Google Business Profile help: 12 best practices for local artisans and merchants

Introduction

Online visibility is now a major issue for local artisans and merchants. As search engines become enriched with artificial intelligence and personalized recommendations become the norm, it is crucial to optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). This listing is often the first point of contact between your business and potential local customers. A well-managed profile not only improves your local SEO but also generates interactions and new business opportunities.

In this article, Wispra shares its expertise to support professionals wishing to fully leverage their presence on Google while anticipating the technological evolutions driven by AI. Our tips, derived from customer feedback and observation of best practices, will help you maximize the effectiveness of your profile and strengthen your differentiation against the competition.

Why optimize your Google Business Profile in 2026?

The year 2026 marks a decisive step in the digitalization of local businesses and the integration of artificial intelligence into customer journeys. Google Business Profile remains the reference tool for developing local visibility, appearing in geolocated searches, and being chosen by conversational AIs to recommend your services.

An optimized profile allows:

• to increase your local SEO,
• to attract qualified customers,
• to improve trust through reliable information,
• to appear as a priority in responses generated by AIs like ChatGPT or Perplexity.

To position yourself sustainably, it is essential to follow a rigorous methodology tailored to your business objectives. Solutions like Wispra assist you in managing, updating, and analyzing your performance on these new visibility channels.

Complete and update all your key information

The first step for effective presence is the careful completion of your Google Business Profile. Fill in every field: business name, exact address, phone number, opening hours (including holidays or exceptional hours), website, and detailed description of your activity.

Your description should reflect your specialties, the services offered, and integrate relevant keywords for your sector. Ensure consistency between the information in your listing and that on your website or other professional directories. Inconsistencies can harm your SEO and customer trust.

Regularity in updates is also essential. Businesses that frequently update their data are better valued by search engines and benefit from a better conversion rate. To automate this monitoring, specialized platforms like Wispra Datahub allow for centralized and simplified updates across all your digital presence points.

Enhance your business with professional photos and videos

Images play a decisive role in the attractiveness of your listing and customer reassurance. Prioritize high-quality professional photos: storefront, interior, team at work, key achievements or products. Videos, although less utilized, are an excellent way to showcase your expertise and create a more human connection with your local audience.

Listings enriched with recent media stand out in search results and generate more interactions (calls, directions, website visits). Be sure to regularly renew your gallery and illustrate your new products or special events.

For further information, consult the recommendations from Google Business Profile official documentation on managing photos and videos.

Continuously collect and enhance customer reviews

Customer reviews are a decisive trust criterion for most consumers. A regular flow of authentic comments, combined with professional and personalized responses, greatly enhances the reputation and positioning of your profile.

Encourage your satisfied customers to leave a review after each service. Respond quickly, courteously, to both positive and negative feedback. This reactivity demonstrates your commitment and seriousness, qualities particularly appreciated in the artisan and local commerce sector.

According to the annual INSEE study on digital usage by businesses, 64% of French SMEs report seeing their revenue increase following an improvement in their e-reputation in 2025.

Solutions like Wispra Story Reviews facilitate the management, collection, and enhancement of reviews to strengthen the attractiveness of your listing and its impact on AIs.

Regularly publish posts and updates

The “Posts” feature of Google Business Profile allows you to communicate directly with your local clientele about your news, promotions, or events. These publications help keep your profile active and generate additional interactions: clicks, shares, contact requests.

Write short, visual posts tailored to the highlights of your activity (sales, back-to-school, seasonality). Inserting keywords related to your profession and geographical area promotes the local SEO of your listing.

Automating the creation and dissemination of content through tools like Wispra ContentHub ensures a regular and coherent presence on Google and other acquisition channels.

To structure your editorial campaigns, you can draw inspiration from the recommendations in the Google guide on local best practices.

Optimize your local SEO for the AI era

In 2026, AI engines use structured data and profile reliability to provide personalized recommendations. It is therefore essential to correctly structure your information, use precise categories, and link your profile to your website, social media, and other recognized professional directories.

Wispra offers a unique approach, allowing local artisans and merchants to integrate their data into an AI-optimized directory. This approach ensures that your business will be prioritized for recommendations by digital assistants and next-generation search engines.

To understand how to appear ahead of your competitors and track the effectiveness of your strategy, discover the visibility and ROI tracking features in Wispra Performance.

Continuously measure and adjust your performance

Optimization is not limited to the initial setup. Monitoring the evolution of your statistics is essential to identify areas for improvement. Regularly analyze:

• the number of views of your listing,
• the calls or route requests generated,
• the engagement rate on your posts,
• the volume and quality of reviews collected.

The analysis tools integrated into Google Business Profile provide useful data, but a centralized solution like Wispra Performance offers an enriched view, particularly regarding your visibility with AIs, the evolution compared to your competitors, and the real impact on customer generation.

To deepen your knowledge of local visibility statistics, consult the resources of the France Num 2026 Barometer which analyzes the digital practices of SMEs and very small enterprises.

Link to detailed best practices for local artisans and merchants

To go even further in optimizing your Google Business Profile, Wispra offers you a summary of 12 detailed best practices for local artisans and merchants. This comprehensive guide will help you structure each step, avoid common mistakes, and accelerate your results, whether you are an independent, a local merchant, or a leader of a multi-site network.

Conclusion

Establishing an optimized Google Business Profile is no longer an option but a real growth lever for local artisans and merchants looking to boost their visibility, attract new customers, and differentiate themselves through AI. Relying on proven solutions like Wispra allows you to automate time-consuming tasks, benefit from professional support, and accurately track your results.

By anticipating the evolutions of local SEO and AI engines, you gain a competitive edge in your market. For any questions or personalized support, feel free to consult the solutions dedicated to local merchants and artisans offered by Wispra.