Google Business Profile: 10 steps to get found in Luxembourg

In short

Your Google Business Profile is free and is often the first thing a customer sees when searching for a service nearby.

The right categories, consistent details, real photos and regular reviews count for more than any trick.

In Luxembourg, customers search in Portuguese, French, German, English and Luxembourgish: your profile should be ready for that.

When someone types “plumber Esch-sur-Alzette”, “Portuguese restaurant Luxembourg” or “comptable Strassen”, Google shows a map with three businesses before the regular results. Being in that block can be worth more than any advert.

The tool that controls this presence is the Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). It is free. The difference between a profile that brings in customers and one that nobody sees lies in the details. Here are ten practical steps, designed for the Luxembourg market.

1. Claim and verify your profile

Many businesses already have a profile created automatically by Google, with incomplete or incorrect details. Search for your business name on Google Maps. If it appears, click “Claim this business”. If it does not, create it at business.google.com.

Verification is required before you can edit the profile and rank well. Google chooses the method (video, phone, e-mail or post, depending on the case). Use a company Google account, not the personal account of an employee who may leave one day.

2. Your real name, without extra keywords

Use the exact name of the business, as it appears on your shopfront, website and invoices. Adding words such as “Best Plumber Luxembourg” to the name breaks Google’s rules and can lead to your profile being suspended. Keywords have their place: in the description, the services and the posts.

3. Choose your primary category carefully

The primary category is one of the factors that most influences which searches you appear in. Be specific: “Portuguese restaurant” is better than “Restaurant”; “Accountant” is better than “Consultant”.

Then add secondary categories that match real services. Do not pile on categories for the sake of it: a profile that claims to do everything looks unconvincing to customers and to Google.

A good way to choose is to think about the customer: what words do they use to search for what you sell? The Ideal Customer framework, at the end of this article, helps with exactly that.

4. Consistent details everywhere

Your name, address, contact details and website should be exactly the same on your profile, website, social media and local directories. Small differences (“Rue” in one place, “R.” in another, two different contact details) confuse Google and customers alike.

If you work at customers’ premises (building work, cleaning, repairs) and do not receive anyone at the business address, you can hide the address and set a service area: for example, the municipalities where you usually work.

5. Opening hours always up to date

It sounds obvious, but it is one of the most frequent complaints: “I went there and it was closed.” Keep your regular hours up to date and set special hours for Luxembourg public holidays, collective holidays and bridge days. A profile with reliable hours earns trust and avoids unnecessary negative reviews.

6. A description designed for a multilingual country

The profile has a description (up to 750 characters). In Luxembourg, the question is: in which language?

Some practical rules:

Write the description in the language most of your customers speak. If you mainly serve the Portuguese-speaking community, use Portuguese; if your audience is mixed, French is usually the safest choice.
In the first few sentences, say what you do, where and for whom. Many people read no further.
Mention, in one sentence, the languages you serve customers in: “We serve customers in Portuguese, French and English.” For many customers, this is decisive.
Use the list of services and products to cover other words customers use, including French or German terms where they make sense.

7. Real photos, and plenty of them

Profiles with photos attract more clicks. And stock photos will not do. Show:

the shopfront, so customers recognise the place;
the interior and the team at work;
products, dishes or completed jobs (before and after, if relevant);
your logo and a well-chosen cover photo.

Add new photos regularly, for example one or two a month. Take them in good light and with your phone held horizontally.

8. Ask for reviews systematically

Reviews influence both your position on the map and the customer’s decision. The golden rule is simple: always ask, every satisfied customer, straight after the service.

How to do it:

Copy the short review link from your profile dashboard.
Send it by e-mail, text message or WhatsApp with a short, personal message.
Put a QR code on the counter, on the receipt or on your business card.

What you must not do: offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, ask only the customers you know are happy, or write fake reviews. These practices are prohibited under Google’s rules and can lead to reviews being removed or your profile being suspended.

9. Reply to every review, in the customer’s language

Reply to all reviews, positive and negative, ideally within a few days. If the customer wrote in French, reply in French; if they wrote in German, reply in German. This shows readers that the business serves customers well in several languages.

When faced with negative criticism: say thank you, do not argue in public, acknowledge what went wrong and offer to resolve it by private message. The person reading your reply is your next customer, not just the author of the review.

10. Post regularly

The profile lets you publish posts: news, offers, events. You do not need to post every day. One post a week, or every other week, is enough to show the business is active.

Simple ideas:

a completed job, with a photo and a sentence about the problem you solved;
a seasonal offer;
a useful tip for customers;
an event or a special date.

In a multilingual market, you can alternate the languages of your posts or publish short bilingual ones.

And then: measure

The profile dashboard shows how many people saw it, how many asked for directions, clicked through to the website or got in touch. Look at these figures once a month. If views are rising but enquiries are not, the problem lies in the photos, the reviews or the description. If nothing is rising, review your categories and details.

The profile works best when it is linked to a fast, clear website. See our checklist for a website that sells.

Next step

A good profile starts with knowing who you are talking to. The free Ideal Customer framework helps you define who your customer is, what words they use and which language they search in: the basis for choosing categories, description and posts. You can also order it already filled in by an In Digi consultant (AI-assisted) for €49.

If you would like us to look at your profile and local presence, book a one-hour consultation (€100 + VAT, deducted if you hire us within 90 days). We carry out the diagnosis and tell you what to change first.