A freelance video editor in Montreal finishes a promotional reel for a local restaurant chain and gets asked, almost in passing, whether she works with clients in Toronto too. She does, but her Google Business Profile only lists a French description and a category that says "Videographer" in a way that doesn't quite match how English-speaking searchers phrase it. The work is good enough to travel between markets; the profile isn't set up to.
Category first, because it decides who finds the profile
Video production service, Marketing agency, Graphic designer and Software company are all specific enough to matter, and picking the right one over a vague default like "Business service" is the single cheapest fix available. A freelancer who edits video and occasionally shoots it should list the category that matches the bulk of the work, not the most impressive-sounding one.
Content that shows the work, not just the brand
Screenshots or short clips of finished projects (with a client's permission if their logo appears), a photo of the actual editing setup, and a professional headshot if there's no team to photograph all do more for a Google profile than a logo on its own. Case studies live on the portfolio site; the Google profile just needs enough visual proof to make someone click through.
Setting up the profile when there's no office
A home studio doesn't need to be listed publicly. Google allows a service area to be set instead, covering Montreal and the wider region, or further afield for anyone taking on remote clients, while keeping the exact address private. The name used on the profile should match whatever appears on invoices and the portfolio site exactly, since a mismatch is one of the easiest things for a prospective client to notice and question. This applies just as much to a small agency renting a shared desk somewhere in the city as it does to a solo editor working from a spare room, since Google treats both the same way once a service area is chosen.
Language matters as much as the city
Canada splits between English and French-speaking regions, and a profile written only in one language, in a city like Montreal where both are commonly used, can quietly filter out half the local searches. Matching the profile's language, and ideally the portfolio behind it, to the audience being targeted is a small adjustment with a real effect on who actually finds the business.
Hours built around off-site work
Most of the actual editing, design or development happens away from any client-facing schedule, with calls and check-ins clustered into specific windows. Listing hours as "by appointment" reflects that more honestly than a fixed nine-to-five that doesn't describe how the work gets done.
A review that needs a careful reply
A Toronto client leaving a mixed review after a project expanded beyond its original brief is the kind of thing that happens to almost every freelancer eventually. A short, calm reply explaining what changed reads better to the next person considering a retainer than either silence or an argument in the review thread. The same applies to a five-star review that simply says the work was good: a brief thank-you that mentions the project by name adds a bit more substance for anyone scrolling through looking for detail rather than just a star count.
Staying visible across more than one platform
Canadian searchers tend to start on Google but often check a second source before reaching out, splitting their attention between Yellow Pages Canada, Yelp Canada and whatever social presence a business has. Kompass Canada is worth setting up too for anyone pitching other businesses rather than individual clients, since it's built for that kind of buyer. Keeping the business name, service area and phone number consistent across Google, Yellow Pages Canada and Yelp Canada matters more than being clever on any single one of them.
Where messages come in
Enquiries usually arrive as a direct message through the profile, or a request to book an introductory call rather than a phone call out of nowhere. That's worth keeping open and checked regularly, since it's often the first real signal that a prospect is close to sending a proposal request.
How Kaptor helps here
Kaptor sets up and monitors the profile so the category, hours and service area stay current, flags issues like an unanswered review, and keeps the same details matching across Yellow Pages, Yelp and Google. See also the full guide to Google Business Profiles for agencies and freelancers and the guide written for Ireland.