It took me some time to explain why one round of flyers might not be enough to bring customers to a newly opened beauty salon. The owner of Studio Lena trusted personal recommendations and the quality of her work. She was right to value both. Word of mouth is a valid way to build a local business, but it often takes time.
When she was ready to try a wider approach, Mischka Studio worked on a one-page website, a Google Business Profile, a small local Google Ads campaign, and a clearer service focus. We focused the marketing on medical pedicure rather than promoting every salon service equally.
The salon grew through a combination of the owner's service quality and word-of-mouth recommendations, the website, its presence in Google Search and Maps, and paid advertising. It would be misleading to give the profile all the credit.
The screenshot below covers March through June 2023 and reports 250 Calls made from your Business Profile. Google currently defines this metric as the number of times a customer selected the call button. It does not show whether those calls connected, led to appointments, or became completed treatments. This is useful historical profile activity, not proof of 250 new customers.
What a Google Business Profile does
Google My Business is now called Google Business Profile. An eligible business can add or claim a profile at no charge and use it to manage how the business appears on Google Search and Maps.
Once the profile is verified, the owner can keep practical details current, including the address or service area, map pin, hours, phone number, website, photos, and business description. Depending on the business category, you may also be able to list services. Review tools, posts, and other features vary by category and region, so your profile may not show every option.
Creating or claiming the profile does not cost a fee. Keeping it accurate still takes time, and you may still need to pay for a website, advertising, photography, or professional help with search visibility. The profile gives people useful information when they find the business and lets them visit the website, request directions, or use the call button.
A short profile upkeep check
Open your profile and work through these checks:
- Confirm the essential details. Check the business name, primary category, address or service area, map pin, hours, phone number, website, and booking or appointment link. Test the links as a customer would.
- Make the main service clear. Review the service list and description. A visitor should understand what you offer without having to guess. Use accurate service names, but do not add keywords to the business name or repeat them unnaturally.
- Use current, representative photos. Show the location, work, team, or products that customers can actually expect. Remove outdated images. A few photos can make the profile more useful, but they do not guarantee greater reach.
- Read and answer reviews. Reviews should come from genuine customer experiences. Google prohibits incentives for posting, changing, or removing reviews. Keep each reply professional and relevant to what the reviewer wrote. A perfect 5.0 rating is not required. For more on handling feedback, read Reviews and Their Power.
- Read performance data carefully. Choose a period and look for patterns, but keep each measure distinct. Profile views, searches, direction requests, call-button clicks, website clicks, inquiries, bookings, and completed work are different things. The profile can report some interactions, while your phone, website, booking system, or customer records tell you what happened next.
- Finish verification if needed. Verification gives you control of the profile, but the available method depends on the business. Follow the separate Google Business Profile verification guide rather than relying on old instructions.
Open your profile today and correct one inaccurate or missing field. If the profile needs ongoing upkeep as part of a broader local marketing plan, see Mischka Studio's marketing services.
