Summary. Below — why GMB matters more than the site, how to split keywords between RU and KA, and where the growth hides.
Why GMB comes first. For a local business in Tbilisi, Google Business Profile (Maps card + in-results listing) delivers more touchpoints than the site itself. A user searches for "manicure in Vake", Google shows the local 3-pack: three salons with photos, ratings and a "directions" button. You have to be in that 3-pack. A strong GMB profile means an optimised description, current portfolio photos, regular posts, fast review replies, and consistent NAP (Name / Address / Phone) between the site and the GMB.
Bilingual keywords. Russian-speaking relocators in Georgia and Georgian-speaking locals are two different audiences with different semantics. RU cluster: "manicure", "pedicure", "brows", "laser". KA: "მანიკიური", "პედიკიური", "წარბები". On the site — hreflang ru and hreflang ka on every service page plus full translations. On GMB — a separate Russian and Georgian version of the description; Google shows the right one based on the user's interface language.
Schema = rich snippets. Without JSON-LD the result snippet is a bare title + description. With JSON-LD LocalBusiness + Service + Review + AggregateRating you get star rating, service price, reviews, district and hours right in the snippet. CTR jumps.
Technical floor. Before the work the site had 4 indexed versions of one page (with trailing slash, without, www, without), a broken sitemap, and slow LCP from a heavy slider. That's the floor — no content strategy can lift you above it.