For a local business, the Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees: the box on Google Maps and in search with your hours, reviews, photos and phone number. Plenty of people never get as far as your website. They read a few reviews, then call you, or the business listed above you.
Google has changed a fair amount about these profiles this year. Some changes are small. A few affect how you show up.
The changes that matter
The Q&A section has gone. Google removed the old questions-and-answers feature. Customer questions are now increasingly answered by Google’s AI, using your profile, your reviews and your website. If those are thin or out of date, the answers people get about you will be too.
Google’s AI summarises your business. Local results are being folded into AI-generated summaries on Search and Maps. Your description, services, posts, photos and reviews all feed what it says.
Review rules are stricter. Google tightened its review policy in April. Setting staff a target number of reviews, or asking customers to name a particular employee, now breaks the rules. Enforcement against fake reviews has stepped up too, and the penalties include pausing new reviews on a profile and showing customers a warning banner.
You can add WhatsApp. Businesses can now list WhatsApp as a way to reach them directly from the profile. For South African customers, many of whom would rather message than call, that’s a meaningful change.
Activity counts. Local SEO specialists widely report that profiles left untouched for a month or more lose visibility. Google doesn’t publish a rule, but it clearly favours businesses that look active.
Where profiles usually go wrong
The most common problem is plain neglect. Someone claimed the profile years ago, added a logo and never went back. The hours are wrong, the photos predate the renovation, and the last reply to a review was in 2022.
Categories are the next one. Your primary category has a big say in which searches you appear for. A dental practice listed only as “Dentist” when it also does orthodontics is missing searches. A guesthouse listed as a “Hotel” may be shown to the wrong people.
Then there are keyword-stuffed names, like “Smith Plumbing Best Emergency Plumber Cape Town 24/7”. It breaks Google’s guidelines and can get the profile suspended. Use your real business name.
Details that don’t match across the web cause quieter damage. An old phone number on a directory, a different street name on Facebook: each one makes Google, AI tools and customers a little less sure of you.
Finally, reviews. No replies look like nobody’s home. Defensive replies look worse. Thank people for positive reviews, and answer negative ones calmly, with an offer to sort it out offline.
If you run a medical practice
Practices need to be more careful. HPCSA rules restrict canvassing for patients, and confidentiality applies online. Don’t offer incentives for reviews. When replying, never confirm someone is a patient or mention their treatment, even if they mentioned it first. Keep your description factual: services, qualifications, hours and the medical aids you accept. There’s more detail in our guide to marketing a medical practice within HPCSA rules.
Checklist
- Business name matches your real, official name
- Primary and secondary categories are accurate and specific
- Description (up to 750 characters) says what you do, for whom, and where
- Every service or product is listed
- Hours are right, including public holidays
- Phone, website and address match your website exactly
- WhatsApp added, if you’ll answer it
- At least 10 recent, genuine photos of your premises, team and work
- A new photo or post at least once a month
- Every review answered within a few days
- Review requests are part of your normal process, with no incentives or staff targets
- Your website has an FAQ covering the questions customers used to ask on your profile
If you’d like us to go through your profile with you, get in touch. It’s usually one of the quickest wins we find.
Common questions
Is a Google Business Profile free? Yes, completely. That’s why it’s one of the best-value things a local business can work on.
Can I ask customers for Google reviews? Yes, as long as you ask for honest reviews. You can’t offer incentives, set staff quotas or ask for specific wording. Medical practitioners should also follow HPCSA guidance.
What happened to the Q&A section on Google Maps? Google removed it. Questions are now answered by Google’s AI from your profile, reviews and website, so keep all three accurate and detailed.
