Google My Business Listing: 7 Concrete Benefits for Your Business

You type "restaurant marseille" into Google. The first three results are not standard web pages — they are business listings with photos, hours, and customer reviews. This is the Google My Business listing.

This listing is your digital storefront. It appears directly in search results, on Google Maps, and on your Google profile. And contrary to what many believe, it is not just a passive directory. It is a business tool that can transform your results.

In this article, we detail the 7 concrete advantages of a well-optimized Google My Business listing — and how to keep it updated to get the most out of it.

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What exactly is a Google My Business listing?

Google My Business (renamed "Google Business Profile" in 2021) is a free page that Google automatically creates for every business with a physical address.

It includes:

• Name, address, phone number
• Opening hours
• Website, social media
• Photos and videos
• Customer reviews and ratings
• Services, products, categories

Who can create a listing? Any establishment with a physical address: restaurant, hair salon, medical office, real estate agency, store, workshop, veterinary clinic, etc.

Who cannot? Services that are entirely online (web agency, freelance consultant without a physical location, sellers on Amazon).

The listing is free. You pay nothing to create or maintain it. Google partially fills it with its data, but it is up to you to complete and update it.

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Advantage 1: Appear directly in local search results

When someone types "plumber paris 15" or "hairdresser toulouse", Google displays three priority results: the "Local Pack" or "3-pack". These are three business listings.

Why is this important?

These three results are before all the standard websites. They occupy the top of the page. Users see them first.

According to Google data, 46% of searches on Google include a local intent ("near me", "next to", city name). If you do not have an optimized listing, you are invisible for these 46% of searches.

Concrete example: A restaurant in Lyon. Someone types "gourmet restaurant lyon". The first three results are three Google My Business listings. Our restaurant does not have a listing? It only appears on page 2 or 3, behind the competitors' websites. It loses 80% of potential traffic.

With a complete and well-optimized listing, this restaurant can be in the 3-pack. This means:

• Immediate visibility
• Free traffic
• Direct calls from the listing

What you control:

• Categories (choosing the right ones increases relevance)
• Business name
• Description
• Photos and videos
• Exact hours
• Specific services

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Advantage 2: Reduce "silly" calls and save time

An updated Google My Business listing = fewer calls asking "Are you open on Sunday?" or "Do you deliver?" or "What is your number?".

Why is this a business advantage?

Every call costs time. A member of your team must answer, provide the information, hang up. In a day, that’s 10-20 unnecessary calls. In a month? 200-400 calls.

If you update your listing with:

• Exact hours
• Offered services
• Prices (if applicable)
• Clickable phone number
• Address with Google Maps link

Customers find the answers without calling. Your team focuses on real business calls.

Concrete example: A hair salon receives 15 calls a day. 60% are requests for basic information (hours, prices, online appointment booking). If the listing is complete, these 9 calls disappear. That’s 45 calls saved per week.

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Advantage 3: Increase your credibility with customer reviews

73% of consumers check online reviews before entering a local store (IFOP study).

Reviews are not optional. They are a major trust factor.

How it works:

Your customers can leave reviews directly on your Google My Business listing. They give a rating (1 to 5 stars) and write a comment. This review appears immediately on your listing, visible to all future customers.

Why it’s powerful:

• A positive review = social proof. "Other customers are satisfied, so I can trust."
• A high average rating (4.5+ stars) increases the conversion rate by 50% to 80%.
• Recent reviews count more than older ones. Google values current feedback.

Concrete example:

Two identical restaurants, same price, same cuisine. One has 4.8 stars with 120 reviews. The other has 3.2 stars with 45 reviews. Which one does the customer choose? The first one, obviously.

The restaurant with 4.8 stars receives 40% more clicks, 30% more reservations.

How to get reviews?

• Ask directly for reviews from satisfied customers (in person, via SMS, via email)
• Put a link to your Google Maps listing at the checkout
• Send a post-purchase email with a review link
• Integrate a QR code that leads directly to the review page

IBLead allows you to quickly identify poorly rated businesses (less than 3 stars) and understand why. If you are a reputation agency or consultant, you can scrape Google reviews directly and analyze trends. This helps build a targeted reputation management strategy.

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Advantage 4: Interact directly with your customers

Reviews are not a one-way street. You can respond to each review — positive or negative.

Why respond to reviews?

It shows that you are listening. An unhappy customer who receives a professional response often changes their mind. A satisfied customer sees that you are attentive.

Google also considers that responding to reviews is a quality signal. Establishments that regularly respond to reviews appear higher in local rankings.

Concrete example:

Negative review: "Slow service, lukewarm dishes."

Restaurant response: "Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry that your experience did not meet expectations. We have strengthened our kitchen team. We would like to offer you another chance — contact us for a complimentary meal."

Result: the customer can leave a new positive review, or at least, future customers see that the restaurant takes criticism seriously.

What you can do:

• Thank positive reviews (30 seconds per review)
• Respond to constructive criticism (show that you are taking action)
• Offer a solution to negative reviews (refund, exchange, appointment)
• Ask questions to get more details

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Advantage 5: Improve your local online visibility

An optimized Google My Business listing = better local ranking on Google Search AND on Google Maps.

How it works:

Google uses several signals to rank local listings:

• Relevance (do your categories match the search?)
• Distance (are you close to the searcher?)
• Popularity (do you have reviews, photos, traffic?)

You control relevance and popularity. Distance is your address — you cannot change it.

Concrete example:

Two hairdressers in Nantes. Both have a Google My Business listing.

