7 Google Business Profile Tips That Actually Increase Calls

Your Google Business Profile is arguably the most powerful free marketing tool available to local businesses. When someone searches for a service in your area, your GBP is often the first thing they see — before your website, before your social media, before anything else.

Yet most businesses treat their GBP like a checkbox: claim it, fill in the basics, and forget it exists. That's a massive missed opportunity.

After optimizing hundreds of Google Business Profiles for businesses across New Hampshire, here are the 7 optimizations that consistently generate more phone calls, direction requests, and website visits.

1. Choose the Right Primary Category (This One's Huge)

Your primary category is the single most important ranking factor for your Google Business Profile. It tells Google exactly what type of business you are and directly determines which searches you appear in.

The mistake most businesses make: choosing a broad category when a specific one exists.

• Bad: "Restaurant" — you'll compete with every restaurant in the area
• Good: "Italian Restaurant" — you'll show up for "Italian restaurant near me" and "Italian food [city]"

Google offers over 4,000 categories. Take time to find the most specific one that accurately describes your business. Then add 3-5 secondary categories to capture additional search terms.

2. Write a Keyword-Rich Business Description

Your business description is 750 characters of prime real estate. Most businesses waste it with generic text like "We are a family-owned business committed to quality service."

Instead, your description should include:

• Your primary service keywords naturally worked in
• The specific areas you serve (cities, towns, neighborhoods)
• What makes you different from competitors
• A clear call to action

Example for a Manchester NH plumber:

Smith Plumbing provides emergency plumbing services, drain cleaning, water heater installation, and bathroom remodeling for homes and businesses in Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and surrounding New Hampshire communities. With same-day service available and upfront pricing, we've been the trusted plumber for NH families since 2010. Call today for a free estimate.

Notice how it naturally includes services, cities, and a CTA — all within Google's character limit.

3. Add Photos Every Single Week

This one is simple but almost nobody does it consistently. Google's own data shows that businesses with more than 100 photos get 520% more calls than the average business.

You don't need a professional photographer. Your smartphone is fine. What to post:

• Exterior photos — Help customers recognize your location
• Interior photos — Show your space and create familiarity
• Team photos — People hire people, not logos
• Work in progress — Show your skills in action
• Completed projects — Before/after photos are incredibly effective
• Products — If applicable, showcase your offerings

Set a recurring calendar reminder: every Monday, upload 2-3 new photos. After a year, you'll have 100+ photos and a massive advantage over competitors who stopped at their initial 5.

4. Post Weekly Google Updates

Google Posts are like social media updates that appear directly on your Business Profile. They show up when people search for your business or browse your profile, and Google rewards businesses that post regularly with better visibility.

Effective post types:

• Offers — "15% off first service for new customers"
• What's new — "Now offering evening appointments"
• Events — "Join us at the Manchester Business Expo this Saturday"
• Tips — "3 signs your furnace needs maintenance before winter"

Every post should include a call-to-action button (Call, Learn More, Book, etc.) and naturally mention your services and location.

Posts expire after 7 days, which is why weekly posting matters. It keeps your profile fresh and signals to Google that your business is active.

5. Seed Your Q&A Section

Most businesses don't know this: you can ask AND answer your own questions on your Google Business Profile. This is completely within Google's guidelines and is one of the most underused GBP features.

Think about the questions your customers ask most frequently:

• "Do you offer free estimates?"
• "What are your hours on weekends?"
• "Do you accept insurance?"
• "How quickly can you come out for an emergency?"
• "Do you serve [nearby city]?"

Post these as questions on your GBP, then answer them yourself with detailed, keyword-rich responses. This serves two purposes: it helps potential customers get answers instantly, and it adds keyword-rich content to your profile that helps with rankings.

