When someone searches for a bakery or a heating engineer near them, the local results on Google Search and Maps are built from Business Profiles. For many small businesses that listing is seen before the website is. It is also made of a short list of fields, so most of the work is accuracy rather than cleverness.
This guide goes through those fields, what a good entry looks like and what to have ready. It follows Google's own help pages, because the rules are specific and Google does enforce them.
Name, address and service area
Your name should be the one customers see on your shopfront, website and stationery. Google's guidelines rule out taglines, opening hours, phone numbers, services and location details in the name, and say those belong in other fields. Extras can lead to a suspension.
A fictional example: Kestrel Lane Bakery (a made-up shop in a made-up town) is listed as "Kestrel Lane Bakery", not "Kestrel Lane Bakery | Best sourdough | Open 7 days".
If customers visit you, the address needs to be precise. Google does not accept a PO box or a virtual office. If you travel to customers instead, the guidelines say to hide your address and set a service area. You can list up to 20 areas by city or postcode, but not as a radius, and the overall area shouldn't stretch much beyond about two hours' driving. Hollin Heating (also fictional) works from home, so it hides the address and lists the postcodes it covers.
Category
Choose the category that completes "This business is a", not "this business has a". Use as few as describe your core business, and make them specific. The first category you pick becomes the primary one, and you can add up to nine more. Categories are not a place for keywords.
Opening hours and phone
Regular hours should be the hours customers can actually be served. Add special hours for bank holidays and temporary closures. Google's guidelines say businesses that work by appointment only shouldn't give hours at all.
You can add up to two more phone numbers beside the main one, mobile or landline but not fax. The main number should be under the business's direct control, and a local number is better than a call-centre line.
Website and description
Enter the full web address, including https:// (or http://). Google asks you to make sure Googlebot isn't blocked on your site, so the link goes somewhere that works.
The business description has a limit of 750 characters. It should say what you offer, what makes you special and how long you've been going. It can't contain links or HTML, and Google asks you to focus on the business rather than on promotions or prices.
Photos and logo
Google's photo standards are JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommended 720 by 720 pixels and never below 250 by 250. Photos should be in focus, well lit and not heavily filtered. An outside photo helps customers recognise the shop when they arrive. Photos and videos only show once the profile is verified.
Reviews and replies
Replying to reviews shows people you value the feedback, and Google lists reviews among the things that make a business better known locally. Google also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking, and neither can we.
Google's Maps policy allows you to ask customers for honest reviews. It does not allow you to offer payment, discounts or free goods for them, to ask for specific content, or to ask only your happiest customers.
Verifying the profile, and who stays in control
You need to verify the business before you can edit its details. Google decides which verification methods you get. If a postcard is offered, its help page says most arrive within 14 days and that codes expire after 30. Google also says it will never ask for your code and that you shouldn't share it with anyone, including people who manage your profile.
So the owner always does that step. Owners can add or remove users and delete the profile. Managers can edit details, reply to reviews and publish posts, but can't add or remove users or remove the profile.
What WebFresh Studio sets up for you
Our Google Business Profile service is from £30 for one profile, basic setup. We write and set up your profile, with you in control. You stay the owner, you add us as a manager, and we never need your password. We check everything against the guidelines above and send it to you to approve before it goes live. We can't promise where a profile will appear.
What to have ready:
- The business name exactly as it appears on your shopfront or van.
- Your address, or the list of towns and postcodes you cover.
- Your main category and any close alternatives.
- Opening hours, including bank holidays.
- The phone number and website address you want shown.
- A few facts for the description: what you offer, how long you've traded, what customers praise.
- Real photos of your premises, work and team, plus your logo.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a website to have a Google Business Profile?
No. The website field is optional, but a link to a page that works gives customers more detail. If you do add one, make sure the address is correct and the page loads.
Can I put my keywords or services in my business name?
No. Google's guidelines say the name should match your real-world name, and extras can cause a suspension. Services belong in categories and the description, and details such as hours or area have their own fields.
I work from home. Do I have to show my address?
Not if you don't meet customers there. Google says to hide the address and set a service area by city or postcode. A shop or studio that customers visit should show its address.
Does a complete profile change where I appear on Google?
Google says local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence, and that there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Complete, accurate details help Google match you to what people search for, but nobody can promise a position. We make sure the details are complete and accurate.
Who gets the verification code?
Only the owner. Google says not to share the code with anyone, including people who manage your profile, so you enter it and we carry on from there.