The practical guide to Google Business Profile, local search, and AI visibility for small business owners

Get sorted over any weekend

Google has changed

Google has changed how it shows local search results. Before the map, before any websites, there is now often an AI-generated paragraph recommending a handful of businesses by name.

The businesses it names are not the biggest or the oldest. They are the ones with complete, active, well-maintained Google Business Profiles.

This short course shows you exactly how to become one of them.

What is inside:

10 lessons covering every part of your Google Business Profile – from setup and verification to photos, posts, products, and reviews

A plain-English explanation of how Google’s AI uses your profile to decide who to recommend in local search

The honest picture on website traffic in 2026 – what has changed, what to measure, and why a strong profile matters more than ever

A simple monthly maintenance routine that takes about twenty minutes

A bonus lesson on Bing Places – ten minutes of setup that gives AI systems one more reason to trust your business

Who it is for

Small business owners, sole traders, makers, and service providers with a local audience – anyone who wants to show up when someone nearby searches for what they do.

You do not need to be technical. Every step is explained clearly. You can follow it in a weekend.

What it will not do

This course is honest about what a Google Business Profile can and cannot achieve. On its own it will not dominate every local search across multiple towns. For that you also need a well-structured website, strong directory listings, and a considered approach to keywords. The course explains all of this, and points you towards the next steps if you want them.

Are you eligible to use a Google Business Profile:

To qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours:

• Any business with a physical premises customers can visit — shops, studios, clinics, salons, restaurants
• Appointment-only businesses — a medical practice or consulting firm that meets clients by scheduled visit still qualifies
• Service area businesses (SABs) that travel to the customer — plumbers, electricians, mobile dog groomers, house cleaners. Since 2019 they can hide their home address and just show service areas
• Seasonal businesses, like an ice-skating rink only open in winter, as long as they display permanent signage at the location year-round
• Home-based businesses, as long as they serve customers in person or within a service area

NB For craftspeople, artists, sculptors and the like:

…a ceramicist, sculptor, or artist working from a home or dedicated studio who sells at fairs and takes commissions can legitimately have a Google Business Profile – set up as a service area business if they do not want their home address shown, or as a storefront if they welcome visitors to their studio.