How to Choose the Best Website Designer in Albury NSW
If you’re searching for website designers in Albury NSW, there are several strong options to consider. We’ve reviewed local providers and created a shortlist of five agencies to…
If you run a local business and you haven’t spent time on your Google Business Profile, you’re leaving one of the most valuable free marketing tools on the table. It’s the listing that appears when someone searches for your business or finds you on Google Maps — and for a lot of potential customers, it’s the first thing they see before they ever visit your website.
Getting it right doesn’t take long, but the difference between a basic listing and a well-optimised one is significant. Here’s how to make yours work as hard as possible.
This sounds obvious, but a surprising number of businesses are either unclaimed or unverified on Google Business Profile. An unclaimed listing means you have no control over the information being displayed — and Google will display whatever it can find, which isn’t always accurate.
Claiming and verifying your profile takes a few minutes and gives you full control over how your business appears in search results and on Google Maps. It’s the non-negotiable first step.
Google rewards completeness. The more information you provide, the better your chances of appearing in local search results. That means your business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, service areas, business category, and a thorough description of what you do.
Pay particular attention to your primary and secondary categories — these tell Google what kind of business you are and directly influence which searches you appear for. Choose them carefully and make sure your primary category is as specific as possible.
Your business description is not the place for generic filler. Use it to clearly explain what you do, who you serve, where you’re located, and what makes your business worth choosing. Include relevant keywords naturally — terms your potential customers would actually search for — but write it for people first, not search engines.
You have 750 characters to work with. Use them.
Businesses with photos on their Google Business Profile receive significantly more clicks and direction requests than those without. Add high quality images of your premises, your team, your work, and your products or services. Cover photo and logo should be sharp and on-brand.
Don’t treat photos as a one-time upload. Google favours profiles that are regularly updated, and fresh photos signal that your business is active. Aim to add new images consistently — especially after completing notable projects or work.
Google Posts are short updates that appear directly on your Business Profile — and most businesses completely ignore them. They can be used to share offers, announce news, highlight services, or promote upcoming events. They show up in your listing and give potential customers a reason to engage before they’ve even clicked through to your website.
Posting regularly also signals to Google that your profile is active, which can positively influence your local ranking. Even one post per week makes a difference over time.
Reviews are one of the most powerful trust signals on your Google Business Profile. The volume of reviews, the average rating, and how recently they were left all influence both your local ranking and whether a potential customer chooses you over a competitor.
The most effective way to get reviews is simply to ask. After a job is done or a service is delivered, send a follow-up message with a direct link to your review page. Make it as easy as possible and most happy customers will take two minutes to leave one.
Just as important — respond to every review. Thank the positive ones genuinely and handle the negative ones professionally. How you respond to criticism tells potential customers as much about your business as the review itself.
Nothing erodes trust faster than showing up to a business that Google says is open, only to find it closed. Keep your hours accurate, update them for public holidays, and make sure your phone number and address are always current.
If your business moves, changes its hours, or adds new services, your Google Business Profile should be the first place you update.
The Questions and Answers section on your profile allows anyone to ask — and anyone to answer — questions about your business. That means if you’re not managing it, someone else might be answering on your behalf, not always accurately.
Get ahead of it by posting and answering your own frequently asked questions. Think about what potential customers commonly want to know before they call — pricing, service areas, availability, parking — and address those questions directly in this section.
Google Business Profile provides insights into how people are finding your listing, what searches triggered it, how many people clicked through to your website, and how many requested directions or called you directly. Check these regularly.
The data tells you what’s working and where there’s room to improve. If your profile is getting impressions but not clicks, that’s a signal that something — your photos, your reviews, your description — needs attention.
The businesses that get the most out of Google Business Profile are the ones that treat it as an active part of their marketing, not a box to tick once and forget. Regular updates, fresh photos, consistent review collection, and timely responses add up to a profile that ranks well, builds trust, and converts searchers into customers.
For local businesses in Albury and surrounds, it’s one of the highest-return things you can do — and most of it costs nothing but a little time.
Book a free website audit.
We’ll review your website, search visibility, AI readiness and competitor analysis, then tell you exactly what we’d improve.
