The basics that can't be missing
- Photos: the logo isn't enough. Real photos of your location, your team, and your dishes or recent work. No stock photos: customers want to see your actual place, not a catalog one. Update them regularly.
- Hours: the hours are the first thing someone deciding to visit you looks at. If they're wrong, no photo can save it. Check them especially on holidays and seasonal changes.
- Services: clearly define what you offer. If you're a workshop, say what repairs you do; if you're a clinic, what treatments. Don't copy the description from your website; adapt it to what people search for on Google.
Frequently asked questions and reviews
Anyone can fill in the questions section, including a competitor. If you don't control it, they'll invent what you're not. You answer the typical doubts: payment methods, parking, quotes, service duration.
Reviews are the other big pillar. Asking for them isn't enough: you have to reply to them, including the bad ones. A timely thank-you and an apology with a solution are worth more than any campaign. Ask satisfied customers for reviews at the right moment, not when they've already forgotten about you.
Common mistakes that reduce your visibility
- Wrong category: if you put 'restaurant' and you're a coffee shop, Google shows you to people who aren't looking for you. Be specific: 'specialty coffee shop' or 'mechanical workshop', not just 'restaurant'.
- Incorrect address or missing map pin: you lose customers who never make it.
- Not using attributes: wifi, terrace, accessibility. These are details that filter you in search and give you an edge over the competition.
- Creating two profiles for the same business: it fragments reviews and confuses the algorithm.
Completing your profile well isn't magic, it's craftsmanship. If you'd rather not complicate things, at stanvakweb we can review your profile and your website with a free diagnosis. Your online shop window deserves someone to look at it with a discerning eye.