For many local businesses, the first thing a potential customer sees isn’t the website. It’s the Google Business Profile: the panel that appears on the right of the search results, or near the top on a phone, with your hours, reviews, photos and a button to call.
It’s free, it’s hugely visible, and a surprising number of businesses set it up once and never touch it again. Some profiles still show old phone numbers, wrong opening hours or a single blurry photo of a van from years ago.
This guide walks through each part of your Google Business Profile, what to put there and what to avoid. It’s written for owners and managers doing it themselves, so no technical knowledge is needed.
Claim and verify your Google Business Profile
Search for your business name on Google. If a profile already exists, there should be an option to claim it. If not, you can create one through Google’s Business Profile tools using the Google account you want to manage it from. Use a business account that more than one person can access, rather than an employee’s personal Gmail. Staff leave, and recovering access to a profile can be slow.
Google will ask you to verify that you’re genuinely the business. The methods vary and change from time to time. Video verification, where you film your premises, signage and proof of business, is common. Follow the instructions carefully and have your documents ready. Verification can take a few days, occasionally longer.
Once verified, add at least one other trusted person as a manager, so you’re never locked out.
Get the basics exactly right
Business name
Use your real business name, as it appears on your signage, stationery and website. Don’t add keywords or locations to it, for example “Smith Plumbing Liverpool Emergency Boiler Repair”. It breaks Google’s guidelines and can get your profile suspended. It’s also easy for competitors to report.
Address or service area
If customers visit you, show your address. If you travel to customers, like most trades, you can set a service area and hide your address. If you do both, you can show the address and a service area. Virtual offices and addresses where you don’t have a genuine presence aren’t permitted, so don’t use them.
Phone number and website
Use a local or main business number that’s answered. Link to your website, ideally to the most relevant page. For a multi-location business, that’s usually the page for that specific location.
Opening hours
Keep them accurate, and add special hours for bank holidays and Christmas. Few things annoy customers more than turning up to a closed door because Google said you were open.
Choose your categories carefully
Your primary category is one of the most important settings on your Google Business Profile. It tells Google what you are and affects which searches you appear in. Pick the most specific category that genuinely describes your main business. “Electrician” is better than “Contractor” if that’s what you do.
You can add secondary categories for other genuine services, but don’t add categories that don’t really apply. More isn’t better. Relevant is better.
A useful exercise: search for your main service in your area and look at the top profiles. Check what categories they use. You can see a business’s primary category shown on its profile in most views.
Fill in services, products and description
Many profiles leave these sections empty. Fill them in.
- Services: list your main services individually, with a short description for each. This helps Google and customers understand what you actually do.
- Products: if you sell products or packages, add them with photos and, where it makes sense, prices.
- Description: write a clear, plain English summary of who you are, what you do and where you work. Don’t stuff it with keywords or add links and promotions.
- Attributes: tick the ones that apply, such as wheelchair accessible entrance or online appointments. What’s available depends on your category.
Add good photos and keep adding them
Profiles with plenty of recent, real photos tend to look more active and more trustworthy. Aim to include:
- Your logo and a cover photo that represents the business well.
- The outside of your premises, so people can recognise it when they arrive.
- Inside the premises, if customers visit.
- Your team at work.
- Examples of your work or products.
Use real photos, not stock images. Add new ones regularly, perhaps a few each month, rather than a hundred at once and then nothing.
Treat your profile like a shop window that Google cleans for free. Your only job is to keep what’s in it accurate and interesting.
Build a steady flow of reviews
Reviews influence both where you appear and whether people choose you. The key is a steady flow of genuine reviews over time.
- Ask every happy customer. The best moment is just after a job is finished or a product has arrived.
- Make it easy. Your profile gives you a short review link you can send by text or email or print as a QR code.
- Reply to every review, good and bad, politely and promptly.
- Don’t offer incentives for reviews and don’t only ask customers you know are happy while filtering out others. Google’s policies prohibit both.
- Never post fake reviews or pay for them. Beyond Google’s rules, UK consumer law treats fake reviews seriously.
When you get a negative review, reply calmly, acknowledge the issue and offer to sort it out offline. Future customers read your reply as much as the complaint.
Use posts and updates
You can publish short updates on your profile: offers, news, events or seasonal information. They’re a simple way to show you’re active. A post once or twice a month is plenty for most businesses. Include a photo and a clear link.
Keep it maintained
A Google Business Profile needs a quick check every month. Anyone can suggest edits to your profile, including your hours, website or even your name, and Google sometimes applies them. Log in, look for any updates flagged for review and check nothing has changed without your knowledge. Review the performance insights too: searches, calls, direction requests and website clicks will tell you what’s working.
Google Business Profile checklist
- The profile is claimed, verified and owned by a business account.
- At least two people have manager access.
- The business name matches real-world signage, with no added keywords.
- Address or service area is set correctly.
- Phone number, website link and opening hours are accurate.
- Special hours are added for bank holidays.
- The primary category is the most specific accurate option.
- Services, products, description and attributes are filled in.
- There are real, recent photos of premises, team and work.
- There’s a routine for asking customers for reviews.
- Every review gets a reply.
- Someone checks the profile monthly for edits and updates.
Want it done for you?
Your Google Business Profile is one part of a wider local search picture that also includes your website, citations and reviews. If you’d like help getting all of it working together, our local SEO service covers profile optimisation, and our reputation management work helps you build and respond to reviews consistently.
