How do I use my Google Business Profile to get found on Google?

Your Google Business Profile is a free listing that helps local customers find you on Google Search and Google Maps. To make it work, claim and verify your profile, keep your hours, address, and contact details current, and add photos, posts, and services on a regular basis. Small, consistent updates tell Google your business is active and help you show up when people nearby are searching.

A quick walkthrough of the free tool most businesses overlook. Prefer to read? Keep going.

You are running ads. You are posting on social media. You are doing the things everyone keeps telling you to do.

And still, it feels like the people right in your own backyard cannot find you.

Here is the part almost no one stops to check. There is a free tool sitting right there, already connected to the biggest search engine in the world, and most businesses have barely touched it.

I have been talking about your Google Business Profile for years, and I am going to keep talking about it, because it is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to get found, and it is the thing I see overlooked more than almost anything else.

The Free Tool Hiding in Plain Sight

You Are Paying for Ads but Skipping the Free Stuff

This one comes up constantly. Business owners pour money into ads and social media, while the free tool that puts them on the map, literally, sits there unclaimed or untouched.

I once spoke with a local business owner who was spending hundreds of dollars a month on ads, but had not updated their profile in over a year. I had another business come to us for a marketing audit that was spending thousands on Google ads through an outside company and did not even have a Google Business Profile set up at all. They were paying for traffic while missing the local searches happening right in their own backyard.

Here is what to do right now: open Google and search your own business name and city, the way a customer would. See what shows up. If your profile is missing, out of date, or not claimed, that is your starting point.

Your Profile Looks Empty, and Google Notices

A bare profile does not give anyone a reason to choose you, and it does not give Google much to work with either. Photos do a lot of the heavy lifting here. Profiles with photos get far more clicks than the ones without.

When I work with business owners on this, the difference a few additions make is real. One owner added fresh photos, updated their hours, and started posting, and saw a 25 percent increase in profile views within two months. Same business. They simply gave it a profile that finally reflected what they do.

Here is what to do right now: add five to ten current photos this week. Your storefront, your team, your work, your products. Real photos of the real thing.

You Set It and Forgot It

A profile you claimed three years ago and never touched again quietly tells people your business might not be active anymore. Consistency is what keeps it working, and the good news is that consistency here does not mean hours of effort.

Think of your profile posts like quick social media updates. You can share an event, a promotion, or even a simple tip. You can add videos. You can respond to reviews. None of it has to be complicated. It just has to keep happening.

Here is what to do right now: set a reminder for ten minutes once a week. Use it to add a post, swap a photo, or reply to a review. That is the whole routine.

You Are Treating It Like a Standalone

Your Google Business Profile is not an island. It works best when it backs up everything else you are already doing. If you are running Facebook or Instagram ads, your profile can echo those same promotions. If you just posted a reel, a shorter version can live on your profile too.

That is the work smarter, not harder part. You are not creating brand new content for one more place. You are repurposing what you already have so your visibility grows across more than one platform.

Here is what to do right now: take your most recent social post and reshare a short version of it on your Google Business Profile today.

Where Do You Start?

If you read this far, you already did the most important thing. You stopped to look at something most business owners ignore, and that alone puts you ahead.

Here is the short version of what matters:

• Claim and verify your Google Business Profile if you have not already

• Keep your hours, address, and contact details accurate

• Add real photos, posts, and your services or products

• Use it alongside your other marketing instead of on its own

• Show up consistently with small, ten-minute weekly updates

You do not have to do all of it today. Pick one thing, do it this week, and let it build from there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating, claiming, and managing your Google Business Profile is completely free. You can add photos, posts, and services, and respond to reviews without paying anything, which is exactly why it is such a missed opportunity for so many businesses.

How often should I update my Google Business Profile?
A good rhythm is about ten minutes once a week. Use that time to add a post, swap in a fresh photo, respond to reviews, or update any details that have changed. Consistent activity signals to Google that your business is active and current.

Does my Google Business Profile really help me get found?
Yes, especially for local searches. When someone nearby searches for what you offer on Google or Google Maps, your profile is often the first thing they see. A complete, active profile gives you a much better chance of showing up and earning the click.

If reading this made you realize your profile has been sitting there unused, you are not behind. You just found an easy win. If you want a second set of eyes on your online presence and a clear next step, book a free 15-minute call with me atkristinastubblefield.com/book-a-call. No pressure, just a conversation.

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