Google My Business

This guide provides a complete walkthrough for setting up and optimising your Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business. For any local business, a well-managed profile is non-negotiable for appearing in Google Maps and local search results. We'll cover everything from initial setup and verification to advanced tactics that attract more customers, giving you a powerful, free tool to drive growth and manage your online reputation directly within Google's ecosystem.

Fast Answer

Crucial First Step: Get Verified
Why It Matters: Verification is the key that unlocks your profile's visibility on Google Maps and in local search results.
Primary Tool: Your Google Account

~1 hour + verification Time needed

Beginner Difficulty

Inconsistent NAP data Watch out for

Before You Start

A Google Account: You must have a standard Google account. We recommend creating one specifically for your business if you don't have one already.
Official Business Name: The exact legal name your customers know you by. No extra keywords.
Business Address or Service Area: A physical address customers can visit, or a defined area you serve if you're a mobile business.
Business Phone Number & Website: A primary contact number and your official business website URL.
Business Category: Your primary business type (e.g., "Plumber," "Italian Restaurant," "Marketing Consultant").
Business Hours: Your standard opening and closing times for each day of the week.
Photos and a Logo: High-quality digital images of your storefront, products, team, and your company logo.

Check first: Your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) must be 100% accurate and consistent everywhere online. Discrepancies between your website, your Google Business Profile, and other directories can seriously harm your local search ranking.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Start the Profile Creation Process

First, ensure you are signed into the Google Account you wish to manage your business with. Navigate to google.com/business. You will be prompted to find and manage your business. Type your exact business name into the search box. If your business appears in the dropdown list, select it to claim it. If it doesn't, click the option to "Add your business to Google." This begins the setup wizard.

This initial step is critical for avoiding duplicate listings. If a profile already exists from old data or a customer entry, you need to claim it, not create a new one. Claiming an existing profile will trigger the verification process to prove you are the rightful owner.

Enter Your Core Business Details

The setup wizard will first ask for your business name and primary category. For your name, use your real-world business name. Do not add keywords like "Best Plumber in Manchester" – this is a policy violation and can get your profile suspended. For the category, be as specific as possible. Typing "restaurant" will reveal options like "Pizza Restaurant" or "Seafood Restaurant." The more precise your category, the better Google can match you with relevant customer searches.

Tip: You can add multiple secondary categories later, but your primary category is the most important for search ranking. Choose the one that best represents the core of your business.

Define Your Location and Service Area

Next, you'll be asked if you have a physical location that customers can visit. This is a key step that splits profiles into two types:

Storefront/Office: If you select "Yes," you will enter your full business address. This address will be public and appear on Google Maps with a map pin. This is for businesses like shops, cafes, and clinics.
Service-Area Business: If you select "No," you will define service areas instead of a physical address. This is for businesses that travel to their customers, like electricians, cleaners, or delivery services. You can list specific postcodes, cities, or regions you cover. Your home address will not be shown publicly.

Ensure the address you enter is precise. This is the address Google will likely use to mail your verification postcard.

Add Contact Information

Provide your primary business phone number and your official website URL. While adding a website is optional, it's highly recommended. A profile without a website link looks less credible and misses a key opportunity to drive traffic. If you don't have a website, Google offers a basic, free website builder as a temporary solution, but a professional website is always the better long-term strategy. Double-check that the phone number is correct, as it will be a primary way for customers to contact you.

Complete the Verification Process

Verification is the most important step. It proves to Google that your business is legitimate and that you are authorised to manage its profile. Without verification, your profile will have limited visibility and functionality. The most common verification method is by postcard. Google will mail a postcard with a unique code to your registered business address. This usually takes 3-7 business days to arrive.

Once you receive the postcard, log back into your Google Business Profile dashboard and enter the code to complete verification. Other potential verification methods, depending on your business type and history, include phone call, text message, email, or a live video call with a Google representative. Follow the on-screen prompts to see which options are available to you.

Important: Do not edit your business name, address, or category while waiting for your verification postcard, as this can cancel the request and reset the process.

Flesh Out Your Profile Details

While you wait for verification, you can (and should) continue to build out your profile. A complete profile ranks better and provides a better customer experience. Focus on these key areas:

Business Hours: Add your regular opening and closing times. Be sure to update these for public holidays or special events.
Business Description: Write a clear, concise description of your business. Explain what you do, who you serve, and what makes you unique. Use keywords naturally, but focus on being helpful to the reader. You have 750 characters.
Services/Products: Use the dedicated sections to list your specific services or showcase key products. You can add descriptions and even prices.
Attributes: Add factual attributes that help customers. These can include things like "Wheelchair accessible entrance," "Free Wi-Fi," "Women-led," or "Online appointments."

Upload High-Quality Photos and Videos

Visuals build trust and show customers what to expect. A profile with photos gets significantly more clicks and direction requests than one without. Start by uploading your logo and a cover photo that best represents your brand. Then, add more images across different categories:

Exterior: Show your storefront from different angles so people can easily find you.
Interior: Give a sense of the atmosphere and layout of your business.
Products/Services: Showcase what you sell or the results of your work.
Team: Photos of you and your staff add a personal, trustworthy touch.

