shopfront, your receipts and your website. Google's guidelines do not allow you to add keywords or locations to the name.
• Primary category: the most specific one that describes you. Add additional categories only if they match services you really offer.
• Opening hours: your regular hours, and also special hours for public holidays such as Easter or 15 August. A customer who finds you closed when Google said you were open is unlikely to come back.
• Address and phone number: the same everywhere, on your website, your social media and in business directories. If you have changed your number or moved, update every listing, not just the profile.
• Website: a link to the page that helps the customer most. If you have several stores, each profile can lead to the page of its own store.
• Description and services: what you do, for whom and where, in plain language, without exaggeration or capital letters.

Photos and updates

Upload real photos: your shopfront, so people can easily find the entrance, as well as the interior, your team and your products. Stock photos say nothing about your own business. Refresh them when something changes, such as the shop window or the collection.

From the profile you can post updates, offers and events. They do not need to be daily, but they do need to be current. An offer that expired last month shows a profile that nobody looks after.

Reviews and replies

Reviews affect both your visibility and the customer's decision. Ask every customer for a review in the same way, using the link or QR code that the profile itself gives you. Do not offer anything in return and do not pick only the satisfied customers, because both go against Google's policies.

Reply to all reviews, including the negative ones. A calm, specific reply shows the next reader how you handle a problem. If requests and replies involve several people on your team or several locations, a tool such as ReviewDesk helps you organise them.

Nobody can guarantee you a place on the map. A complete, accurate and active profile, however, gives Google and your customers what they need to choose you.