In this article
The 20-minute setup that most profiles skip
Claim the profile at business.google.com, then fill in everything: category, service area or address, opening hours (with holiday exceptions), phone, website, a description in plain words (“Barber for men and boys. Walk-ins on Saturdays, otherwise book online.”). Add each service with a price — Google shows them, and people compare before they tap.
The booking link: the field that turns searchers into appointments
Under “Bookings” (or “Appointment link”), paste your booking page URL. Google then shows a “Book online” button on your listing, on phones right under your name. A searcher goes from the map to a confirmed appointment without ever visiting your website — which is exactly how people book at 11 pm. In TapBook the link is your public page, tapbook.net/book/your-name; copy it from the Share page.
Photos that actually move the needle
Ten real photos beat one professional one: the entrance from the street (people look for it while parking), the workspace, your hands at work, three results you’re proud of, and you. Update them every couple of months — a profile whose newest photo is two years old reads as closed.
Reviews: the routine, not the campaign
Ranking follows the number, the recency and the pace of reviews. Ask at the best moment: the client is looking in the mirror, happy. “Would you leave me a quick Google review? It helps more than you’d think.” Then send the direct review link the same day. Reply to every review in two sentences, including the rare bad one — calmly, with a fix. Ten reviews spread over ten weeks are worth more than twenty in one weekend.
Keep it alive with five minutes a month
Update hours before holidays, add a post when a new service starts, answer the “Questions” people leave. None of this is marketing genius; it’s the difference between a listing Google trusts and one it quietly demotes.
Who this is for
Anyone whose clients come from a radius of a few kilometres: salons, barbers, nail and lash studios, massage, physio, tutors who teach in person, dog groomers. If you work fully online, the profile still helps with your name search, but the map is not where your clients are.
What this won’t fix
A profile brings the person to your door; it doesn’t make them choose you. Photos, reviews and prices do that. And Google ranks by distance first — a perfect profile on the wrong side of town still loses to a mediocre one next to the searcher. TapBook gives you the booking link to put on the listing; the listing itself is yours to run.