Google Business Profile: complete optimisation for Swiss SMEs in 2026

Why Google Business Profile has become critical in 2026

Google Business Profile (GBP, formerly Google My Business) is the business listing that appears to the right of Google’s results when someone searches for your name, or in the “local pack” on location-based searches (“restaurant Lausanne”, “SEO agency Geneva”).

Three changes since 2023 have made GBP a major SEO factor in 2026.

First, the AI Overviews integration. When someone asks Google a question, the AI sometimes generates a summary that cites sources, and rich GBP profiles (photos, descriptions, recent posts) are now cited as authoritative sources.

Next, the local pack has become standard. On 80% of location-based searches (“agency X in [town]”, “Y near [town]”), Google shows a local pack with 3 GBP profiles before the standard organic results. If you are not among those 3 profiles, your local traffic collapses.

Finally, entity signals have grown stronger. The NAP (Name, Address, Phone) on your GBP must be byte-identical to your website, your directory listings and your LinkedIn. This consistency strengthens Google’s entity signal and improves your organic rankings as a whole, including outside local searches.

This article explains how a Swiss SME can optimise its GBP in 2026, taking into account the algorithm changes of 2024 to 2026.

Step 1: creating or claiming your profile

If you don’t have a profile yet, create one at https://business.google.com with your business Google account, ideally an account in your company’s name.

If the profile already exists (created automatically by Google or by a former employee), claim it with the “Own this business?” button. Verification is by postcard sent to your address (5 to 14 days), by phone or by email, depending on the case.

The Google account must be a business one: tied to one person’s personal account, the profile may get locked if that person changes jobs or loses access.

Step 2: the profile name

The profile name must be strictly your company’s legal name, with no marketing variations or added keywords.

• Good: “Voren Sàrl”
• Bad: “Voren · SEO agency French-speaking Switzerland”
• Penalised: “Voren Geneva Lausanne SEO Website Design”

Google detects names padded with keywords (“keyword stuffing”) and can suspend the profile. Recovering it after a suspension takes a procedure of 4 to 12 weeks.

Step 3: a precise, consistent address

The address must match your company’s physical address exactly, formatted according to Swiss conventions:

Voren Sàrl
Quai Laval 7
1898 Saint-Gingolph
Switzerland

This address must be strictly identical everywhere (website, invoices, LinkedIn, directories), down to the character: that is the byte-identical NAP rule. Avoid, for example, “Quai Laval, 7” in one place and “Quai Laval 7” in another, or “1898 St-Gingolph” and “1898 Saint-Gingolph”. Choose one spelling and keep it everywhere.

If your business has no premises open to the public (freelancer, home services), you can set up GBP so that the address is “hidden” from the public while still being declared to Google. Your profile will appear in the local pack without showing your personal address.

Step 4: primary and secondary categories

Choose 1 primary category and up to 9 secondary categories.

The primary category should be the most precise one that matches your business. For Voren: “Web agency” as the primary category, and as secondary ones “SEO services”, “Website design”, “Marketing consultant”.

Google offers around 3,500 categories. Too generic, and they put you in competition with everyone; too specific, and you show up for nothing.

Useful tool: https://pleper.com/index.php?do=tools&sdo=gmb_categories (an exhaustive list of GBP categories).

Step 5: an optimised description

Description: 750 characters max. It should include:

• Your core business in simple terms
• Your target customers (SMEs, individuals, B2B, etc.)
• What sets you apart (method, guarantee, speciality)
• Your secondary keywords, without stuffing

Bad: “Voren is a digital agency that helps businesses with their online needs.”

Good: “Voren is a digital agency in French-speaking Switzerland specialising in SEO, website design and business applications. Based in Saint-Gingolph, we work with SMEs, scale-ups and institutions in the cantons of Vaud, Valais and Geneva. A contractual commitment to the work itself: audit, editorial production, ongoing optimisation and transparent monthly reporting. Multilingual sites in FR/DE/IT/EN. Price fixed before work starts.”

(In ~430 characters, we have covered: business, target customers, location, differentiation, multilingual, transparent pricing.)

Step 6: professional photos

Photos are a strong conversion factor on GBP. Profiles with 10+ professional photos get 35% more calls and 42% more requests for directions.