Hairdresser A:

• Categories: "Hair Salon"
• 0 reviews
• 2 photos
• No description
• Incomplete hours

Hairdresser B:

• Categories: "Hair Salon", "Women's Cut", "Coloring", "Brazilian Blowout"
• 87 reviews, 4.6 stars
• 25 photos (interior, hairstyles, team)
• Detailed description
• Exact hours, listed services

When someone types "hairdresser nantes", Hairdresser B appears in the 3-pack. Hairdresser A appears on page 2.

Result: Hairdresser B receives 10x more clients.

How to optimize:

• Fill in ALL relevant categories (not just one)
• Add a description of 250-500 characters
• Upload at least 10 quality photos
• Update hours (including holidays)
• List all services/products
• Add attributes (free Wi-Fi, parking, terrace, etc.)

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Advantage 6: Display your hours and reduce unnecessary visits

A customer arrives at your store at 8 PM. You have been closed since 7 PM. They leave frustrated. They leave a bad review: "Closed for no reason, very disappointing."

With an updated Google My Business listing, this scenario does not happen. The customer sees your hours before they travel.

Why is this important:

• Avoids unnecessary visits
• Reduces calls asking "Are you open?"
• Improves customer satisfaction
• Reduces bad reviews due to inaccurate hours

What you need to do:

• Indicate exact hours (Monday-Sunday)
• Add holidays (December 24/25, January 1, etc.)
• Update seasonal changes
• Indicate annual closure days

Concrete example:

A medical office closes on Wednesday afternoons. If the hours on Google say "Open Wednesday 9 AM-5 PM", patients may show up at 2 PM and find the door closed.

With the correct hours, zero frustration. Patients make appointments at the right times.

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Advantage 7: Collect data on your customers and performance

Google My Business provides free statistics:

• Number of clicks on your number
• Number of clicks on "Directions"
• Number of visits to your listing
• Number of searches that found you
• Customer actions (call, website, booking)

Why is this useful:

This data tells you what customers are looking for and how they interact with you.

Concrete example:

A restaurant sees that 60% of clicks come from "Pizza restaurant paris 12" but only 20% from "French restaurant paris 12". Conclusion: it needs to better highlight its specialty "pizza" on its listing and photos.

A hair salon sees that clicks on "Directions" are 3x higher in the late afternoon. Conclusion: customers are looking for easy access. It needs to add information about parking and public transport access.

This free data replaces a paid marketing audit.

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How to optimize your Google My Business listing: practical guide

Step 1: Create or claim your listing (5 minutes)

If Google has already created a listing for you, you need to "claim" it (prove that you are the owner).

How to do it:

1. Go to https://www.google.com/business
2. Click "Create a listing" or "Claim this listing"
3. Enter your business name
4. Confirm your address
5. Google sends you a code by mail (7-10 days) or SMS/email (immediate)
6. Enter the code to confirm

Step 2: Fill in basic information (10 minutes)

• Name: Exact name of your establishment (no added keywords)
• Address: Complete, exact, verified address
• Phone: Main number
• Website: URL of your site (or product page if you don’t have a site)
• Categories: Choose the 3 most relevant main categories

Tip: Do not write "Best French restaurant paris 12" as a name. Google penalizes this. Write "Restaurant Le Comptoir" and put "French Restaurant" in the category.

Step 3: Add a description (15 minutes)

Write 250-500 characters that describe your establishment. Include:

• Your specialty
• Your target audience
• Your unique advantages
• A call to action

Example for a hair salon:

"Hair salon specializing in coloring and Brazilian blowout. Experienced team, premium products, zen atmosphere. We welcome all hair types. Online booking available. Free parking nearby."

Step 4: Upload quality photos (20 minutes)

Minimum 10 photos, ideally 20+.

What to photograph:

• Interior of the premises (multiple angles)
• Team
• Products/services in action
• Details (terrace, bar, reception, restrooms)
• Satisfied customers (with permission)

Rules:

• Clear, well-lit photos
• No watermark
• No competing logos
• Format: JPG or PNG, max 10 MB

Tip: Add photos regularly (one per week). Google favors listings with recent content.

Step 5: Update hours (5 minutes)

Regular hours + holidays + exceptional closures.

Example:

• Monday-Friday: 9 AM-7 PM
• Saturday: 10 AM-6 PM
• Sunday: Closed
• December 25: Closed
• Summer vacation: August 1-31, closed

Step 6: Add services/products (10 minutes)

Explicitly list what you offer.

For a hair salon:

• Women's cut
• Men's cut
• Coloring
• Brazilian blowout
• Hair treatment
• Children's cut

Google uses this list to improve your local ranking.

Step 7: Add attributes (5 minutes)

Check relevant options:

• Free Wi-Fi
• Free parking
• Terrace
• Air conditioning
• Contactless payment
• Accessibility for disabled persons
• Online booking

These attributes help customers filter results.

Step 8: Set up a review process (ongoing)

Actively ask for reviews from your satisfied customers.

Methods:

• Post-purchase email with review link
• SMS after appointment
• QR code at checkout leading to the review page
• Verbal request (in person)
• Business card with shortened link

Frequency: Aim for 2-3 reviews per week minimum.

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Integrate IBLead to analyze your local market

If you are a consultant, marketing agency, or multi-establishment manager, you need to understand your local market.

Example: You manage 5 restaurants. You want to know:

• How many competing restaurants are in your area?
• What is their average rating on Google?
• How many reviews do they have?
• What technologies do they use (website, booking system, etc.)?

With IBLead, you can:

• Export all restaurants in your region to CSV
• Filter by Google rating (to identify weak competitors)
• Filter by number of reviews (to see who is active)