10 Must-Use Google Business Profile Features to Boost Your Local SEO in 2026

Did you know that 90% of consumers use Google to find local businesses? And that nearly half of all Google Business Profile views result in an action, like a call, website visit, or direction request? For many small businesses, more people contact them through their Google Business Profile than through their website.

That’s why keeping your profile active and updated is more than just a good idea—it’s essential for local SEO and customer trust. According to Google, businesses with complete profiles are 2.7 times more likely to be seen as reputable, and listings with quality photos can receive up to 42% more direction requests and 35% more clicks to their website.

Still, with so many tabs and features, managing your profile can feel overwhelming. Which features actually help you rank? What do customers care about most? What can you skip?
This guide breaks it down. You’ll learn the 10 most powerful features to focus on—whether you’re setting up your Google Business Profile for the first time or improving an existing one. Simple, practical steps that bring real results.

What’s a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile is a free tool by Google for local businesses. It helps you show up on Google Search and Google Maps. You can add your hours, phone number, address, and services. You can also share photos, answer questions, and reply to reviews. All of this helps people find and trust your business online. Whether you have one store or many, you can manage Google Business Profile from one place. It’s simple, useful, and helps bring in more local traffic.

Want to create a Google Business Profile? Our free guide will help you step by step. It shows how to set up a Google Business Profile the easy way. Once your profile is ready, you can edit it anytime. You can update your hours, phone number, or other details whenever needed. This makes it simple for customers to find you and choose your business.

Why You Should Optimise Your Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile helps people find your business on Google Search and Maps. A complete and active profile builds trust, brings more calls, and helps you rank higher in local search. Whether you run a shop, clinic, or service business, a strong profile can boost your results both online and offline.

Here’s why you should optimise Google Business Profile today:

• Get local attention
  Show up in top local search results and the Google Maps Local Pack.
• Look more trustworthy
  A complete profile with positive reviews builds trust quickly.
• Talk to customers
  Use posts, photos, and Q&A to connect directly with people.
• Improve your local SEO
  A well-managed profile helps you rank higher in local searches.
• Show off reviews
  Good reviews work like personal tips and make your profile stand out.
• Stay active and visible
  Fresh updates and content bring in more visitors.
• Help people choose you
  Clear details, opening hours, and photos help customers decide faster.
• Support mobile searches
  Many people search on phones—your profile helps them find you quickly.

10 Must-Use Features of Google Business Profile to Increase Search Visibility

Your Google Business Profile works like your online shop window. People see it before they visit your website or store. A strong profile helps you get found, build trust, and grow your local business. Below are 10 easy tips to help you optimise your Google Business Profile and bring in more customers.

 

1. Claim Your Business on Google

Before doing anything else, you must claim your Google Business Profile. This is the first and most important step. Once your profile is verified, you can edit it and start adding key details. A complete profile helps people find you and builds trust fast.

These small steps help Google understand what your business does—and help customers choose you faster.

2. Verify Your Business Info (Name, Address, Phone)

Verifying your business means checking your name, address, and phone number with Google. This helps Google show the correct details about your business. It makes sure your info is right on Google Search, Maps, and other places. Clear and correct info helps people find you and get in touch with you easily.

3. Keep Your Hours Updated

Your business hours might be different from your competitors’ hours. Google prefers to show businesses that are open right now. If your hours change, like on holidays or special days, update them in your profile. Keeping your hours current helps customers know when to visit or call you.

4. Pick the Right Business Categories

On your Google Business Profile, you need to choose one main category. You can also add a few extra categories. Pick the ones that best describe what your business does.

As of December 2025, Google offers over 4,036 Google Business Profile categories, covering a vast range of businesses, services, and industries. You can add up to 10, but it’s better to choose only the ones that truly fit your business. Clear and correct categories help Google show your profile to the right people who are looking for what you offer.

5. Fill Out Your Business Details

When setting up your Google Business Profile, start with the basics. These details help people trust your business and help Google show it correctly.

Use your real business name—don’t add extra words. Make sure your name, address, and phone number are the same on all websites. Keeping this information consistent helps your business show up in local search results.

Add as much detail as possible. Include your hours, amenities, and especially your service areas. Service areas are the towns or cities where your ideal customers live. Only include places you truly serve, not ones you rarely work in.

Be accurate and complete. Make sure your profile information matches what’s on other websites. Fill out every section you can to give customers all the details they need.

Here’s what to focus on:

• Use your legal business name only.
• Keep your name, address, and phone number consistent.
• Provide full details: hours, amenities, and services.
• List true service areas where your customers are.
• Avoid including towns you don’t actively serve.
• Match your profile info with other online listings.
• Complete every part of your profile carefully.

