10 Overlooked Tools That Can Help You Get More Calls, Bookings, Reviews and Customers From Google
Most businesses treat their Google Business Profile like a digital business card.
They add their company name.
They enter a phone number.
They upload a logo that was designed sometime around 2009.
Then they forget the profile exists.
And technically, that is enough to appear on Google.
But it is not enough to get the full value from it.
Because hidden inside your Google Business Profile are features that can help customers contact you, book an appointment, explore your services, read your latest offer and leave a review.
The strange part?
Most of these features are free.
Businesses simply do not know they are there—or they set up the profile once and never look at it again.
So, let’s take a look at the Google Business Profile features most businesses are ignoring in 2026.
One quick warning before we begin: some options vary by business category, country and profile eligibility. If you cannot see a feature mentioned below, it may not currently be available for your particular profile.
1. Social Media Links
For years, business owners had to hope Google would automatically connect their social media accounts to their Business Profile.
That is no longer always necessary.
Eligible profiles can now add their own links for:
- TikTok
- X
- YouTube
You can add one link for each supported platform. The option is usually found under Edit profile, followed by Contact and Social profiles.
This matters because a potential customer may not be ready to call you immediately.
They may want to look through your Instagram photographs, watch your YouTube videos or check whether your Facebook page is active.
Your social content gives them another way to become familiar with your business before making a decision.
Google notes that social links are still available only in selected regions. It also does not currently provide click-tracking data for these links, so you may not be able to see how many profile visitors used them.
Even without the tracking, adding them is worth doing.
It takes a few minutes and gives customers another opportunity to see that your business is real.
2. WhatsApp and Text Messaging
Google removed its old Business Profile chat and call-history features in 2024.
But that does not mean customers can no longer message businesses from their profiles.
Claimed and verified businesses may now be able to add a WhatsApp or text-messaging option to their contact information. This lets customers begin a conversation using a familiar messaging platform rather than Google’s former built-in system.
This is especially useful for businesses whose customers commonly ask quick questions such as:
“Do you cover my area?”
“Can you give me a rough price?”
“Do you have anything available this weekend?”
“Can I send you a photograph?”
A customer who does not want to make a phone call may still be willing to send a message.
But there is a catch.
Do not activate messaging unless somebody is responsible for answering it.
Adding another contact option and then ignoring it does not make the business more convenient. It simply creates another place for potential customers to be disappointed.
3. Appointment and Booking Links
Here is a simple question.
Why make customers visit your profile, click through to your website, search for the correct page and then try to figure out how to book?
Google allows eligible businesses to add direct links for actions such as:
- Booking an appointment
- Making a reservation
- Ordering food
- Arranging pickup
- Requesting delivery
When several links are available, you may also be able to select one as the business’s preferred link.
This feature can be useful for dentists, fitness studios, salons, restaurants, consultants, service businesses and anyone else who already uses an online scheduling system.
The less work you make customers do, the more likely they are to take the next step.
Do not send them to a generic homepage when you could send them directly to the booking page.
And test the link yourself.
You would be surprised how many businesses proudly display a booking button that leads to an expired page, an old scheduling system or a screen that does not work properly on a phone.
4. Detailed Services and Prices
Many businesses add a primary category and assume Google now understands everything they offer.
It does not always work that way.
Your category might tell Google that you are a plumber.
The services section can tell customers that you provide:
- Drain cleaning
- Water heater installation
- Leak detection
- Toilet repair
- Faucet installation
- Emergency plumbing
Google can suggest services based on your business type, but you can also add custom services. You can organize services into groups and include additional information such as descriptions and prices.
Do not add one enormous list of keywords.
Add the genuine services people regularly hire you to provide.
Then write a short explanation for each important one.
For example:
Water Heater Installation
“Installation and replacement of traditional and tankless water heaters for homes throughout the Nashville area.”
That is more useful than simply entering “Water Heaters.”
It helps the customer confirm that they have found the right business before they ever reach your website.
5. Business Attributes
Attributes are small details that can make a big difference to a customer.
Depending on your category, you may be able to show whether your business offers:
- Wheelchair accessibility
- Wi-Fi
- Outdoor seating
- Particular payment options
- Recycling services
- Specific amenities
- Small-business identification
- Selected ownership identities
Attributes can appear on Search, Maps and other Google surfaces. Google also says that adding certain attributes may help a business appear when people search for places offering those specific features.
Suppose someone searches for a wheelchair-accessible restaurant.
Or a customer wants to know whether a store accepts a particular payment method.
An accurate attribute can answer that question before the customer calls.
The mistake is guessing.
Only select an attribute when it accurately represents the business.
Do not claim to provide an amenity merely because you think it will make the profile look better.
6. Scheduled and Recurring Posts
Many business owners know they can publish updates on their profiles.
Far fewer realize what those posts can now do.
