- Use your real business name exactly as customers see it. Adding keywords breaks Google's guidelines.
- Choose the most specific primary category you can. It shapes which searches you appear for.
- Service-area businesses should hide their address and list the areas they serve.
- Keep it alive: accurate hours, recent photos, regular updates and replies to every review.
Why set up a Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is your free business listing on Google. It's what appears in Google Maps, in the map results for local searches, and in the panel beside the results when someone searches for your business name.
For any business that serves customers in a particular area, or that people search for by name, it's often the first thing a prospect sees. It shows your hours, phone number, website, reviews and photos before they ever reach your site.
How to set up your Google Business Profile
Before you start
Have these ready:
- your business name exactly as it appears on your signage, letterhead and website
- your address, or the areas you serve if customers don't visit you
- your main phone number and website address
- your opening hours
- a Google account to manage the profile, ideally a business account that more than one person can access, rather than someone's personal email
Step 1: Check whether a profile already exists
Search Google Maps for your business name. Google may have created a listing from public information, or a former employee or agency may have created one. If it exists, claim it rather than creating a duplicate. If someone else already manages it, Google will let you request access.
Step 2: Create or claim the profile
Go to the Google Business Profile site, sign in, and add your business. You'll be asked for:
- Business name. Your real-world name only. Don't add locations, services or slogans; Google's guidelines don't allow it.
- Business category. Start typing and choose the closest match. You can add more later.
- Location. Choose whether customers visit you at an address. If yes, enter it. If you go to customers instead, say so.
- Service area. If you visit or deliver to customers, list the areas you serve.
- Contact details. Phone number and website.
Step 3: Verify your business
Google needs to confirm the business is real and that you're entitled to manage it. The verification options shown depend on your business type and location, and can include a video recording, a phone call or text, an email, or a postcard. Video verification typically asks you to show your location, signage, tools or equipment, and proof of management.
Until verification is complete, your profile won't fully appear or be editable in Search and Maps. If verification fails or your profile is later suspended, see our guide to a suspended Google Business Profile.
How to optimise your Google Business Profile
Once verified, complete every section. A full, accurate profile gives Google more to match against searches, and gives customers more reasons to choose you.
Categories
Your primary category is one of the most important settings. Pick the most specific option that describes your main business: "Computer support and services" rather than "Business service". Then add additional categories only for other services you genuinely offer.
To check what works in your market, search for your main service in your area and look at the categories the top businesses use.
Business description
You have space for a description of what you do, who you serve and what makes you different. Write it for customers. Don't stuff it with keywords or include links or promotions.
Services and products
List each service, with a short description where possible. This helps your profile match more specific searches.
Hours
Keep regular hours accurate and add special hours for holidays. Wrong hours are one of the most common reasons customers leave a frustrated review.
Photos
Add real photos: your premises inside and out, your team, your work, your vehicles if you have them. Add new ones regularly. Profiles with current photos look active; profiles with one logo look abandoned.
Updates (posts)
You can publish updates to your profile: news, offers, events and helpful information. They show on your profile and give people a reason to engage. A regular rhythm, such as one or two a month, keeps the profile current.
Attributes
Depending on your category, you can add attributes such as accessibility features, languages spoken or online appointments. Fill in everything that applies.
Reviews
Reviews influence both where you appear and whether people choose you. Ask every customer, at the right moment, using your direct review link, and reply to every review. Our guides to the Google review link and responding to negative reviews cover both.
Fixing wrong information on your profile
Sometimes your profile shows details you didn't add, because Google may update profiles using information from users and other sources.
- Check your profile regularly for changes you didn't make; Google usually notifies managers of suggested edits.
- Correct wrong details by editing the profile directly.
- If a change keeps coming back, make sure your website and directory listings show the same details, because Google cross-checks them. See free business directories.
- Duplicate listings (an old address, a listing created by someone else) can confuse customers. Request removal of duplicates through Google's support options.
Google Business Profile checklist
| Section | Done when |
|---|---|
| Name | Matches your real-world name exactly; no extra keywords |
| Categories | Most specific primary category; relevant additional categories only |
| Address or service area | Accurate; address hidden if customers don't visit |
| Phone and website | Correct; website link goes to the most relevant page |
| Hours | Regular and holiday hours set |
| Description | Written for customers; no links or keyword stuffing |
| Services | Each main service listed |
| Photos | Real, recent photos of premises, team and work |
| Updates | At least one in the last month |
| Reviews | A request routine in place; every review replied to |
| Managers | At least two people with access; nobody who has left |
Questions
How do I set up a Google Business Profile?
Sign in to Google Business Profile, add your business name, category, location or service area, phone and website, then complete verification. Once verified, fill in every section of the profile.
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free.
How do I verify my Google Business Profile?
Google offers the methods available for your business, which can include video recording, phone, text, email or postcard. Follow the instructions in your profile; video verification usually needs to show your location, branding and proof you manage the business.
Which category should I choose for my Google Business Profile?
The most specific category that describes your main business. Check which categories the top-ranking businesses for your main service use, then add additional categories only for other services you genuinely provide.
How often should I post on my Google Business Profile?
There's no set rule, but regular updates, such as one or two a month, keep your profile current and give customers a reason to engage.
Every guide is checked against the platform it describes before it’s published, and re-checked when the platform changes.