If someone searches for your business right now, what do they find?
If the answer is “not much” — or worse, nothing — you have a problem. And the fix is free, takes less than an hour, and most of your competitors haven’t bothered doing it properly.It’s called Google Business Profile. And it’s the single most overlooked marketing tool I see with Irish small businesses.
What it is and why it matters
Google Business Profile is the box that appears on the right-hand side of Google when someone searches for your business by name. It’s also what shows up when someone types “electrician near me” or “accountant in Thurles” or “gift shop Kilkenny.”
It shows your address, phone number, opening hours, photos, reviews, and a link to your website.
When it’s set up properly, it tells Google: this business is real, it’s active, and it’s relevant to people searching in this area. Google rewards that with visibility.
When it’s not set up — or half-set-up — you’re invisible to people who are actively looking for exactly what you do.
That’s not a small thing.
How to set it up
Go to google.com/business and sign in with your Google account.
Search for your business name. If it already exists — which it might, Google sometimes creates listings automatically — claim it. If it doesn’t exist, create it from scratch.
Then fill in every single field. Not just the basics. Every field.
Business name, address, phone number, website, opening hours, business category, and a description of what you do. Write the description in plain English. Who you help, what you do for them, and where you’re based. Two or three sentences is plenty.
Add photos. Real ones. At least five. Your premises, your work, yourself if you’re comfortable. People buy from people they feel they know. A photo of an actual human being does more for trust than any amount of text.
Google will post you a verification code to confirm your address is real. Enter it when it arrives. Until you do that, your listing won’t show up properly.
That’s it. You’re live.
The three things most Irish businesses get wrong
They set it up once and never touch it again.
Google rewards active listings. That means updating your hours when they change, posting updates occasionally, and responding to reviews. You don’t need to post every week. But a listing that hasn’t been touched in two years sends a signal that the business might not be active. Google takes note of that.
They ignore their reviews.
If someone leaves you a five-star review and you say nothing, you’ve missed a chance to show future customers that you’re a real person who cares. If someone leaves a negative review and you ignore it, it sits there doing damage indefinitely.
Respond to every review. Thank people who leave good ones. Address negative ones calmly and professionally. One sentence is enough. It shows you’re paying attention.
They pick the wrong business category.
Your primary category is one of the most important things Google uses to decide when to show your listing. “Marketing Consultant” and “Business Management Consultant” will show up in different searches. Think about what your ideal customer would actually type into Google, and make sure your category matches that.
Getting your first reviews without it feeling awkward
Most small business owners feel uncomfortable asking for reviews. I understand that. But the reality is, happy customers are usually delighted to leave one — they just don’t think to do it unless you ask.
The simplest way: after a good piece of work, send a short message or email. Something like — “Really glad that worked out for you. If you ever have a moment, a Google review would mean a lot to the business. Here’s the link.” That’s it. No script needed. Just ask.
Get that link by logging into your Google Business Profile, going to “Ask for Reviews,” and copying the direct link. Send it to every happy customer from here on in. Ten genuine reviews will do more for your local visibility than almost anything else.
One last thing
Google Business Profile won’t solve everything. It won’t fix a confusing website or a message that doesn’t land. But if you’re a local business and you’re not showing up in local search — this is the first thing to fix.
It’s free. It works. And your competitors are probably not doing it properly.
Go set it up today.
If you’d like someone to take a proper look at your full digital presence — not just your Google listing — that’s exactly what the Reality Check covers. Find out more here: www.marketingeye.ie/how-can-i-help/the-reality-check-fix-whats-broken
