A Google Business Profile is free, takes an evening, and puts you on the map - literally. In Laos, where few businesses maintain one, a complete profile with fresh reviews often beats competitors' entire websites for visitors searching on Google.
Your foreign customers search Google and Google Maps by default: "accountant Vientiane", "coffee near me", your name after a recommendation. Most local competitors have an empty or abandoned profile. A complete one with photos, hours and answered reviews wins those searches without spending a single ad dollar.
Illustrative pattern for foreigner-facing businesses. The first bar is free to win.
Reviews are the profile's fuel. The system that works: ask at the moment of thanks ("would you mind leaving us a review?"), make it one tap via the direct link, and reply to every single one, because the reply is read by the next hundred visitors, not just the reviewer.
The free listing that appears when people search your name or your category on Google and Google Maps: hours, photos, reviews, directions, contact.
Yes, and doubly so because so few businesses maintain one. Tourists and foreign clients search Google first; a complete profile often outranks entire websites.
Reviews and freshness. Steady reviews with owner replies, current hours and recent photos tell Google and customers you are alive and trustworthy.