If you run a local business in Salt Lake County, your Google Business Profile might be the most important marketing you have. When someone searches "plumber in Sandy" or "coffee near me," the map results show up first, with your stars, photos and hours right there. A lot of customers decide before they ever visit your website.
The good news: it's free, and most of your competitors are doing it badly. Here's the checklist we use.
The basics (get these right first)
Business name. Use your real business name, exactly as it appears on your signage. Stuffing keywords into the name ("Joe's Plumbing Salt Lake City Best Plumber") can get your profile suspended.
Primary category. This is one of the biggest ranking factors. Pick the most specific category that matches what you do. "Kitchen remodeler" beats "Contractor" if kitchens are your main business. Add secondary categories for your other services.
Address or service area. If customers come to you, list your address. If you go to them, like most home service businesses, hide your address and set a service area instead. List the cities you actually serve, like Salt Lake City, Murray, Sandy, Draper and West Jordan.
Hours. Keep them accurate, including holidays and seasonal changes. Nothing loses a customer faster than showing up to a locked door.
Phone and website. Use a phone number that gets answered. Link to the most relevant page on your site, not just your homepage, if you have a better landing page.
Photos and video
Profiles with lots of real, recent photos tend to get more calls and clicks. Aim for:
- Your storefront or vehicle, so people recognize you
- Your team at work
- Finished jobs, products or dishes
- Before-and-after shots if your work allows it
- Short video clips
Add new photos at least once a month. Skip stock images. People can tell, and it makes you look like everyone else.
Reviews: the part that actually wins
Reviews affect both where you rank and whether people choose you. A steady stream of recent reviews beats a big pile from three years ago.
- Ask every happy customer. Most people will leave a review if you ask at the right moment, usually right after the job is done.
- Make it one tap. Text or email a direct link to your review form. You can find it in your profile under "Ask for reviews."
- Reply to every review. Thank the good ones by name. Answer the bad ones calmly, publicly, and once. Future customers read your replies.
- Never buy or trade for reviews. Google removes them, and it can hurt the whole profile.
Services, products and description
Fill out the services section completely, with a short description for each. Write your business description for a human, not a robot: what you do, who you do it for, where you work, and what makes you different. Mention your city and the areas you serve naturally.
Posts
Google Business posts are like mini social posts that appear on your profile. Use them for offers, events, new work and seasonal updates. They don't take long, and they show Google and customers that you're active. Once or twice a week is plenty.
Questions and answers
Anyone can ask a question on your profile, and anyone can answer it. Get ahead of that by asking and answering your own common questions: pricing, service area, booking, parking, warranties. Keep the answers short and useful.
Track what it's doing
Your profile's "Performance" section shows how many people found you, called, asked for directions or visited your website. Check it monthly. If calls are flat while views go up, your photos, reviews or hours probably need work.
The short version
- Pick the most specific primary category
- Set your address or service area to the cities you actually serve
- Add real photos every month
- Ask every happy customer for a review and reply to all of them
- Fill out services and post weekly
Do those five things consistently and you'll be ahead of most businesses in the valley.
If you'd rather have someone handle it, along with the content, ads and website that send people to it, we help Salt Lake County businesses do exactly that.