If you run a business with a physical location or a service area, your Google Business Profile is probably the most important piece of online real estate you own. It’s the box that appears on Google Maps and in local search results, with your hours, reviews, photos and phone number.
For many searches, customers never get as far as your website. They see your profile, read a few reviews, and call. Or they call your competitor.
And in 2026, Google has changed quite a lot about how these profiles work. Here’s what’s different, and what we see South African businesses getting wrong.
What’s changed in 2026
The Q&A section is gone. Google discontinued the old questions-and-answers feature on Business Profiles. In its place, Google is using AI to answer customer questions, drawing on your profile details, your reviews and your website. That means the answers people get about your business depend on how complete and accurate your information is everywhere.
AI now reads your profile. Google increasingly pulls local businesses into AI-generated summaries, both in search and on Maps. Your description, services, posts, photos and reviews all feed into what Google’s AI says about you. A thin profile gives it little to work with.
Review rules got stricter. In April 2026, Google tightened its review policies. Practices that many businesses used, like asking staff to collect a set number of reviews, or asking customers to mention a specific employee by name, now fall foul of the rules. Google has also stepped up enforcement against fake review activity. Penalties can include pausing new reviews on your profile, removing existing ones, and showing a public warning to customers.
WhatsApp is now a contact option. Businesses can add WhatsApp as a way for customers to reach them directly from their profile. In South Africa, where WhatsApp is how many people prefer to communicate, this is a big deal.
Staying active matters. Local SEO specialists widely report that profiles which go a month or more without new photos, posts or review replies tend to lose visibility. Google doesn’t publish an exact rule, but it clearly favours businesses that look active and current.
The most common mistakes we see
1. The profile was set up once and forgotten. Someone claimed it years ago, added a logo and never looked at it again. The hours are wrong, the photos are from before the renovation, and nobody has replied to a review since 2022.
2. Wrong or incomplete categories. Your primary category has a big influence on which searches you appear for. A dental practice listed only as “Dentist” when it also offers orthodontics is missing searches. A guesthouse listed as “Hotel” may be showing up for the wrong people.
3. Keyword-stuffed business names. “Smith Plumbing Best Emergency Plumber Cape Town 24/7” might seem clever, but it breaks Google’s guidelines and risks suspension. Use your real business name.
4. Inconsistent details. Your phone number, address and business name should match exactly across your profile, website and directories. Old numbers floating around confuse Google, AI tools and customers.
5. Ignoring reviews, or arguing with them. Not replying to reviews looks like nobody’s home. Getting defensive in public looks worse. Reply to every review, thank people for positive ones, and respond calmly and helpfully to negative ones.
6. Hours that don’t reflect reality. Public holidays, school holidays and seasonal changes catch a lot of businesses out. Nothing loses a customer faster than driving to an “open” business with its doors shut.
7. No real photos. Stock images and a logo don’t cut it. Customers want to see your premises, your team, your work and your products. Google also favours profiles with genuine, recent photos.
A quick note for medical practices
If you run a medical, dental or allied health practice, your Google profile needs extra care. HPCSA ethical rules restrict canvassing and touting for patients, and patient confidentiality applies online too. In practice, this means:
- Don’t offer incentives for reviews.
- When replying to reviews, never confirm that someone is a patient or refer to their treatment. A simple, general thank-you or an invitation to contact the practice directly is safer.
- Keep your description factual: services, qualifications, hours, medical aids accepted. Avoid claims like “the best” or promised outcomes.
If you’re unsure, check the HPCSA’s current guidelines or speak to your professional body. We cover this in more detail in our guide to marketing medical practices in South Africa.
Your 2026 Google Business Profile checklist
Business name matches your real, official name
Primary and secondary categories are accurate and specific
Description (up to 750 characters) clearly explains what you do, who for, and where
Every service or product is listed
Hours are correct, including special hours for public holidays
Phone number, website and address match your website exactly
WhatsApp added as a contact option, if that suits your business
At least 10 genuine, recent photos of your premises, team and work
New photos or a post added at least once a month
Every review replied to, ideally within a few days
Review requests are part of your normal process, with no incentives or staff targets
Your website has an FAQ section answering the questions customers used to ask on your profile
The bottom line
Your Google Business Profile is no longer just a listing. It’s a data source that Google’s AI uses to describe and recommend you. The businesses that treat it as a living part of their marketing will get the calls. The ones that set it and forget it will slowly disappear from view.
Want to know how visible your business really is? Our free keyword ranking scan shows where you rank for the searches that matter. And if you’d like us to audit and optimise your Google Business Profile, get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Business Profile free? Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile costs nothing, which is why it’s one of the highest-value marketing tasks for any local business.
How often should I update my Google Business Profile? At least monthly. Add new photos or a post, check your hours, and reply to new reviews as they come in.
Can I ask customers for Google reviews? Yes, you can ask customers for honest reviews. What you can’t do is offer incentives, pressure people, set staff review quotas, or ask for reviews with specific content. Medical practitioners should also consider HPCSA guidelines.
What happened to the Q&A section on Google Maps? Google removed it. Customer questions are now increasingly answered by Google’s AI using your profile, reviews and website, so keep all three accurate and detailed.