1. Claim it, because it may already exist
Google often generates a listing for a business from other sources, which means there may already be one showing wrong hours, a wrong phone number or an old address. Search for your own shop name and locality before creating anything. Claiming an existing listing and correcting it is usually more valuable than creating a new one, and it removes a listing that was quietly working against you.
2. Category and details decide what you appear for
The primary category is what Google matches searches against, so choose the one that describes what most people come to you for rather than the broadest option available. Add secondary categories for the other things you sell. Then get the basics exactly right: name as it appears on your board, address, phone that is actually answered, and hours including the days you close.
3. Photographs of the real shop
Photographs are what people judge before deciding to visit, and stock images are obvious. Take pictures of the actual shop front, the counter, the stock on shelves, the godown and your team. Ten honest photographs beat three polished ones. Update them when the shop changes, because a listing showing a shopfront you painted three years ago suggests a business that has stopped paying attention.
4. Reviews, asked for properly
Reviews influence both ranking and whether somebody chooses you, and the only reliable way to get them is to ask satisfied customers directly, at the moment they are satisfied. Do not buy reviews and do not write them yourself — it is against the rules, it is usually detectable, and a listing that is penalised is worse than one with few reviews. Reply to the reviews you get, including the critical ones, briefly and without argument.
5. Keep it current
Hours during festivals, a change of phone number, a new address, a category you have added — all of it should be updated when it changes rather than annually. A customer who arrives at a shop that Google said was open and finds it closed does not blame Google. Use the posts and updates feature occasionally if you have something real to say; ignore it if you do not, because empty activity helps nobody.
6. What it will and will not do
A complete profile makes you findable to people already looking for what you sell nearby, which is the highest-intent traffic available to a local shop. It will not create demand that does not exist, and it does not replace the contractor and tradesman relationships that actually drive the material trade. Do it because it is free and takes an afternoon, not because it will transform the business.