The profile that you need to manage
Published Sept. 23, 2025
My article on Real social media strategy may have you thinking about online presence and converting potential dollars into bank deposits. Here’s the one profile that you need to optimize today, and continue to stay on top of; Google Maps.
How Google Maps is different
Thousands of people use Maps every day and I don’t see concrete results, how is this different than any other online profile?
Simply put, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, whatever, pales in comparison. Google Maps is a facilitator. It answers logistical questions. A hungry customer can open Maps right now and see restaurants around them, open now, highest rated sorted by cuisine type.
People use it to take virtual vacations, plan stops and make impromptu fixes to ruined outings.
If you were teleported to central Lisboa, Portugal, while reading this to dine anywhere you wanted, paid for with a magic credit card, chances are you would open maps to see if there was a high rated restaurant in walking distance. Your next step would probably be to move to the far side of the sidewalk and search for internet and critical lists if nothing stuck out. Also on Google with Maps links listed highly in the results.
One Stop Shop
You know how every consultant talks about menu engineering? It’s an important consideration. It is the only advertisement your customer willingly reads, even studies. Google Business profiles are the same. They are looking for X good or service. Your profile can hand customers everything they need not just to make a decision, but to sell them your concept.
Photos, reviews, videos, your website, and in the US currently, updates and announcements. FAQs about parking, accessibility and even allergies.
Sharp customers can get exact information they want or need about you without needing to call or message. You can provide contact information for those that have more complicated inquiries or want to talk to a human being. They can make commitments in one click to your restaurant.
Maximize your funnel
The first place for you to start, today, is your business profile & Google’s Best Practices pages. [1] Set up your profile, answer every question and explore every feature. Look at competitor pages to see what they are missing and make sure you don’t. Be active in responding to reviews, giving updates and make your Google Maps page a real representation of your business. You will see a better return in actively managing your maps profile with professional guidance than any social media profile.
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