Is your business still showing up correctly on Google Maps? An autumn check of your business profile

For many customers, Google is their first point of contact with your business — not your website. Here's how to check in half an hour whether your business profile is still accurate before autumn kicks off.

September is just around the corner, and many SMBs are gearing up for the new season: new customers, new campaigns, maybe a fresh website push. It's also a great moment to check something we often overlook: is your business still showing up correctly on Google Maps? Are your opening hours, address and phone number still accurate? And are you still responding to reviews?

Your Google Business Profile (formerly "Google My Business") is the first thing many people see when they come across your business. Before they even click through to your website, they've already seen your address, photos, star rating and responses. If anything there is off, you're losing visitors without even realising it.

Why this matters more than you might think

More than half of local searches don't end up on a website at all — they end at the info card on the right side of Google. Someone searches "accountant Bussum" or "hairdresser Naarden", sees three businesses with star ratings, and taps call or get directions. If your profile is out of date, you've taken yourself out of the running before the race even started.

And with summer now behind us, there's a good chance something has changed: adjusted opening hours, a photo featuring a colleague who no longer works there, or an old phone number that's still being shown first.

What exactly should you check?

Log in at google.com/business or simply search for your own business name in Google and click "Manage your Google Business Profile" at the top. Then go through the following points:

• Address and phone number. Does everything match exactly what's on your website? Even differences like "Street" vs "St." can cause confusion.
• Opening hours. Special hours around public holidays (autumn half-term, Christmas period) can be added in advance right now.
• Website link. Does it point to the right page? No old campaign URL that no longer exists?
• Categories. Is your primary category still accurate? If your services have expanded, add a secondary category.
• Photos. Is there still a photo from a previous office or an old logo? Replace it.
• Reviews. Have any new ones come in that haven't been responded to? Do that now — including the positive ones.
• Products and services. The section where you can spell out exactly what you do — often left empty or out of date.

Consistency: the same story everywhere

Google pays attention to whether your business details are consistent across the web — on your website, your Google profile, LinkedIn and industry directories. If the spelling of your address differs between those places, Google gets uncertain and your rankings can slip.

So take a moment to check your website at the same time. Is your address and phone number in the footer? On the contact page? Is the postcode correct everywhere? For that last one, you can quickly run our postcode check — especially handy if you've moved and aren't sure whether all the old listings have actually been updated.

Responding to reviews: always do it, even the mediocre ones

One thing that often catches businesses off guard is a 3-star review with no explanation. Our advice: always respond calmly, briefly, and without getting defensive. Thank them for the feedback, acknowledge that you take it seriously, and offer to discuss it further by email or phone.

Positive reviews deserve a response too. Not a template reply ("Thanks!"), but something personal. People reading along will see that you're genuinely engaged.

Things you only need to do once a year

Some things are one-off tasks, but still worth ticking off:

1. Make sure there is more than one manager on the profile. If the owner loses their password or leaves the business, regaining access can be a real headache.
2. Link the profile to a business email address, not a personal Gmail belonging to a former employee.
3. Enable two-step verification on the Google account you use to log in. Anyone who hijacks that account can change your address and phone number — with all the consequences that brings.

Half an hour — that's all it takes

The full check takes literally half an hour. Put it in your calendar for this week, do it over a cup of coffee, and you'll be sorted for the season ahead. Repeat on the same date next year.

If you'd also like to review your website at the same time — load speed, broken pages, outdated copy — our SEO check can help with that. Handy if you're already in "get your visibility in order" mode.