A Google Business Profile is one of the most useful free tools for a local business that meets customers face to face. It can show your shop or service business on Google Search and Maps with accurate hours, directions, services, photographs, reviews and contact options. This practical guide explains how an owner can create, verify and improve a profile without paying an agency.
Important: Google Business Profile was previously called Google My Business. A profile does not guarantee rankings or enquiries. Google states that local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, and there is no way to request or pay Google for a better organic local ranking.
Who is eligible for a Google Business Profile?
A profile is intended for businesses that interact with customers in person during their stated hours. This includes shops, clinics, restaurants and offices customers can visit, as well as service-area businesses whose staff travel to customers. An online-only business with no face-to-face customer contact is generally not eligible.
Use the real-world business name customers see on signage and documents. Do not add city names, services, phone numbers or promotional keywords to the name unless they are genuinely part of the established business name. Virtual offices, fake locations and duplicate profiles can cause restrictions or suspension.
Before you start: prepare these details
- Your official business name and primary business category.
- A complete customer-facing address, or defined service areas if customers do not visit your address.
- Regular hours and special holiday hours.
- A business phone number, website and booking or enquiry link where applicable.
- A concise description of what you offer and whom you serve.
- Your services or in-store products, with accurate names and prices where appropriate.
- Original photographs of the exterior, entrance, interior, team and real work.
- Evidence needed for verification, such as permanent signage, tools, workspace or documents connected to the business.
How to create or claim your profile
- Search Google Maps for your business name and city first. This helps you avoid creating a duplicate.
- If no profile exists, visit Google’s Add Your Business page and follow the instructions.
- If an unverified listing already exists, select Claim this business and then Manage now.
- If another person has verified it, use Google’s ownership-request process. Do not create a competing listing for the same business.
- Enter only accurate details and select the most specific primary category that describes the main business.
Creating or claiming an eligible profile is free. Keep primary ownership in an account controlled by the business. Add staff or an agency as managers instead of sharing your password.
Storefront versus service-area business
Show an address only when customers can visit the location during the published hours and the location has legitimate business presence. If you travel to customers and do not receive them at your address, hide the address and enter realistic service areas. Do not use a residential address publicly merely to appear in a different city.
Place the map pin at the correct entrance. Check the address format, unit number and postcode, then view the result on Maps from a customer’s perspective.
Complete Google’s verification
Verification methods are selected by Google and can vary. You may be offered video recording, live video, phone, text, email, postcard or another method. You cannot always choose every option.
For video verification, prepare to demonstrate that the business exists at the claimed location and that you are authorised to manage it. Google may ask to see the surrounding area, street signs, permanent signage, workspace, equipment, products or access to staff-only areas. Record one continuous, truthful video; do not expose sensitive documents or personal information unnecessarily.
Optimise the profile for customers
1. Choose categories carefully
Your primary category should describe the main business, not every service you hope to rank for. Add only genuinely relevant secondary categories. Review categories when the business model changes, but avoid frequent experimentation that makes the profile inaccurate.
2. Write a useful business description
Explain what the business does, the customers it serves, important specialities and the genuine service area. Keep it readable and factual. Avoid links, excessive capital letters, discount claims and repeated keywords.
3. Add services, products and action links
List core services in plain language and organise them logically. Add prices only when they are dependable. Link customers directly to the most relevant website page—booking, menu, product category or enquiry form—instead of sending every visitor to a generic homepage.
4. Maintain accurate hours
Incorrect hours waste customers’ time and damage trust. Update regular hours whenever operations change and set special hours for public holidays, closures or events. Recheck phone, website and location information each month.
5. Upload real, helpful photographs
Add clear original images that help someone recognise the business and understand the experience: exterior and entrance, interior, team at work, products, equipment, parking or accessibility. Do not upload stock photographs as if they show the actual business, and do not use misleading before-and-after images.
A simple review system that follows the rules
Ask genuine customers for an honest review after the service or purchase. In your profile, open Read reviews, choose Get more reviews, and copy the review link or download the QR code. Google says this link can be shared by email, WhatsApp or Facebook.
Never buy reviews, offer rewards in exchange for positive ratings, ask staff to review the business, or selectively invite only customers expected to give five stars. Do not pressure customers or use multiple accounts. Reply calmly and specifically to positive and negative reviews without exposing customer information.
Use posts to help customers act
Where the feature is available, publish useful updates about new services, events, offers, changed hours or important business news. Add a clear photograph and an action button leading to the right page. Google reviews posts for policy compliance; phone numbers inside post descriptions may be rejected. Older posts can be archived, so keep essential information in the permanent profile fields and website.
Your 30-day do-it-yourself growth plan
| Week | Action | Customer benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Verify ownership; correct name, category, address or service area, hours, phone and website. | Customers can find and contact the right business. |
| Week 2 | Add description, services, attributes, action links and 8–12 genuine photographs. | People understand the offer before calling or visiting. |
| Week 3 | Create the official review link; request honest feedback from recent real customers; reply to every review. | Prospects see current experiences and responsive service. |
| Week 4 | Publish one useful update, check profile performance and fix the weakest customer pathway. | Visitors receive current information and a clearer next step. |
Measure enquiries, not only views
Review calls, website clicks, direction requests, messages or bookings available in Business Profile performance. Compare them with real enquiries and sales. Use tagged website links where your analytics setup supports them, and make sure every landing page works properly on mobile.
A practical monthly scorecard can track: accurate profile fields, new genuine photos, unanswered reviews, review-request count, calls, website visits, direction requests, enquiry-form submissions and confirmed customers. A rise in visibility without enquiries usually means the offer, trust signals or next step needs improvement.
Common problems that stop growth
- Unverified profile: complete the verification method Google offers.
- Wrong or broad category: select the category closest to the main service.
- Keyword-stuffed name: restore the genuine business name.
- Duplicate listing: claim, merge or resolve ownership instead of competing with yourself.
- Hidden contact pathway: add the correct phone, website and action link.
- Weak evidence: replace generic images with real, recent business photographs.
- Ignored reviews: reply professionally and fix repeated operational complaints.
- Inconsistent information: align your website, signage and profile details.
What actually influences local visibility?
Google describes three main local-ranking considerations: relevance, or how well the profile matches a search; distance, or how far the business is from the searcher; and prominence, or how well known the business appears through signals such as links and reviews. Complete information helps Google understand the business, but no ethical consultant can guarantee a number-one Maps position.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Eligible owners can add or claim a profile at no charge. Advertising is a separate optional service.
Can a home-based business create a profile?
It may be eligible if it meets customers in person or travels to serve them. A service-area business should hide a home address when customers do not visit there.
How often should I update the profile?
Correct factual changes immediately. Review hours and links monthly, add useful current photographs and respond to reviews promptly. Consistency is more valuable than daily low-quality edits.
Can I pay someone to guarantee the top position?
No one can pay Google for a better organic local ranking or guarantee a specific position. Be cautious of anyone requesting ownership, promising instant rankings or creating fake reviews.
Official Google resources
- Get started with Google Business Profile
- Add or claim your Business Profile
- Tips to improve local ranking
- Business Profile policies and guidelines
- Manage customer reviews
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