Every day, thousands of people in Albania open Google and search for a dentist, a lawyer, a restaurant, a contractor. The businesses that appear in the map results at the top of the page get the call. The ones below the fold do not. The tool that controls whether you appear in those map results is Google Business Profile — and most Albanian businesses are either not using it at all, or using it so poorly that it might as well not exist. This guide covers everything you need: how to set it up correctly, what to optimise, how to get reviews, and what separates the businesses that dominate local search from the ones that are invisible. What Google Business Profile Actually Is Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business) is a free listing that Google shows when someone searches for your business name or for businesses like yours in a specific area. When you search "dentist Tirana" or "lawyer Blloku" and you see a map with three business cards underneath it, those are Google Business Profiles. That box — called the Local Pack — gets more clicks than the organic results below it. For local businesses in Albania, it is often more valuable than a website. Someone searching for a plumber in Tirana wants a phone number and a location, not a brochure. Google Business Profile delivers exactly that, at exactly the right moment. Setting Up Your Profile Correctly Before you can optimise anything, you need a verified profile. Go to business.google.com and either claim your existing listing (Google may have already created one automatically) or create a new one. The most important fields to fill in accurately: Business name — Use your real business name exactly as it appears on your signage and invoices. Do not add keywords here. Google penalises keyword stuffing in business names and other businesses can report you for it. Category — This is the single most influential field in your profile. Choose the primary category that most precisely describes what you do. If you are a dental clinic, choose "Dental Clinic" not "Health Clinic". If you offer multiple services, you can add secondary categories, but the primary one carries the most weight. Address — Enter your full address in the format Google expects. For Albanian addresses, include the street name, building number, and neighbourhood or city. Consistency matters here — this address should match exactly what appears on your website, on Facebook, and anywhere else your business is listed online. Phone number — Use your primary Albanian phone number. If you have an international number for dental tourism or export clients, add it as an additional number. Website — Link to your main website homepage, not a specific landing page. Business hours — Fill these in completely, including special hours for holidays. Google shows a "Closed now" notice if your hours are missing, which discourages people from calling. Verifying Your Listing Google requires verification before your profile goes live. The most common method for Albanian businesses is a postcard sent to your physical address with a verification code. This takes 5 to 14 days. Some businesses qualify for instant verification via phone or email — this depends on whether your business is already verified in Google Search Console. Do not skip verification. An unverified profile will not appear in map results and cannot be edited properly. The NAP Consistency Rule NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Google cross-references your Business Profile information against every other place your business appears online: your website, Facebook, directories, news articles. If your address appears as "Rruga Sami Frashëri 12" in one place and "Sami Frashëri, Nr. 12" in another, Google sees an inconsistency. Enough inconsistencies and your local ranking drops. Before you finalise your Business Profile, audit every online mention of your business and standardise the format. This is tedious but it is one of the highest-impact things you can do for local SEO. Photos: What to Upload and Why It Matters Profiles with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more click-throughs to websites than those without, according to Google's own data. Upload at least: Your logo (used as your profile thumbnail) A cover photo (the banner image on your profile) Exterior photos of your location from the street, so people can identify it Interior photos showing the space Photos of your team at work Photos of your products or completed work For Albanian businesses specifically: authenticity matters. Real photos taken at your actual location in Tirana perform better than stock images. People looking for a local business want to see that it is real, staffed by real people, in a real place they can visit. Update your photos regularly. Google rewards freshness. Getting Google Reviews: The Right Way Reviews are the most visible trust signal on your Business Profile. A business with 4.7 stars and 80 r