Doing these basics well helps your Google Business Profile work better for local SEO and builds customer trust.

6. List Your Services

It’s important to control the services you list on your Google Business Profile. If you don’t, Google may add or change services based on what users say or other data.

Be sure to list all the services you offer, but keep your main category focused on your core business. For example, a roofing company should use “roofing” as the primary category and add other services like roof cleaning, gutter cleaning, or skylight installation as extra services. If a service you offer isn’t listed by Google, you can create a custom service. Just be sure not to add any services you don’t actually provide.

Here are some tips to choose which services to list:

• Check your top competitors and see what services they offer.
• Use keyword research to find services customers search for.
• Try AI tools like ChatGPT to get service ideas based on your business.
• Always review any AI suggestions carefully before adding them.

This way, your profile shows the right services, helping customers find you for exactly what you offer.

7. Encourage and Manage Reviews

Reviews are very important for your Google Business Profile (GBP). Google reviews are crucial for businesses, with 81% of consumers checking them before engaging with a business. Google hosts the majority of online reviews (73%), making it a dominant platform. Consumers rely heavily on reviews, with 93% having made buying decisions based on them.

Just like links help your website rank higher, good reviews help Google trust your profile. This trust makes your business show up for the right searches.

Reviews help you get more visitors, calls, leads, and sales through your profile.

Every business should have a plan to get more Google reviews. It’s also important to reply quickly to every review you get.
Have someone on your team watch for new reviews. Google will send notifications when you get one. You can see these in your Google Business Profile.

Google also offers a tool to ask customers for reviews. Use it to make review requests easy.

Here are some tips for using this tool well:

• Give a device to your service provider and ask for feedback right after service.
• Make sure the customer is happy before asking for a review. This helps get better reviews.
• Never offer money or rewards for positive reviews—this breaks Google’s rules. But you can explain how reviews help your business.
• If you have a reward program for your team based on reviews, mention that to encourage customers.
• Ask for reviews in person, with a device ready. This makes it simple for customers to leave a review.
• If you have old customer lists, reach out to them and ask for reviews too.

8. Use Posts, Photos, and Q&A

Keeping your Google Business Profile updated with new posts, photos, and Q&A makes a big difference. It helps your business show up more in local searches. Regular updates tell Google that your business is active and relevant. This can help more people find you when they search for your services in your area.

Here’s how to keep your Google Business Profile simple and helpful:

• For service jobs, share photos of work you’ve done. Add the location too.
• If you run a restaurant, post clear photos of food, your space, and happy customers (only with permission).
• Dentists can show clean rooms, tools, before-and-after smiles, and friendly staff.
• You can also share news. Like new team members, special projects, or local partnerships.

Don’t forget the Q&A section. Write simple questions and answers that people often ask. Keep it fresh. Update it when needed. This helps customers trust you and Google show your profile more often.

Adding new posts and photos often helps your profile show up more.

Talk about your services and the areas you serve. This makes it easier for local people to find your business when they search on Google.

9. Promote Offers and Events

Adding events and special offers to your Google Business Profile helps people find your business more easily. It’s a great way to show what’s new or exciting. Always share real deals—don’t make up fake ones. Not every small business will have events or promotions, but if you do, make sure to post them. Keeping this information updated helps customers see what’s happening and makes them more likely to visit, call, or choose your business.

10. Track How You’re Doing with Insights

Use several tools to track your local SEO, like Google Analytics 4, Search Console, and call or lead tracking software.

Your Google Business Profile also has a performance report. Google Business Profile (GBP) performance, tracked through its Performance dashboard, shows significant increases in key metrics like views, clicks, and directions, particularly as pandemic restrictions eased.

It shows data about how people interact with your profile—calls, clicks, and more.

Some of this data is available in other tools, but the GBP report helps you see how your profile is doing.

This helps you check if your work is bringing more calls, bookings, and website visits.

Get Found Everywhere, Not Just Google

To grow your business online, being on Google is important. But it’s not the only place people search. Many people also use Bing and other websites. Your business should be easy to find everywhere.

If you list your business on many trusted sites, more people can see it. This helps bring more customers and makes your business look more trustworthy online.

Here are some simple steps to help more people find you:

Bing Places for Business

Google is the most popular search engine, and many people use it every day to find local businesses. That’s why we often focus on Google when talking about online visibility.

But not everyone uses Google. Some people still search using Bing. So, it’s important to make sure your business is listed there too.

Being visible on Bing Places helps more people find you. It also makes your business look more trustworthy online.

Even better, showing up on many websites can help your Google ranking, too. The more places your business is listed, the stronger your online presence becomes.

If you haven’t claimed your Bing Places listing, do it soon. It’s a simple step that can help you reach more local customers.

