Local search: why the Google profile often brings more than the website

Anyone searching "carpenter Solothurn" first sees a map with three entries. Only below that does the classic results list begin. For local businesses, visibility is therefore decided in this box – and it is not filled by the website but by the Business Profile.

What influences the ranking there

Reviews are work, not luck

Satisfied customers rarely leave reviews on their own. Anyone who asks gets answers – best right after completion, with a short link. Just as important: reply to every review, including critical ones. Not only Google reads that; above all, people do.

Photos beat text

Profiles with current, genuine photos are clicked considerably more often than those with logo and street view. No glossy production is needed: workshop, team, finished work, added every few months.

What we take care of

We set up the profile, define categories and services, add photos, build a review process and report monthly on what has moved. It is not spectacular and works faster for local businesses than almost any other measure.

Setting categories correctly

The primary category is the strongest single lever in the profile. It should describe exactly what the company mainly does – not the broadest field. A business that mainly does signage chooses "sign maker", not "advertising agency". Other activities are added as secondary categories.

Posts and questions

Two areas almost nobody uses. Posts in the profile appear directly in search and suit promotions, holiday periods or new services. The "Questions and answers" area can be filled in yourself: you pose the questions that come in every day anyway, and answer them. That is permitted and saves phone calls.

What costs rankings

Wrong or duplicate entries, different address spellings between website and profile, missing opening hours on public holidays. When taking over a profile we always check whether duplicates exist – common for companies with a move in their history.

Realistic expectation

In a city with many similar businesses, first place in the map box is hotly contested and heavily dependent on distance. In a region like Solothurn, a maintained profile and regular reviews can move a lot within a few months.