Google Business Profile guide for local businesses

A Google Business Profile is the panel that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps, with your hours, phone number, photos and reviews. For a local business, it's often the first thing a new customer sees. This guide covers why it matters, how to set one up, how to keep it accurate, and how it works with your website.

Everything here is based on Google's own help pages, linked as we go. Google changes its screens from time to time, so if a button has moved, the linked page will have the current steps.

Why a Google Business Profile matters for local search

When someone searches "electrician near me" or "café open now", Google shows a map and a short list of local businesses. Google's page on how local results are ranked (opens in a new tab) says local results are mainly based on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the person searching) and prominence (how well known your business is).

You can't change your distance from a customer. You can make your profile complete and accurate. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up, and that verified profiles are more likely to appear in results. It also says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

According to Google's Business Profile page (opens in a new tab), creating a profile and listing your business is free.

Check you're eligible first

Google's guidelines for representing your business (opens in a new tab) set the rules. The main ones:

• You need real contact with customers. Your business has a place customers can visit, or you travel to customers.
• Storefront or service area. If customers come to you during your hours, list your address. If you go to them, you're a service-area business and should hide your address.
• No PO boxes or virtual offices. Google says P.O. boxes, remote mailboxes and virtual offices aren't acceptable addresses.
• One profile per business. Google's sign-up help says to create only one profile for the area you serve.

How to set up a Google Business Profile

Google's sign-up help (opens in a new tab) walks through the steps. In short:

1. Sign in to a Google account. Google suggests using an email address on your business's own domain if you're creating a new account.
2. Start a profile and enter your business name. If it already exists and someone else has verified it, you can request ownership.
3. Choose your category. This tells Google what kind of business you are.
4. Say whether customers can visit you. If you have a staffed storefront, enter the address. If not, choose no.
5. Add your service areas. You can add up to 20 areas. Google suggests keeping them within about two hours' drive of your base for most businesses.
6. Add your phone number and website.
7. Verify your business.

Verification proves to Google that you run the business. Google's verification help (opens in a new tab) lists the possible methods, including a video recording, a phone call or text, email, a live video call and a postcard. Google decides which methods you're offered. Customers can only find your profile once it's verified.

Get the details right

Your business name

Use the name on your signage, invoices and website. Google says adding unnecessary information to your name, such as slogans or service keywords, isn't permitted and can lead to suspension. "Smith Plumbing" is right. "Smith Plumbing, Best Emergency Plumber Gold Coast" is not.

Categories

Google asks you to use as few categories as possible, chosen so they complete the sentence "This business IS a", rather than "this business HAS a". Pick the one that describes your core business as your main category.

Hours

List the hours customers can actually reach you. For public holidays and closures, Google lets you set special hours (opens in a new tab) ahead of time, so your profile doesn't say you're open when you're not.

Phone number and website

Google asks for a local number under the business's direct control, rather than a central call centre. Link your website, or the page for that location if you have several.

Booking, menu and ordering links

Depending on your type of business, Google lets you add links for customers (opens in a new tab) to check a menu, book an appointment, make a reservation or place an order. If you already use booking software, add its link here.

Keep it healthy

A profile isn't a one-off job. A few minutes a month keeps it trustworthy.

Photos. Add photos of your work, your premises and your team. Google's photo guidelines (opens in a new tab) ask for JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommend 720 by 720 pixels, and say photos should be in focus, well lit and without heavy filters.

Posts. You can post updates, offers and events (opens in a new tab) to your profile. Google archives posts older than six months unless you set a date range, so a short, regular update is better than one big post.

Reviews. Google suggests asking customers to leave a review (opens in a new tab) using a link or QR code from your profile. Reply briefly and honestly, including to criticism. Google's content policy (opens in a new tab) says you mustn't offer incentives for reviews, discourage negative reviews, selectively ask only happy customers, or pressure people to review while they're on your premises. The ACCC's guidance on online reviews (opens in a new tab) adds that offering incentives for positive reviews risks breaching Australian law.

A simple monthly routine: check your hours, reply to new reviews, add a few recent photos, and make sure your phone number and website link still work.

How your website and profile work together

Your profile gets the first look. Your website does the explaining. They work best when they agree with each other.

• Keep the details identical. Same business name, phone number and service areas on both, including any business details your website marks up for search engines.
• Link to the right page. The profile should point to the page that answers what people searched for, usually your homepage or contact page.
• Give the detail your profile can't. Your website has room for each service, your licence details, your process, your prices and your full set of photos.
• Connect Google Search Console. Google's verification help says it can sometimes verify a profile straight away if you've already verified your website in Google Search Console. My Signature package includes connecting Search Console.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding keywords or suburb names to the business name.
• Showing a home address when customers don't visit.
• Creating a second profile after losing access to the first.
• Leaving old hours up over public holidays.
• Listing a number nobody answers.
• Buying reviews, or asking friends to post them.

Want a hand?

If you'd rather not do it yourself, Google Business Profile help is one of the optional extras on my pricing page. I can set up or tidy one profile that you own. Google makes the final call on verification and approval.

For trade-specific advice, see what a tradie website needs. If you're a local business here, there's more on web design on the Gold Coast. When you're ready to talk about a website, start with the website brief.