Stop Losing Leads: The Truth About Your Google Profile

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Why Is My Google Business Profile Not Bringing in Customers?

You may already be getting traffic from your website, Google Ads, Facebook, social media or other advertising. But if those people check your Google Business Profile and do not like what they see, much of that traffic can go to waste.

For many local businesses, the Google Business Profile is where potential customers make the final trust decision. They look at your reviews, opening hours, services, categories and how easy it is to contact you.

If a competitor looks stronger, clearer or more trusted, that customer may simply choose them instead. This blog covers the key problems discussed in the video and what you can do about them.

1. You Do Not Have a System for Getting Reviews

Google reviews are a form of digital word of mouth.

Many business owners say most of their work comes from referrals and word of mouth, but very few have a proper system for encouraging that same behaviour online.

A happy customer may be willing to leave you a review, but you need to make it easy.

That could mean putting your Google review QR code on:

• Business cards
• Invoices
• Email signatures
• Follow-up emails
• Your website

The important part is having a repeatable process rather than hoping customers remember to leave one.

A useful review also says more than:

“Great service. Highly recommended.”

A stronger review explains what problem the customer had, what you did, and what the outcome was.

For example, a customer might explain that they thought their hot water cylinder needed replacing, but the plumber found that only the electrical element needed repairing. That tells future customers much more about what the business can actually do.

It also gives Google more context around your services.

2. Your Reviews Are Not Helping People Make a Decision

A potential customer is not only looking at your star rating.

They are trying to work out:

• Will you turn up?
• Will you communicate properly?
• Will you keep the job tidy?
• Will you charge what you quoted?
• Do you actually know how to solve their problem?

Your reviews can answer those questions before the customer ever calls you.

This is why detailed feedback is so useful. Every good customer can become a kind of digital salesperson for your business.

If your competitors have more reviews, newer reviews and more detailed reviews, someone comparing the two businesses may feel safer choosing them.

If you want to see what may be missing from your profile, use the Google Business Profile checklist:

3. Your Business Information Does Not Match

Google wants clear and consistent information.

If your website says you are open from 9am to 5pm, but your Google Business Profile says 7am to 4pm, that creates mixed information.

The same applies to:

• Phone numbers
• Services
• Business categories
• Opening hours
• Holiday hours
• Locations

The easier you make it for Google to understand your business, the more confidence it has in the information it shows to searchers.

4. You Have Not Set Your Special Opening Hours

This is one of the easiest things to fix.

Your normal business hours are important, but so are your special hours for public holidays and regional holidays.

Imagine somebody searches for your business on a public holiday. Google says you are open, they drive to you, and you are closed.

That is a poor experience.

You can avoid this by going into your Google Business Profile and setting your special opening hours for the year.

It may only take an hour to work through the dates, but once it is done, Google has clearer information about exactly when your business is available.

5. It Is Too Hard for Customers to Contact You

Different people prefer different ways to make contact.

Some want to call.

Some want to send a message.

Others want to book or fill in a form.

Your Google Business Profile should make those next steps as easy as possible.

Check whether you can add:

• Phone calls
• Messaging
• WhatsApp or other supported messaging
• A booking link
• A contact-page link

The fewer steps somebody has to take, the easier it is for them to become a lead.

6. You Are Missing Important Business Categories

This can have a major effect on your local visibility.

Many businesses only claim their main Google Business Profile category.

For example, a plumber may simply choose:

Plumber

But the business may also offer:

• Gas fitting
• Drain laying
• Hot water cylinder work
• Water softeners
• Other specialist plumbing services

If those services match genuine Google Business Profile categories, adding the relevant categories gives Google more information about what the business actually does.

However, the information needs to match your website.

If your profile says you offer water softeners but your website never mentions water softeners, that creates a mismatch.

Your profile and your website should support each other.

This is one of the areas covered in the FREE Google Business Profile audit:

https://www.jamesroberts.co.nz/free-gbp-audit

7. Your Services Are Not Set Up Properly

Categories tell Google broadly what type of business you are.

Services provide more detail.

Under each relevant category, you can add the services you actually provide.

The video suggests focusing on a sensible number of real services rather than filling the profile with everything possible.

Again, those services should be supported by your website.

If you say you offer a particular service on Google, ideally there should be information about that service on the appropriate page of your website.

That makes the relationship clear:

Category → Service → Website Content

The clearer that relationship is, the easier it is for Google and potential customers to understand your business.

8. You Are Not Feeding Conversion Data Back to Google Ads

This point is especially important for businesses using Google Ads.

Imagine you hired a salesperson and every time they brought you a terrible lead, you said:

“Great. Bring me more of those.”

That would make no sense.

But that is effectively what can happen when Google Ads is not receiving good conversion information.

Google needs to know what happened after somebody clicked the ad.

Did they:

• Call the business?
• Submit an enquiry?
• Book?
• Leave immediately?
• Become a genuine lead?

Your analytics and conversion tracking help feed that information back into the advertising system.

Without it, Google has much less information about which clicks are valuable.

This can be particularly useful for franchisees who may not have full control over the franchisor's website or advertising account but do have access to their own Google Business Profile performance information.

Your Google Business Profile Is the Hub

The key point is that your Google Business Profile does not sit on its own.

It connects with:

• Your website
• Your advertising
• Your reviews
• Your services
• Your categories
• Your opening hours
• Your contact options

You could spend more money driving traffic to your business, but if people check your profile and a competitor looks more trusted, more active or easier to contact, that advertising may end up helping the competitor instead.

So before assuming you simply need more traffic, check whether the traffic you already have is being converted properly.

A stronger Google Business Profile can help give customers the confidence they need to take the next step.