Google Business Profile posts can include:
- General updates
- Offers
- Events
- Photographs
- Videos
- Links
- Action buttons
- Coupon codes
- Offer terms and conditions
Google also allows posts to be scheduled for a future date. Some profiles can set posts to repeat weekly, monthly or according to a custom schedule.
That means a local business could prepare several posts at once rather than remembering to log in every Friday afternoon.
A landscaper might schedule a seasonal reminder.
A restaurant could promote an upcoming event.
A portable building company could feature a recently completed shed or cabin.
A dentist could publish an update about accepting new patients.
Posts are not a magical shortcut to the top of Google.
Their real value is conversion.
A customer who finds a recent offer, completed project or helpful update sees evidence that the business is still active and paying attention.
One warning: Google says posts containing telephone numbers in the written description may be rejected. Use the appropriate action button instead.
7. The Free Review Link and QR Code
Most businesses want more Google reviews.
But then they make customers search for the business, open the correct profile, find the reviews section and work out where to click.
That is far too much effort.
Google lets you create a direct review-request link and a downloadable QR code for your Business Profile.
You can place the QR code on:
- Receipts
- Invoices
- Counter displays
- Thank-you cards
- Printed leave-behinds
- Customer handover documents
You can send the link through email, text, WhatsApp or your customer-management system.
Google currently says the QR code must be generated through a desktop browser rather than the mobile app.
But do not just download it and forget about it.
Build it into a repeatable process.
Ask customers shortly after the service is completed, while the experience is still fresh.
And do not offer gifts, discounts or free services in exchange for reviews. Google prohibits incentives because reviews must reflect genuine customer experiences.
The feature is free.
The process is simple.
The only difficult part is remembering to ask every time—which is why businesses often benefit from using an automated review-request system.
8. Search Terms and Performance Data
Most business owners measure their Google Business Profile by occasionally searching for the company name.
That does not tell them very much.
Your profile’s performance section can provide information about how customers discovered and interacted with the business.
Available measurements may include:
- Profile views
- Website clicks
- Direction requests
- Calls
- Bookings
- Other customer interactions
- Search terms used to find the business
Google says Business Profile owners and managers can review views, clicks and other interactions generated through Search and Maps.
The search terms are particularly useful.
They can reveal that customers are finding you for services you barely mention on your website.
They can also show that you are not being found for a highly profitable service you want to promote.
Suppose a roofing company receives plenty of exposure for “roof repair” but almost none for “metal roof installation.”
That does not mean it should stuff the phrase into every available field.
It means the company should review whether its profile, services and website provide clear, useful information about metal roofing.
The data tells you where to look.
It does not replace good judgment.
9. Customer Photo Updates
Customers are not limited to posting one review.
Through Google Maps, they can also publish multiple photo updates about a business.
These updates may show changes to opening hours, new products, seasonal menus or other details. Business owners cannot prevent customers from posting them, although inappropriate images can be reported for review.
This is important because the photographs on your profile are not always entirely under your control.
A customer may upload a blurry image.
They may photograph an old menu.
They may accidentally add a picture taken at a different business.
Check the By visitors area of your updates periodically through the Google Maps app.
Do not report a photograph simply because it is unflattering.
Report it only when it genuinely violates Google’s rules or clearly relates to the wrong business.
You should also keep uploading your own high-quality photographs so customers are not left with three dark images taken six years ago.
10. Managing Your Profile Through Gemini
One of the newest and least-known features is the ability to connect a Google Business Profile to the Gemini web app.
Eligible owners can use Gemini conversationally to:
- Update opening hours
- Review contact information
- Manage action links
- Create posts
- Draft replies to reviews
- Summarize customer feedback
- Review performance metrics
- Identify important search keywords
- Check profile information
Google also describes a “business notebook” that can provide suggested actions, such as completing missing information, adding photographs or reviewing recent performance.
There are several limitations.
The feature is being introduced gradually. At the time of writing, it is designed for an owner or manager of only one verified Business Profile. It requires a personal Google Account and is not currently available in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom.
That means many businesses will not see it yet.
But for eligible single-location businesses in the United States, it may make routine profile management considerably easier.
Just remember that AI-generated review replies and posts should still be checked by a human.
The purpose is to save time—not make your business sound like every other company using the same robot.
Stop Treating Your Profile Like a Directory Listing
None of these features will transform a bad business into a good one.
And no single button guarantees higher rankings.
What they can do is remove friction.
They can make it easier for customers to understand what you provide, contact you, book an appointment, view your work and leave a review.
That matters because a potential customer may never reach your website.
They may make their entire decision from what they see in Google Search or Maps.
So open your profile and check what is missing.
Add your services.
Connect your social accounts.
Set up your booking link.
Generate your review QR code.
Complete your attributes.
Review the customer photographs.
Look at the search terms bringing people to you.
You do not have to activate every available feature.
You just need to use the ones that make it easier for the right customer to choose your business.
Because your competitors probably have access to the same tools.
They simply have not bothered to use them yet.