You set it up once. Maybe you added a logo. Maybe you verified it and then you never opened it again.
Don’t worry, we’ve all done it, including me.
The truth is though, that for solo founders, your Google Business Profile isn’t a ‘nice to have’ sitting quietly in the background. It’s a free, always-on trust-builder, working for you (or not working for you) every time someone searches your name before they book, buy, or send that first enquiry email.
And the good news? You don’t need a lot of time or content to use it well. So in the spirit of being helpful, I’ve put together a checklist to help you make the most of your GBP…
Post like you mean it
Google lets you post updates directly to your profile, which most business owners have no idea about, don’t know how to set it up or didn’t even know this facility existed.
You can use posts for:
- Upcoming events; workshops, pop-ups, launches
- Special offers; even a small one shows you’re active
- Anything time-sensitive; it shows you’re still active, still keen as mustard to work with people. So shout from the roof tops!
This is free marketing basically; it’s like dressing a shop window.
Add photos that build trust for you.
This is the bit people underestimate most. Photos on your profile aren’t decoration; they’re doing quite emotional work before a client has even spoken to you.
Think about what a nervous new client actually wants to know:
- Can I find this place? Add an entrance shot. If you’re tucked away, tricky to find, or above a shop with three other buzzers, show them exactly what to look for.
- What am I walking into? If you’re a holistic therapist, coach, or run any kind of in-person session, add a photo of your treatment room, studio, or workspace. It turns ‘unknown’ into ‘oh, that looks lovely’ before they’ve even arrived.
- What’s it actually like to work with you? A customer journey shot, the setup, the process, a candid moment mid-session, says more than a paragraph of copy ever could.
None of this needs a photographer. It needs you, your phone, and decent light.
Treat your reviews like the marketing gold they are
Reviews aren’t just nice validation for your ego (though being honest, they really are wonderful to receive) They’re one of the most persuasive, least-effort marketing assets you have.
- Use them everywhere, your website, your socials, your email signature. Someone else saying ‘she was brilliant’ will always land harder than you saying it about yourself.
- Link directly to your reviews from your website. Make it stupidly easy for a potential client to go and check you’re legit.
- Ask for them. Most happy clients will leave one, they just need the nudge and the link.
Reply to every single review, yes, even the negative nelly’s
Replying to reviews, good or bad, shows you’re a real, present human running a real business, not a logo hiding behind a screen. A warm reply to a glowing review reinforces the relationship. A calm, gracious reply to a critical one shows potential clients exactly how you handle things when they don’t go perfectly.
That’s not damage control. That’s confidence.
Don’t panic
You don’t need to overhaul everything today. Pick one thing from this list, the photo, the post, the review reply you’ve been putting off, and do that one thing this week. I’ve even used the copy and artwork from a social media post on my GBP before, to promote The Marketing Mix Lab – don’t spend ages creating new content for this, just use what you already have!
Your Google Business Profile isn’t asking for perfection. It’s asking to be used.