When someone searches for "dentist near me" or "cafe in Thamel", the first thing they usually see is a map with three businesses on it. Those three get most of the calls, directions requests and visits. Being one of them can matter more than ranking first in the normal results below.
Your position in that map pack is mostly driven by your Google Business Profile. Here is how to improve it.
Claim and verify your profile
If you have not already, search for your business on Google Maps and claim it, or create a new profile at business.google.com. Verification can take a few days. Until it is done, you cannot control what appears.
Choose the right categories
Your primary category is one of the strongest local ranking signals. Pick the most specific option that describes your main service, such as "Pediatric dentist" rather than just "Dentist" if that is what you do. Then add secondary categories for your other main services.
Fill in everything
Google favours complete profiles, and so do customers. Make sure you have:
- your exact business name, without extra keywords added;
- the correct address, or service area if you visit customers;
- phone number, website and opening hours, including holiday hours;
- a clear description of what you do and where;
- your services or products, with short descriptions.
Make sure your business name, address and phone number are written exactly the same way on your profile, your website and directories. Small differences can confuse Google.
Add real photos regularly
Profiles with recent, genuine photos tend to get more clicks and calls. Add photos of your premises inside and out, your team, and your work or products. Add new ones every month or so, rather than all at once.
Get more reviews, and reply to them
Reviews affect both your ranking and whether people choose you. The simplest way to get more is to ask every happy customer, at the right moment, with a direct link to leave a review.
Reply to every review, good or bad. A calm, helpful reply to a negative review often reassures future customers more than the review worries them. Never buy reviews or offer rewards for positive ones. It breaks Google's rules and can get your profile suspended.
"More reviews help, but steady reviews help more. Ten a month for a year beats a hundred in one week."
Post updates
Google Business Profile lets you publish short posts with offers, news and events. They do not need to be frequent, but posting every week or two shows Google and customers that the business is active.
Support it with your website
Your profile and website work together. Make sure your website:
- has a page for each main service, mentioning the areas you serve;
- shows your address, phone number and a map on the contact page;
- loads quickly on mobile, since most local searches happen on phones.
Track the results
Your profile's Performance section shows how many people viewed it, called you, asked for directions or clicked to your website. Check it monthly so you can see whether your changes are working.
What to do next
Start with categories and completeness, then build a simple habit of asking for reviews and adding photos. These steps cost nothing but time, and for local businesses they are often the highest return marketing work available.
Our free audit includes a check of your Google Business Profile and local SEO, alongside your website and ads.
Mountics is a digital marketing agency in Kathmandu, Nepal. We write about the paid ads, SEO, social and conversion work we do in client accounts every week.