An occasional look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Kayley Achi, market research program manager, Wyoming SBDC Network

When your customers type in "restaurants near me" in the Google search bar, they may assume the list of restaurants that populate at the very top of the search results is something Google automatically pulls from websites or Google Maps.

The handy list of restaurants, salons and other businesses with information on everything from pricing to menu items doesn't appear randomly. Instead, it's carefully curated in the form of a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).

A Google Business Profile is a free tool for business owners to list their business; show what products and services are offered; and learn more about what search terms their customers are using to find them. I often see business owners ask for advice on search engine optimization (SEO) for their website as they strive to get placed higher in the search results.

But your Google Business Profile could be equally important for increasing your business's online visibility. For local searches, especially brick-and-mortar businesses, the Google Business Profiles or "places" often show up first. Your users may not even scroll far enough to get to the websites, so I recommend making one of your 2026 goals creating or optimizing your business's Google Business Profile.

Why optimize your profile?

According to Birds Eye, an agentic marketing platform, fully populated, verified profiles generate 4x more website visits and 12% more calls. As much as 85% of customers consider contact information and opening hours important when researching local businesses, so you may unknowingly miss out on potential customers through your incomplete Google Business Profile. If you haven't verified your business on Google, customers also can edit your unverified profile to add the wrong hours or other information that could drive away customers.

How to optimize

We have a checklist for information to consider as you're filling out your Google Business Profile. A "complete" or optimized profile may look different for your business, as restaurants should consider the menu option and a 24-hour gas station may not need to edit its hours. The following categories should be used as a starting point:

-- Name, address, phone number (NAP): NAP is a phrase you may only hear with SEO professionals, but most business owners likely know these as "the basics." It sounds simple to throw your name, address and phone number on your profile, but this could be complicated for businesses without a physical address. Google often refers to these businesses without a storefront or walkable locations as "service-based businesses." Examples of businesses in this category could include mobile mechanics, welders or local interior designers who don't have an in-person studio.

If this applies to your business, Google has a helpful guide for managing service-area businesses. The key piece of advice I give business owners with these service-area businesses is to try not to extend your service area beyond a reasonable drive-time radius. Even if you're willing to work with clients across the country for the right price, you may end up with none of the benefits of this local search tool. When you have no physical address and set your service area as everywhere, you're basically located nowhere.

-- Business description: Your business description should be concise and informative. I recommend adding a couple of keywords pertaining to your business. But Google and your customers tend not to appreciate "keyword stuffing," where you throw tons of gimmicky phrases in the description. I also wouldn't add limited-time promotions as it can take up to 30 days for your Google Business Profile to update. Instead, consider including who you are, what you offer, and what sets you apart from your competitors in four sentences or less. The "About" page on your website can be a great starting point for this information, and Google recently released an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered suggestion option that could help you brainstorm further.

-- Business hours: Not all businesses need to set business hours, but most walk-in businesses such as art galleries, restaurants and retail stores should be specific about the times that they're open. You don't want to miss out on customers who are only looking for "shops open now" when your hours have changed. You also don't want to frustrate customers who arrive to see a closed sign when your profile indicated you were open.

As I was writing this article, I checked my local shops and restaurants to see if they updated their profile to indicate whether they'd be open or not for New Year's Day. My off-the-cuff estimate is that more than 80 percent hadn't updated their Google Business Profile at all. I wondered how many shoppers were out there calling the shops to ask if they're open or foregoing going out entirely. You can get around this issue by setting special hours for every holiday on your Google Business Profile.

-- Categories: Google has thousands of category options, so I recommend getting as specific as possible. Instead of "restaurant," choose "Italian restaurant" or "pizza restaurant." In Wyoming, we have many businesses that are doing two or three distinct things, and they can fit within several categories. Thankfully, there are both primary and secondary categories. If you have a business that truly fits in several categories, I suggest making the primary category the part of your business that you believe will make up the highest percentage of your revenue.

-- Links: I recommend adding your website and social media profiles to your Google Business Profile. Many business owners have their website on their profile, but most are missing their Facebook page. Adding your main social media pages is a great way to build your social media following and helps your customers find the latest information on specials, products or discounts you're highlighting on these platforms.

-- Photos: Google has specific photo guidelines for Google Business Profiles. Your photos should be in a PNG or JPG format, well-lit and not overly filtered. I'd also caution against AI images as they can create unrealistic expectations for your customers. Instead of using 50-plus images, I'd focus on five to 10 high-quality images that exhibit your store, products, work and team. I recommend at least one exterior photo; two interior photos; one team photo; two or more product or service photos; and a photo of your menu, if applicable.

-- Services and products: Google lists some services that could apply to other businesses in your category such as "dine in" or "delivery" for restaurants and "AC maintenance" for an HVAC business. I highly recommend adding specific services and even creating a couple of custom services if you can't find a service option that fits what you do. People may not search for your business by name, but they may search for terms related to the products and services they're looking for.

-- Reviews: Although you can't add reviews yourself, you can ask your customers to provide feedback and reviews. Krunal Vaghasiya, founder of WiserReview, reports that approximately 89% of customers prefer to check out online reviews before making purchase decisions. Businesses with reviews are often seen as more trustworthy, so it's important to have reviews on your profile. There isn't a one-size-fits-all for the number of reviews you're aiming for, but I'd aim for 10 or more for most businesses. A 10 means a bad review doesn't immediately tank your score, and you show that many people have bought a service or product from you and had a good experience.

WordStream has a helpful article on how you can ask customers for more reviews. The gist is to ask customers in-person; put the link to your review page in confirmation emails or texts; and create a post for your social media followers.

You also should respond to negative reviews to add more context for people looking through the reviews later and to show your customers that you care about their feedback. The core principle of replies is to ensure you stay professional and friendly. Mistakes and misunderstandings can happen, but you can burn your reputation by going on the offensive. My strategy would be to check your records; reply honestly about what happened (if you feel you have accurate information about their experience); apologize if needed; and sign your name in the comment to help the customer know this wasn't an automatic response but an owner or manager looking into the issue.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and technical assistance to help Wyoming entrepreneurs think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. In 2025, the Wyoming SBDC Network helped Wyoming entrepreneurs start 42 new businesses; support 2,017 jobs; and bring a capital impact of $12.8 million to the state. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email [email protected] or write Dept. 3922, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071-3922.

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All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.