Local Shop Host
Practical advice for neighborhood businesses
Google Business Profile, reviews, photos, holiday hours: what really brings customers in, explained simply.
News · November 6, 2026
Canada's 2026 budget: one tax deadline and a single annual instalment for the self-employed
Canada's federal budget, tabled November 5, 2026, proposes a single May 15 tax deadline for individuals and a once-a-year instalment option for self-employed people. Here's what would change, when, and what's still unknown.
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Photos · November 3, 2026
Visibility · October 27, 2026
Reviews · October 20, 2026
Visibility · October 13, 2026
Business photos with your phone: 8 tips that make all the difference
You don't need a photographer to get good photos of your business. Light, angles, tidying up, the rule of thirds: eight simple tips for an ordinary phone.Holiday hours: how to announce them so no customer finds a locked door
Closed on the 25th, open until noon on Christmas Eve, a week off in January: where and when to post your holiday hours so nobody drives over for nothing.How to respond to a negative review without making it worse
An unhappy customer leaves you one star on Google. Here's how to reply so things calm down, future customers feel reassured, and when to ask Google to remove the review.7 mistakes that send customers elsewhere
Wrong hours, a vague category, no photos, unanswered reviews: the most common Google Business Profile mistakes, and how to fix them in one evening.