When someone nearby searches for what you sell, the map result with three businesses appears before any website. Miss it, and most of that search never reaches you. Getting into that group is specific work, and most of it is not technical at all.

I build websites for local businesses in Portugal, so this is the practical version: what to set up on Google, what to do yourself every week, and how your site and your Google profile have to agree with each other in 2026.

Your Google profile comes first

Before anyone reaches your website, they see your Google Business Profile, the panel with your name, hours, reviews, and photos. It is free, and for a local business it is the single highest-return thing to get right.

Three details do most of the work:

The right main category. Google shows you for searches that match your category, so a physiotherapist filed under a generic health label competes for the wrong searches. Pick the category that describes what you actually do.
Consistent contact details. Your business name, address, and phone number must match exactly between your profile and your website. A different phone number in two places is enough to make Google unsure which is correct.
Real, recent photos. Stock images do nothing. Photos of your actual space, work, and team give both people and Google a reason to trust the listing.

A profile that sits half-finished is the most common reason a real business stays invisible on the map while a competitor with a complete listing takes the calls.

Answer the questions customers actually ask

The Questions and Answers section of your profile is one of the most underused tools in local search in Portugal. Anyone can post a question there, and anyone can answer it, which means a stranger can leave wrong information sitting on your listing if you do not get there first.

Take control of it. Write down the ten questions customers ask you most, whether by phone, by message, or at the counter, then post and answer them yourself from your business account. Whether you have parking nearby, take new patients, or offer a first consultation: these are the real questions, and you should answer them in natural Portuguese, a couple of sentences each, with the local detail people actually search for. Your answers get an owner badge, and both readers and Google's AI weigh them more heavily than an anonymous reply.

Reviews are ranking signals, not just reassurance

Reviews do two jobs at once: they persuade the person reading them, and they tell Google your business is active and trusted. Recent and specific matters more than a high count from three years ago. A steady trickle of reviews that mention the actual service beats a burst of generic five-star ratings.

Ask every satisfied customer, make it easy with a direct link, and reply to each one in plain, local language, including the critical ones. A calm, specific reply to a complaint often reassures the next reader more than the complaint worried them.

Your website and profile have to agree

Here is what changed recently, and why the profile alone is no longer enough. Google increasingly builds answers, such as the AI summaries at the top of results and the responses in tools like Gemini, by cross-checking your profile against your website. When the on-page signals from your site are the dominant factor, the two have to tell the same story.

In practice that means the name, address, and phone number on your site match your profile exactly, and your site clearly states what you do and where. This is the part a developer handles, and it is quick: adding the organised business details a search engine reads, and checking there are not two addresses, an old number, or three spellings of your business name scattered across the pages. When I built the site for Dr Bárbara Barbizani, aligning the site with her Google profile during the build meant there was nothing to reconcile afterward. I covered the niche version of this in detail for law firms competing in local searches; the principle is the same for any local business.

What to do this week

You do not need an agency to make real progress. In an hour or two:

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile, with the correct category and current hours.
Post and answer your ten most common customer questions from the business account.
Add real photos and ask three recent customers for a review.
Check that your name, address, and phone number are identical on your site and your profile.

That alone puts you ahead of most local competitors, whose profiles are half-filled and unattended.

Frequently asked questions

Why do only three businesses show on the Google map?

Google shows a small local group at the top of results, chosen mainly by relevance, distance, and how complete and active each profile is. A finished, well-tended Google Business Profile is the main way to earn a place in it.

Is a Google Business Profile enough, or do I need a website too?

The profile gets you into the map, but in 2026 Google cross-checks it against your website to build AI answers and rank you. A complete profile plus a site that agrees with it performs far better than either alone.

How do I get more Google reviews?

Ask every satisfied customer directly, send a link that opens the review form in one tap, and reply to each review. Recent, specific reviews that mention the service carry more weight than a large number of old, generic ones.

How long until I see results in local search?

Completing your profile can change visibility within weeks, especially if it was empty before. Reviews and consistent activity compound over months, so treat it as regular upkeep rather than a one-time setup.

When to bring in help

If your details are inconsistent across your site and profile, or your business does not appear for searches you know customers use, that mismatch is usually fixable quickly. Send me your website and the searches you want to show up for, and I can point out what is holding the listing back and what the first corrections should be.