Google Business Profile: the free tool most Cape Town businesses ignore

There’s a free tool that decides whether local customers find your business or your competitor’s, and most Cape Town businesses barely touch it. It’s your Google Business Profile, and getting it right is one of the highest-return hours you’ll spend all year. Here’s how to do it properly.

Why it matters so much

When someone searches for a local business, Google shows a small map with a few options right at the top, above the normal results. Your Google Business Profile is how you get into that map. It’s also what shows up on the right when someone searches your name: your hours, photos, reviews, and directions. For a local business, it’s often the first impression and the deciding factor, all in one.

Claim it and complete everything

Search your business name on Google. If a profile already exists, claim it. If not, create one. Then fill in every single field, because a complete profile ranks better and converts better:

• The right categories. Pick the primary category that best matches what you do, then add relevant secondary ones.
• Accurate name, address, hours, and phone. These must match your website exactly.
• Real photos. The inside, the outside, the team, the product. Profiles with good photos get far more clicks.
• A clear description of what you do and who you serve.

Reviews are the whole game

Reviews are the single biggest thing you control here. They lift you in the map rankings and they convince the person reading them. So build a simple habit:

1. Ask every happy customer, in person or with a follow-up message.
2. Make it one tap with a direct review link.
3. Reply to every review, good or bad, like a real human.

A steady stream of honest reviews beats a pile that all appeared in one suspicious week.

Keep it alive

A profile isn’t set-and-forget. Post updates, add fresh photos, keep your hours correct around public holidays, and answer the questions people leave. An active profile signals to Google that you’re a real, running business, and it climbs.

Getting found locally isn’t about tricks. It’s about doing the free basics that almost everyone skips.

This is part of the “get found” work we do at Lefklik, alongside your website and SEO. If sorting your Google Business Profile keeps sliding down your to-do list, we’ll claim it, optimise it, and set up your reviews flow for you. Book a call and we’ll get you visible where it counts.