6. Build a Review Generation System

Reviews don't happen by accident. The businesses with hundreds of 5-star reviews have a system in place. Here's a simple one that works:

1. After completing a service, send a follow-up text or email within 24 hours
2. Include a direct link to your Google review page (you can find this in your GBP dashboard)
3. Keep the message short and personal: "Hi [Name], thanks for choosing us! If you have a moment, a Google review would mean the world to us: [link]"
4. For in-person businesses, create a QR code that links to your review page and display it at checkout

The key insight: timing matters more than asking. Ask while the positive experience is fresh. A review request 2 weeks later has a fraction of the response rate.

And always — always — respond to every review. Thank the positive reviewers by name, and address negative reviews professionally and constructively. This builds trust with future customers who read your reviews.

7. Use Google Business Profile Insights to Double Down on What Works

Google gives you free analytics for your Business Profile. Most businesses never look at them. That's like running a store and never checking the register.

Key metrics to track monthly:

• Search queries — What terms are people finding you for? You might discover keyword opportunities you didn't know existed.
• Profile views — Are more people seeing your listing month over month?
• Customer actions — Calls, website clicks, and direction requests. These are the metrics that matter.
• Photo views — Compare your photo views to competitors in your category. If they're getting more views, you need more photos.
• Search vs. Maps — Understanding where people find you helps you optimize the right channels.

Review these monthly and look for trends. If calls are dropping, investigate. If a certain search query is bringing views but not calls, your profile might need work for that specific service.

Bonus: Enable All Communication Channels

Google now offers messaging directly through your Business Profile. Enable it. Enable booking links if applicable. Make it as easy as possible for customers to contact you through whatever channel they prefer.

The businesses that make it easiest to reach them are the businesses that get the most calls. Remove every friction point between "I found your listing" and "I'm calling you now."

Here's a quick checklist of communication features to enable:

• Google Messages — Let customers message you directly from your profile. Response time is tracked and displayed publicly, so commit to replying within a few hours.
• Booking button — If you use scheduling software (Calendly, Acuity, Square Appointments), connect it to your GBP for direct bookings.
• Menu or service list — For restaurants, upload your full menu. For service businesses, list every service with a description.
• Products — Showcase your products directly on your profile with photos, descriptions, and prices. This feature is underused but highly visible in search results.

Each additional feature you enable gives Google more content to index and gives customers more reasons to engage with your listing instead of scrolling to the next result.

Common GBP Mistakes New Hampshire Businesses Make

After auditing hundreds of business profiles across Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and other NH cities, these are the mistakes I see most frequently:

• Using a P.O. Box or virtual address — Google penalizes this. If you're a service-area business without a storefront, hide your address and set service areas instead.
• Duplicate listings — Some businesses have 2-3 GBP listings from old owners or previous moves. These confuse Google and split your review count. Merge or remove duplicates.
• Wrong primary category — One HVAC company in Nashua was categorized as "General Contractor." Changing to "HVAC Contractor" doubled their Map Pack visibility in 3 weeks.
• No posts in 6+ months — Google interprets silence as inactivity. Even one post per week signals that your business is alive and engaged.
• Ignoring the Q&A section — Competitors and spammers can post misleading answers to questions on your profile. Monitor this weekly.

Putting It All Together

If you implement all 7 of these optimizations, you'll have a Google Business Profile that's more complete and active than 95% of your competitors. That translates directly into more visibility, more clicks, and more calls.

The businesses that win local search aren't doing anything magical. They're doing the basics consistently and correctly. Start with your GBP and build from there.

Think of your Google Business Profile as your digital storefront. Just like you'd keep your physical location clean, well-lit, and welcoming, your GBP deserves the same attention. The businesses that treat their profile as a living, breathing marketing channel — not a one-time setup task — are the ones that consistently outrank their competition.

For a comprehensive look at all the factors that affect your local rankings — beyond just GBP — check out our Complete Local SEO Guide for New Hampshire Businesses.

Want us to audit your Google Business Profile and tell you exactly what to fix? Request your free SEO audit — we'll include a complete GBP assessment with specific recommendations.