Google Business Profile optimisation
in Malta: 12 fixes from Google’s rules.

Google’s own help page puts it in one line: local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance is how well your profile matches the search. Distance is how far you are from the person searching. Prominence is how well known you are, including how many reviews you have and how many websites link to you.

Google is just as clear on what does not work: there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. So optimisation means making the profile complete, accurate and inside Google’s rules, then building prominence honestly over time.

This guide assumes your profile already exists and is verified. If not, start with our Google Business Profile setup guide. If your business does not appear at all, read why a business is not showing on Google Maps first. Optimising the profile is part of SEO in Malta, and the twelve fixes below are the ones we check first.

Fix 3: choose the most specific primary category. Google says the categories you select affect your local ranking. Its test is simple: the category should finish the sentence “This business is a…”, not “This business has a…”. Choose “Nail salon”, not “Salon”.

Fix 4: keep additional categories few. Google asks you to use as few categories as possible to describe your core business, and not to use categories as keywords. A grocery with a bakery counter can add “Bakery”. A gym with a café run by someone else should not add “Café”.

If a category you want is missing from the list, pick the closest more general one. Google says it also reads category information from your website and from mentions of your business around the web, which is one more reason your website should describe your services clearly.

Want your profile and website to describe the same business? Apply now for SEO in Malta ↗

Fix 6: hours that are true today. Set your regular hours, then special hours for public holidays and temporary closures. Seasonal businesses, common in Gozo and on the coast, can set their in-season hours as regular hours and mention the season in the description. Businesses that work only by appointment should not show opening hours at all, according to Google’s guidelines.

Fix 7: a phone number you control. Google asks for a number under the direct control of the business, ideally a local one rather than a call-centre line. Premium-rate numbers are not acceptable.

Fix 8: link your own website. This one surprises people. Google’s guidelines say not to provide URLs that redirect or refer people to pages other than the business’s own, including pages created on social media sites. A Facebook page in the website field is a weak signal at best. If that is all you have, read whether a Facebook page is enough.

Google may also check your details by automated call or message to the verified number, and use your answers to update the profile. Answer those, or your hours may be changed for you.

Want a website your Google profile can link to with confidence? Apply now for SEO in Malta ↗

Fix 10: real photos. Google’s photo rules: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, with a recommended resolution of 720 by 720 pixels. Videos can be up to 30 seconds and 75 MB, at 720p or higher. Add an outside photo so people recognise you on arrival, then the inside, your work and your team. Never use stock photos of work you did not do.

Fix 11: genuine reviews, and replies. Google says positive reviews and helpful replies help your business stand out, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. Ask every happy customer, never offer anything in return, and reply to every review, including the bad ones. Our guide on how to get Google reviews legally shows exactly what Google allows. We have 18 Google reviews ourselves, every one from a real client.

Fix 12: make the website agree. The same name, phone number, areas and services on the profile and the website. Google reads both, and so do customers. A profile that says “Electrician” next to a website that never mentions your localities leaves Google little to match.

1. Keywords in the name. “Best Plumber Malta” is against the guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
2. A second profile for the same business. Service-area businesses can only have one profile for the whole area they serve.
3. A virtual office address. Google says a rented mailing address you do not work from is not eligible.
4. Paying or rewarding for reviews. It breaks Google’s review policies. Our reviews guide shows what Google allows.
5. Letting it go stale. Old hours and dead phone numbers send customers to competitors, and Google may change your details itself.

If a profile has already been suspended, do not create a new one. Follow Google’s reinstatement process, as covered in our guide to a business missing from Google Maps.