How Your Google Business Profile and Website Should Be Working Together

Kate ShoveDirector

Published

I was speaking with a new website client recently, a hair salon owner who had just invested in a new site and quite rightly felt proud of it.

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Then I asked a simple question.

“Have you looked properly at your Google Business profile recently?”

There was a pause.
“I think it’s fine,” they said. “It’s been there for years.”

That response is incredibly common. And it is exactly why I wanted to write this.

Because for most local businesses, your Google Business profile is doing far more heavy lifting than you realise.

Your Google Business profile is often working harder than your website.

When it is set up properly and aligned with your website, the impact multiplies.

Let me explain, in plain English.

Your Google Business Profile Is Often Your First Impression

Before someone visits your website, before they ring you, before they book, they Google you.

Or they search for something like:

  • hair salon near me
  • balayage in [town]
  • best hairdresser [area]

What shows up first is not usually your website.

It is your Google Business profile.

That panel with your photos, reviews, opening hours and services is where people decide whether you feel right for them.

This is where trust starts, not on your homepage.

And many of those decisions are made in seconds.

Consistency Builds Trust With Google and With People

One of the most important things I explain to clients is this.

Google likes clarity.
People like clarity too.

Your business information should match everywhere it appears.

That means your:

  • business name
  • address
  • phone number
  • opening hours
  • core services

Should be the same on:

  • your Google Business profile
  • your website
  • your social profiles
  • any online listings

Even small differences can cause problems.

For example, if your website says “The Edit Hair Studio” but your Google profile says “The Edit Hair and Beauty”, Google can treat those as different businesses.

Small inconsistencies quietly weaken trust.

And trust is everything in local search.

Your Website and Google Profile Should Support Each Other

This is where things really start to click.

Your Google Business profile and your website should not exist separately. They should be reinforcing each other.

Alignment beats activity every time.

If you offer:

  • balayage
  • colour correction
  • keratin treatments

Those services should:

  • be clearly listed on your Google profile
  • have proper service pages on your website
  • be linked correctly between the two

Sending people from Google straight to your homepage is not always the best option.

If someone clicks “Balayage” on Google, send them to your balayage page, not a general overview.

Your Google profile sets expectations. Your website must meet them.

It feels smoother.
It builds confidence.
And it converts better.

Reviews Are Not Just Reviews, They Are Content

This is one of the biggest mindset shifts I encourage.

Most businesses see reviews as:

  • a nice thing to have
  • a number to increase

But reviews are actually content.

They are written by real people, using real language, talking about real experiences.

Reviews are some of the most powerful content your business owns.

One good review can be reused in multiple places:

  • on your homepage
  • on a specific service page
  • on a team member’s profile
  • on a product or retail section

If a client mentions:

  • a stylist by name, use it on the team page
  • a specific service, use it on the service page
  • how confident or relaxed they felt, use it on the homepage

One good review can strengthen five parts of your website.

That is what I mean by multiplying the benefit.

Why Replying to Reviews Really Matters

This one often gets overlooked.

Replying to reviews is not just about the person who wrote it.

It is about everyone else reading it.

Every review reply is a message to future clients.

When you reply:

  • you show you care
  • you show you are professional
  • you show there are real humans behind the business

For positive reviews:

  • thank them by name
  • reference something specific they said
  • keep it warm and genuine

For negative reviews, and yes they happen:

  • stay calm
  • acknowledge their experience
  • do not get defensive
  • offer to take it offline

A thoughtful response builds more trust than silence.

People are not looking for perfection.
They are looking for reassurance.

How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile Properly

Here is a simple, practical checklist you can work through.

  1. Check your basics
    Make sure your name, address, phone number and hours are correct.
  2. Choose the right primary category
    Hair salon and hairdresser are not the same to Google.
  3. List your services clearly
    Use proper service names and short descriptions.
  4. Add real photos regularly
    Your space, your team, your work. Not stock images.
  5. Collect reviews consistently
    Make it part of your everyday process, not a one off push.
  6. Reply to every review
    Yes, every one.
  7. Link to the right pages
    Services should link to service pages. Booking should link to booking pages.
  8. Keep it updated
    Holiday hours, new services and changes all matter.

None of this is complicated. It just needs consistency.

A Huge Amount of Website Traffic Comes From Your Google Business Profile

One thing that surprises many business owners is how many website visitors arrive via their Google Business profile.

For a lot of local businesses, especially salons and clinics, Google Business is a major source of website traffic.

Your Google profile does not just help people find you. It sends them to your website.

When that traffic arrives, what they see matters.

If someone has just read glowing reviews about your colour work or your team, and then lands on a website that does not reflect that experience, there is a disconnect.

Trust should carry through the click, not stop at it.

How Frively Sites Use Reviews to Strengthen Website Performance

At Frively, our Sites subscriptions include a service that migrates selected five star Google reviews onto the website and places them where they matter most.

For example:

  • reviews mentioning balayage appear on the balayage service page
  • reviews naming a stylist appear on the team page
  • reviews talking about confidence or atmosphere appear on the homepage

This benefits the site in two important ways.

First, it reassures visitors immediately.

Second, it strengthens the website itself. Reviews add natural language, service relevance and freshness, which supports strong local search performance over time.

The trust built on Google should continue on your website.

A More Honest Way to Think About All of This

Most business owners are not ignoring their Google Business profile on purpose. They are busy running their business.

But this is one of those areas where small, consistent attention makes a real difference.

Your Google Business profile shapes first impressions.
Your website turns interest into bookings.
Your reviews connect the two.

When those pieces work together, growth feels easier.

That is what we focus on at Frively.

Not tricks. Not shortcuts. Just making sure the tools you already have are working together properly.