Why Google Maps matters so much in Malta
When someone in Malta wants a barber, a pastizzeria or a plumber, they usually type it into Google or open Maps on their phone. Tourists do the same, in English, often while walking around Valletta or waiting for the Gozo ferry. The businesses that show up with photos, hours and a phone number get the call.
Your Google Business Profile is the box that appears on Maps and on the right side of Google search. It's free, and for many small shops it's often the first thing customers see.
Step 1: Create or claim your Google Business Profile
Go to Google Business Profile and sign in with a Google account. Use an account you'll keep, ideally one tied to a business email, so you don't lose access if a staff member leaves.
Search for your business name first. Google sometimes creates a listing on its own from customer edits or old data. If yours already exists, choose to claim it. If it doesn't, create a new one with your exact trading name as it appears on your shop sign. Don't add keywords or town names to the name; Google can suspend listings for that.
Step 2: Verify that the business is yours
Google will ask you to prove you run the business before your profile goes fully live. The methods vary by business and change from time to time. You may be asked to record a short video showing your premises and signage, take a phone call or text, or wait for a postcard with a code to arrive at your address.
Follow what Google offers you on screen. If a postcard is the option, check that your address is written the way Maltese post actually reaches you, including the street, the town and the postcode. Wait for verification to finish before making big changes.
Step 3: Fill in the details customers actually use
Once you're verified, complete every section you can. A half-empty profile looks closed.
- Primary category: pick the most specific one, like "Hair salon" or "Italian restaurant". You can add a few secondary categories too.
- Address or service area: shops show their address. If you go to customers, like an electrician covering Malta and Gozo, you can hide the address and set a service area instead.
- Phone: use the number people can WhatsApp, since that's how many people in Malta will contact you.
- Opening hours: include special hours for public holidays, festa days and any summer changes.
- Website link: add it if you have one. If you don't, a link to your Facebook or Instagram page is better than nothing.
- Description: a few plain sentences about what you do and where. Write it for a customer, in English.
Step 4: Add photos, services and prices
Photos make people stop scrolling. Add your shopfront, so people recognise it from the street, plus the inside, your team at work and your best products or dishes. Phone photos are fine if they're bright and in focus. Add new ones every few weeks.
Then fill in the services or menu section with prices where you can. People in Malta often message just to ask "how much?". Putting prices on your profile answers that before they even ask, and helps them decide to come to you.
Step 5: Get reviews and keep it updated
Reviews help people trust a business they've never visited. Ask happy customers in person, then send them the review link from your profile. A small QR stand on the counter makes it easy for people to leave one while they're still there. Boost makes these Google review QR stands.
Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly. Never pay for reviews or write fake ones; Google removes them and can penalise your listing.
A profile that says you're open when you're shut does real damage. Update hours before holidays, change prices when they change, and post short updates for offers or new menus. Check your profile every month or so, because anyone can suggest edits to it and Google sometimes accepts them.
If this all sounds like a lot to fit around running a business, we can do it for you. Google Business Profile setup is included with every €150 website, or we can set it up on its own. Send us a quick brief and we'll get back to you within 1 working day.