Local directories and citation sites

After you add your business name, address, and phone number (called NAP) to Google Business Profile and Bing Places, check other websites where your business might be listed. Make sure your information is the same on all of them. This helps search engines trust your business.

If your business is not listed on some sites, add it there. This will help more people find you online.

Having your business listed on many sites also creates links, which can help your Google ranking.

Moz has lists of websites by category that can help you find places to add your business.

You can also use tools like WebPT Local. This tool helps you manage your business info on many sites at once and keeps your details correct and updated.

Google Maps and Google Search apps

Google My Business is now called Google Business Profile, and the old app is no longer available. To manage your profile on your phone, you can use the Google Maps and Google Search apps. These apps let you edit your profile, share updates, and see who follows you. But they don’t have as many features as the desktop (computer) version. So, it might be easier to use a computer to manage your profile.

Google also gives easy guides to help you update your profile on your phone. This article shares some helpful tips for improving your local SEO, but there are many more ways to make your profile better. No business can do everything perfectly, but following these tips will help you get noticed.

Having a good Google Business Profile makes it easier for customers to find your business online. Since Google wants to connect people with the right businesses, having a strong profile is very important for your success.

Top Tools to Beat the Competition in 2026

To stay ahead in the competitive world of local search, you need the right tools and strategies. In 2026, using strong local SEO platforms can help boost your visibility, manage your online reputation, and attract more customers. Here are some top tools that can help your business beat the competition and succeed in the changing digital world.

Birdeye Listings AI

Birdeye Listings AI helps you manage your business online easily. It makes sure your business information is correct and the same on more than 50 websites. This helps more people find you when they search online and stops your business from showing up more than once by mistake.

Here are the key features:

• It updates your business info on over 50 websites all by itself.
• It keeps your Google Business Profile up to date instantly.
• It finds and removes duplicate listings so there’s no confusion.
• It gives easy-to-understand reports if you have many locations.
• It helps you manage all your business locations in one place.

Birdeye Listings AI makes sure your business info is right everywhere online. This helps more people find your business easily.

Whitespark

Whitespark is a tool that helps local businesses get found online. It works by creating and managing citations, which are mentions of your business on other websites. Whitespark lets you see how well your business shows up in local searches and how you compare to other businesses.

Here are some important features:

• It checks where your business ranks in local searches.
• It helps you find and manage your business listings on many websites.
• It helps you collect and organise reviews from your customers.
• It keeps track of the reviews and responses you get.
• It lets you watch what your competitors are doing.

In short, Whitespark helps your business show up better in local searches and get more customers.

Semrush

Semrush is a useful tool that helps businesses get found more easily on search engines like Google. It helps you find the best words people use when searching for your business nearby. Semrush also lets you check what your competitors are doing, so you can improve and get more customers.

Key features include:

• Tools to find and track local keywords
• Website checks with tips to make it better
• Help with content to get more attention online

Semrush is great for businesses that want to improve their local search results and online marketing.

Moz Local

Moz Local helps businesses keep their information correct and the same across many local websites. This makes it easier for customers to find them in local searches. It also shows how well your business is doing and lets you see what your competitors are up to, so you can improve your local SEO.

Here are the main features:

• It automatically updates your business info on different websites.
• It finds and fixes wrong or old business details online.
• It shows how well your business is doing in local searches.
• It removes extra or duplicate listings so only one is shown.
• It keeps your business info up to date right away.

Moz Local is perfect for businesses that want to keep their online information correct and easy to find by local customers.

Tips for Making the Most of Google Business Features

Google sends out a monthly newsletter with updates about new features. They also have a YouTube channel with tutorials and news about Google Business Profile.

As Google adds tools like AI writing helpers, keep these three points in mind:

1. Be fresh and complete. Always keep your profile up to date and fill in all the details. Use special features that fit your business to show up more often in searches.
2. Tools aren’t the same as features. You don’t have to use every tool Google offers. Sometimes it’s better to write your own descriptions and details.
3. Watch the important news, ignore the noise. Stay informed about big changes, but don’t stress over every tiny update.

Think of your Google Business Profile like your website or your shop’s front—it’s a key way to connect with customers and grow your business.

 

To Sum Up

A well-optimised Google Business Profile can really help your local SEO. By using these ten easy tips, you can make your profile more visible, get more people interested, and bring in more customers.

Start using these strategies today. Keep an eye on how your profile is doing and update it often to stay ahead of your competition. The more work you put into improving your Google Business Profile, the better results you’ll see for your business. Having a strong Google Business Profile is very important for boosting your local SEO and getting more customers. By following these ten tips, your business will stand out in local search and stay ahead of others.

Want to improve your local SEO? Contact Aus Asia Online today! We can help you make your Google Business Profile better and help your business grow faster!