Local SEO · Google · Belgium
Most Belgian restaurant and café owners have a Google Business Profile. Most of them haven't touched it since they set it up. That's a significant missed opportunity — because a well-optimised Google Business Profile drives more direct reservations than almost any other free channel.
When someone searches "restaurant Antwerp" or "café brunch Gent" on Google, they don't see your website first — they see a map and a list of Google Business Profiles. The businesses that appear in that top three (the "local pack") get the majority of clicks, calls and directions requests.
This means your Google Business Profile is, in most cases, the first thing a potential customer interacts with when discovering you. Not your Instagram. Not your website. Google.
Obvious but often skipped: if you haven't claimed your listing at business.google.com, do it today. Unverified profiles have limited features and can be edited by anyone. Verification takes 3–5 days by postcard or instantly by phone/video for eligible businesses.
Your category is one of the main ranking signals. "Restaurant" is too broad. Choosing "Italian Restaurant", "Breakfast Restaurant" or "Coffee Shop" alongside your primary category signals to Google exactly what searches you should appear for. You can add up to 10 categories — use the ones that accurately describe what you offer.
Most profiles have either no description or a single generic sentence. Your description (750 characters) should naturally include the keywords people use to find you — your cuisine, your neighbourhood, your speciality, what makes you different. Write for humans first, but be deliberate about the words you use.
Google allows you to add a booking link directly to your profile. This sends people to your reservation platform (TheFork, Resengo, Formitable, or your own site) without going through a third party. Every direct booking saves you commission. If this link isn't set up, you're paying to lose bookings.
Profiles with more photos receive significantly more direction requests and website visits, according to Google's own data. Upload a mix: exterior (daytime and evening), interior, food, drinks, staff, and the atmosphere. Add new photos monthly — Google favours active profiles. Avoid stock photos; real images from your space perform better.
Incorrect opening hours are one of the top reasons for negative reviews. A potential customer shows up on Tuesday and you're closed — they post a one-star review. Update your hours for public holidays, special events and seasonal changes. Google also lets you set "special hours" for specific dates so you don't have to change your regular schedule.
Almost nobody uses this feature. Google Business Profile has a "Posts" section where you can share updates, offers and events — and these appear directly on your profile in search results. A weekly post takes 3 minutes and signals to Google that your business is active, which helps your local ranking. Use it for weekly specials, new dishes, seasonal menus, or events.
This is the most impactful thing you can do for both rankings and conversions. Google's algorithm considers review response rate as a local ranking signal. More importantly, how you respond to reviews is the first thing a potential customer reads after the star rating. A warm, specific reply to a positive review, and a professional reply to a negative one, builds trust with people who haven't visited yet.
An increasing share of local searches now happen through AI-powered tools — Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and similar products. When someone asks "what's the best brunch café in Ghent?", these AI systems pull from structured web data, and Google Business Profile is one of the primary sources they draw on.
A complete, accurate, well-reviewed Google Business Profile doesn't just help you rank on Google Maps — it makes you more likely to be cited when AI search surfaces local recommendations. This is not a future concern; it's already happening in 2025 for local hospitality searches in Belgium.
The one-time optimisation — working through the 8 steps above — takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on how much content you already have. Ongoing maintenance (responding to reviews, posting updates, updating photos) takes about 30 minutes per week. The return on that time investment is consistently among the highest of any digital marketing activity for small Belgian hospitality businesses.
Our Full Picture audit includes a Google Business Profile review alongside your Instagram and Facebook analysis — so you see the complete picture of your online presence.
See the Full Picture packageGo to business.google.com right now and check these four things: are your hours correct? Do you have a booking link? Do you have at least 10 photos? Have you responded to your last 5 reviews? If the answer to any of those is no, that's where you start. An hour today could mean significantly more foot traffic and direct bookings within the next 30 days.