Photo categories to provide:

• Logo (square, 250x250 minimum)
• Cover photo (landscape, 1024x576 minimum)
• Interior photos: your office, your workspace (5 to 10 photos)
• Exterior photos: frontage, entrance (3 to 5 photos)
• Team photos: portraits, atmosphere (5 to 10 photos)
• Product photos or completed work: examples of what you do (10+ photos)

The cost of a professional photographer in French-speaking Switzerland ranges from CHF 800 to 3,000 for a full company shoot. It is well worth the investment: the photos can be used for 5+ years on GBP, on your website, on LinkedIn and in the press.

Step 7: regular posts

GBP posts are short updates that appear on your profile. Format: 1,500 characters max, 1 image, 1 optional CTA.

Recommended frequency: at least 1 to 2 posts a month, more if you can. A profile with no post for 6 months sends the signal of an abandoned profile.

Types of posts:

• News: a new service, a new client, an award won
• Offers: a temporary promotion, an event, a free audit
• Events: a conference where you are speaking, a trade fair
• Products: showcasing a service or a piece of work

Common mistake: publishing 5 posts in 2 days, then nothing for 6 months. A steady rhythm (1 post every 2 weeks) kept up over time works better.

Step 8: Google reviews and replies

Google reviews are the second conversion factor on GBP after photos, and they feed the AI Overviews.

How to get more reviews:

• Ask every satisfied client, systematically, when the project is delivered
• A direct link to the review page: https://g.page/r/[CODE]/review (available from your GBP admin)
• A template email 48 hours after delivery: “If you are happy with our work, a Google review would help us a lot. Here is the direct link (1 minute of your time).”
• Never buy reviews, and never ask friends who are not clients. Google detects it and penalises it.

Replying to reviews:

• Positive review: thank the client personally (mention a detail of the project). 2 or 3 sentences are enough.
• Negative review: reply publicly and professionally. Acknowledge any mistake, explain any misunderstanding, offer a next step (direct message, call). Never attack.

Aim for 4.5 stars or more with 30 or more reviews over 12 months: past that point, the marginal ROI becomes small.

Step 9: Q&A and FAQ

A lesser-known section, but one that ranks well: the questions and answers on the GBP profile.

Post your clients’ frequent questions yourself, and answer them publicly.

Examples for Voren:

• Q: “How much does a website cost?” A: “The budget depends on the scope; we pin it down in our first conversation, and the price we quote doesn’t change after that…”
• Q: “Do you work in Geneva?” A: “Yes, as well as in Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, Sion…”
• Q: “Do you have a package for small projects?” A: “Yes, the Essential plan is designed to get you started properly…”

These questions show up in Google results and in the AI Overviews. Preparing 10 Q&As takes 30 minutes, for a huge ROI.

Step 10: insights and measurement

The GBP admin provides statistics:

• How customers find you: direct Google searches or discovery
• Actions: calls, requests for directions, website visits
• Photos viewed: your most viewed photos
• Month-by-month trends

Plan a 10-minute monthly review to spot the actions that are growing (and why) and those that are stagnating (and how to get them moving again).

Common mistakes by SMEs in French-speaking Switzerland

1. Not creating a profile at all. 30% of Swiss SMEs have no GBP profile in 2026, even though creating one is free and the return is hard to beat.
2. An inconsistent address. A different NAP on GBP, the website, invoices and LinkedIn dilutes the entity signal.
3. A dormant profile, created in 2020 and never touched since, with no photos, posts or reviews. Google treats this profile as moribund.
4. Buying reviews. Google detects it and suspends the profile, which is sometimes restored after 4 to 12 weeks, sometimes never.
5. Ignoring negative reviews. An unanswered negative review signals that you couldn’t care less about your customers. Always reply, professionally.

Going further

To optimise an existing GBP profile, or if you don’t have a profile yet:

See our SEO plans for Switzerland: GBP optimisation included in every Standard and Premium retainer.

Calculate what SEO could bring you: your search volume, your target position and your average order value, in 30 seconds.

Request a free local SEO audit: an audit of your existing GBP profile + prioritised recommendations within 7 days.

See our SEO support: local SEO included, for Lausanne and the canton of Vaud.