Your Google Business Profile is your most important marketing asset — here's how to use it
Most Victoria business owners set up their Google Business Profile once — entered their address, maybe added a phone number — and never touched it again. Meanwhile, the businesses ranking above them in local search are actively managing theirs every week. The gap between a neglected profile and an optimized one is significant, and closing it costs nothing but time.
What Google Business Profile actually controls
Your GBP controls what appears in Google Maps results, the local pack (the three businesses shown with a map at the top of local searches), and the Knowledge Panel that shows up when someone searches your business name directly. It's often the first — and sometimes the only — thing a potential customer sees before deciding whether to click through to your website.
The profile elements that matter most
Business category: Choose the most specific primary category available. 'Spa' outperforms 'Health & Beauty.' Description: 250 words, naturally mentioning your services, Victoria location, and neighbourhoods you serve. Don't keyword-stuff — write for a human. Photos: Upload at least 15 high-quality photos including exterior, interior, team, and service examples. Profiles with 100+ photos get 520% more calls than those with fewer than 10. Attributes: Answer every applicable question — outdoor seating, wheelchair accessible, LGBTQ+ friendly, etc.
Posts: the feature almost no one uses
Google Business Profile lets you publish posts — updates, offers, events, new products — that appear on your profile for seven days. Almost no local businesses use this consistently. A business that posts once a week signals activity to Google's algorithm and gives searchers a reason to engage. Posts take 5 minutes to write and have a meaningful impact on profile visibility.
Questions & Answers: monitor and seed it
Anyone can ask — and answer — questions on your GBP, including your competitors. Check your Q&A section regularly and answer every question promptly. You can also ask and answer your own FAQs to pre-emptively address common questions. Think of the questions you get asked most at the front desk and put them here.
Insights: what to look at
GBP Insights shows you how many people found your profile via direct search (searched your name) vs discovery search (found you searching a category), how many requested directions, called, or clicked to your website. Track these monthly. If direction requests are low but impressions are high, your listing is visible but something is preventing action — often a lack of reviews or incomplete information.
Keeping it fresh
Update your hours for holidays and seasonal changes — inaccurate hours are one of the most common causes of negative reviews. Add new photos monthly. Respond to every review within 48 hours. Publish a post at least twice a month. That's a 30-minute monthly routine that outpaces the vast majority of your local competitors.
Put this into practice automatically
VictoriaBiz AI handles review requests, responses, and local content — built for Victoria businesses.
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