Best Practices for Setting Up a Google Business Profile for Sales Success

The objective of a Google Business Profile (GBP) is not simply to get your business listed on Google. It is to turn people searching for your services into enquiries, telephone calls, WhatsApp conversations, appointments and paying customers.

For your coaching busiess, approach Google Business Profile as a free sales and lead-generation channel.

Your profile should achieve five things:

1. Make your business easy to find.

2. Establish credibility and trust.

3. Explain exactly what you sell.

4. Make contacting you effortless.

5. Convert profile visitors into paying customers.

Below are practical best practices, organised into categories.

1. Business identity and positioning

1. Use your actual registered or publicly used trading name consistently: Level123 Coaching.

2. Choose the most appropriate primary business category, such as Life Coach, if it accurately describes your main service.

3. Add relevant secondary categories only where they genuinely represent services you provide.

4. Write a compelling business description explaining who you help, what problems you solve and what outcomes clients can expect.

5. Include your primary keyword naturally, like professional coaching, or coach training.

6. Explain the difference between coaching, mentoring, training and consulting.

7. Clearly identify your target customers: individuals, professionals, emerging leaders, executives and organisations.

8. Communicate your geographic service area accurately.

9. Specify whether you operate online, at client premises or from a physical office.

10. Make your positioning consistent across Google, your website, LinkedIn and other business directories.

2. Profile completeness and configuration

11. Verify your business profile with Google.

12. Complete every relevant field in the profile.

13. Use a professional business telephone number.

14. Add your website: https://level123coaching.co.za

15. Add your correct business address if you receive customers there.

16. If you operate from home and do not receive customers at that address, configure your profile as a service-area business and hide the address.

17. Set accurate business hours.

18. Add special opening hours for public holidays.

19. Include an appointment or booking link.

20. Check your profile regularly for Google updates, suggested changes and verification requests.

3. Photos, videos and visual credibility

21. Upload a professional business logo.

22. Create a recognisable cover image using your Level123 Coaching branding.

23. Upload authentic photographs of yourself as the coach.

24. Include photographs of your coaching or training environment.

25. Add photographs of workshops and training sessions.

26. Upload images of course materials and learning resources.

27. Include photographs of certificates and relevant professional credentials.

28. Upload short introductory videos explaining your coaching philosophy.

29. Create videos answering common customer questions.

30. Update your photographs regularly so the profile looks active and current.

Important: Use genuine photographs and accurately represent your services. Do not use stock photographs to imply that people pictured are your clients.

4. Services and products that generate sales

31. Add individual coaching as a clearly defined service.

32. Add executive coaching.

33. Add leadership development coaching.

34. Add career transition coaching.

35. Add personal development coaching.

36. Add coach training and development.

37. Add COMENSA behavioural standards training where applicable.

38. Add marketing for coaches.

39. Add niche development programmes for coaches.

40. Add WhatsApp-based coaching education products.

41. Give each service a clear, customer-focused description.

42. Explain the problem each service solves.

43. Explain who should purchase each service.

44. Include pricing where appropriate and accurate.

45. Explain how customers can book or purchase each service.

5. Reviews and reputation management

46. Ask every genuine client for an honest review.

47. Create a direct Google review link.

48. Send the review link after a successful coaching engagement.

49. Ask clients to describe the problem they wanted to solve.

50. Encourage customers to describe their experience in their own words.

51. Never purchase fake reviews.

52. Never offer rewards in exchange for positive reviews.

53. Respond to every genuine review.

54. Thank customers for positive feedback personally.

55. Respond professionally to negative reviews without becoming defensive.

56. Never disclose confidential coaching information in a review response.

57. Monitor new reviews regularly.

58. Use recurring feedback to improve your services.

6. Google Posts and ongoing marketing

59. Publish a Google Business Profile update every week.

60. Introduce yourself and your coaching philosophy.

61. Promote your upcoming coach training programmes.

62. Advertise your WhatsApp courses.

63. Publish educational tips about coaching.

64. Explain the benefits of professional coaching.

65. Share upcoming webinars and workshops.

66. Publish client success stories only with permission.

67. Create posts addressing common problems faced by your target customers.

68. Include a clear call to action in every promotional post.

Examples of calls to action:

• Book a discovery call.

• Enquire about coach training.

• Join our next programme.

• Explore our WhatsApp courses.

• Visit Level123Coaching.co.za.

7. Search engine optimisation and local visibility

69. Research the phrases your potential customers actually search for.

70. Target terms such as professional coach, leadership coach and executive coach.

71. Include Johannesburg and Gauteng in relevant website content if those are genuine service locations.

72. Create dedicated website pages for your major services.

73. Use descriptive page titles.

74. Include your business contact details consistently across the internet.

75. Link your Google Business Profile to the most relevant website landing page.

76. Add useful frequently asked questions to your website.

77. Publish educational articles answering common coaching questions.

78. Build legitimate local business relationships and relevant website links.

79. Monitor Google search visibility and customer interactions through available profile performance reports.

8. Website integration and conversion optimisation

80. Make sure your website opens quickly on mobile phones.

81. Create a dedicated landing page for each major coaching service.

82. Put a prominent Book a Call button on your website.

83. Add a WhatsApp contact option.

84. Make your telephone number clickable on mobile.

85. Use a clear headline explaining the benefit of your coaching.

86. Include testimonials from real clients, with permission.

87. Explain your coaching process, including what happens during the first session.

88. Offer a free introductory discovery session if commercially viable.

89. Track which enquiries originate from Google using tagged website links and enquiry forms.

9. Sales psychology and lead generation

90. Focus your marketing on the customer's problem rather than your qualifications.

91. Explain the cost of not solving the problem.

92. Communicate specific benefits rather than vague promises.

93. Use customer language in your service descriptions.

94. Address objections about price, time, trust and qualifications.

95. Make your first step easy and low-risk.

96. Give prospects a reason to contact you now, such as an upcoming programme intake.

97. Follow up promptly with every enquiry.

98. Use a consistent process to convert enquiries into discovery calls and paying clients.

99. Record how many Google enquiries become appointments and sales.

100. Review your profile's performance every month and improve the weakest part of your sales funnel.

10. The most important sales principle

Google Business Profile has two jobs:

Job 1: Get found.

Optimise your categories, services, business information, website and reputation.

Job 2: Get chosen.

Use persuasive descriptions, credible reviews, professional photographs, compelling offers and simple contact methods.

Google identifies three principal local ranking factors: relevance, distance and prominence. You can improve relevance and prominence, but you cannot buy a better organic local ranking.

11. Important Google policy safeguards

Before launching, pay attention to these five rules:

• Your business name must be its genuine trading name. Do not add keywords such as "Best Johannesburg Executive Coach" unless that is genuinely your business name.

• Do not create multiple profiles for the same business.

• Do not use a virtual office or mailbox as a fake business location.

• Do not claim to serve customers face-to-face if you only operate online.

• Google requires eligible businesses to interact with customers in person during stated business hours. An online-only coaching business without in-person services is not eligible for a Business Profile.

12. My recommended sales strategy for Level123 Coaching

I would build your profile around three revenue-generating customer segments.

Types Of Coaching Explained: Executive, Careers, Skills, Relationship And Personal Life Coaching - SACAP

1. Corporate coaching

Target HR managers, L&D managers, business owners and executives.

Main offer: Leadership development and executive coaching.

CTA: Book a corporate consultation.

SuccessCOACHING | Customer Success Training and Enablement

2. Coach training

Target aspiring coaches and existing coaches wanting professional development.

Main offer: COMENSA behavioural standards education and coach development.

CTA: Enquire about the next programme.

3. Digital products

Target coaches who want affordable, practical learning.

Main offer: 100-message WhatsApp courses.

CTA: Explore the courses.

13. Your first 30 days

Period

Priority

Days 1–3

Eligibility, verification and profile setup

Days 4–7

Services, descriptions, photos and website

Days 8–14

Review collection and first marketing posts

Days 15–21

Publish educational content and offers

Days 22–30

Measure enquiries, calls and conversions

14. Official resources

• Google Business Profile

• Create or claim your profile

• Google's local ranking guidelines

• Google's business representation policies

Treat Google as a sales funnel, not simply a business directory. Measure enquiries and revenue rather than just views and clicks.

Develop a 30-day Google Business Profile marketing calendar for Level123 Coaching, including ready-to-publish posts, sales messages and calls to action.