Aim for high-resolution, well-lit photos. You can also add short videos (up to 30 seconds) to make your profile even more engaging.

Tip: Regularly add new photos. This signals to Google that your profile is active and well-managed, which can positively influence your ranking.

Generate and Respond to Reviews

Customer reviews are a massive ranking factor for local search and a huge driver of customer trust. Once your profile is live and verified, you need a strategy to get more reviews. You can share a direct link to your review page with satisfied customers via email or text. Never offer incentives for reviews, as this is against Google's policy.

Equally important is responding to all reviews, both positive and negative. Thank customers for positive feedback. For negative reviews, respond professionally and calmly. Acknowledge their issue, apologise if appropriate, and offer to resolve the problem offline. How you handle criticism is visible to all potential customers.

Quick Reference

Situation	Use this	Why
You have a weekend sale or special event.	Create a Google "Offer" or "Event" Post.	It highlights your promotion directly in search results and expires automatically.
A customer asks a great question in person.	Add it to the Q&A section on your profile yourself.	It pre-emptively answers questions for other customers and lets you control the information.
Your profile traffic drops.	Check Performance Insights for query data.	This shows what terms people are using to find you, revealing new content or service opportunities.
Your phone number or opening hours change.	Update your profile immediately.	Prevents customer frustration and ensures Google sees your business information as reliable.

Common Problems When You Use Google My Business

Even with a careful setup, you can run into issues. Here are fixes for the most common ones.

Problem: The verification postcard never arrived.
Postcards can take up to 14 days in some cases. If it has been longer, you can log in to your dashboard and request a new one. Before you do, double-check that your address was entered 100% correctly, including the suite or unit number. If a second postcard fails to arrive, you will need to contact Google Business Profile support to explore alternative verification options.
Problem: Your profile was suspended.
Suspensions usually happen due to a violation of Google's guidelines. The most common causes are keyword stuffing in the business name, setting up a profile for an ineligible business (e.g., online-only), or having major inconsistencies in your NAP data. Review the guidelines carefully, correct any potential violations on your profile, and then submit a reinstatement request form through Google's help centre.
Problem: You have a fake or malicious negative review.
Unfortunately, this can happen. If you believe a review violates Google's content policy (e.g., it's spam, off-topic, or contains hate speech), you can flag it for removal. Find the review, click the three-dot menu, and select "Report review." However, Google will not remove a review simply because you disagree with the customer's opinion. In those cases, your best defence is a polite, professional public reply.
Problem: There are duplicate listings for your business.
This can split your reviews and confuse both customers and Google. Search for your business on Google Maps and see if multiple profiles appear. If you find a duplicate, you can suggest an edit to have it marked as a duplicate or, if you have access to both profiles, request that Google merge them by contacting support.

Advanced Tips for Google My Business

Once your profile is set up and verified, use these tactics to get a competitive edge.

Publish Google Posts Weekly: Posts are like free mini-adverts that appear on your profile in search results. Use them to announce new products, share articles, promote offers, or highlight upcoming events. They expire after 7 days (unless it's an event post), so consistent posting keeps your profile looking fresh and active.
Enable the Messaging Feature: This allows customers to send you a text message directly from your profile. It's a low-friction way for potential leads to make an enquiry. Make sure you have the Google Maps app on your phone to receive and respond to messages promptly, as response time is a key factor.
Master Performance Insights: Your profile's dashboard contains a valuable analytics section called "Performance." Regularly check this data to see how many people found you, the search queries they used ("discovery" vs. "direct"), and what actions they took (website clicks, calls, direction requests). This data is pure gold for understanding your local customer base.
Build Out Your Q&A Section: The Questions & Answers section is public. Anyone can ask a question, and anyone can answer it. To take control, proactively populate this section yourself. Think of your top 5-10 most frequently asked questions and post both the question and the definitive answer from your business account. This saves your team time and ensures customers get accurate information.

Google My Business FAQ

Is Google Business Profile completely free to use?

Yes, creating and managing your Google Business Profile is 100% free. There are no fees for setup, verification, or using any of its core features like Posts, Q&A, or analytics. The only associated costs would be if you choose to run Google Ads to promote your profile.

Can I create a profile if my business doesn't have a physical address?

Yes. This is called a service-area business. During setup, you will indicate that you do not have a location customers can visit. Instead of a map pin at your address, your profile will show a shaded service area on the map. This is perfect for tradespeople, mobile services, and consultants who work from home but serve a local area.

How can I rank higher on Google Maps?

Google's local ranking algorithm is based on three main pillars: Relevance (how well your profile matches a search), Distance (how close you are to the searcher), and Prominence (how well-known your business is). You can't change the distance, but you can improve relevance and prominence by having a fully complete and detailed profile, choosing the right categories, getting lots of positive reviews, and being active with Posts and photos.

What is the difference between Google My Business and Google Business Profile?

They are the same thing. In late 2021, Google rebranded "Google My Business" (GMB) to "Google Business Profile" (GBP). The name changed to simplify the product and emphasise that it's a profile managed directly on Google Search and Maps, not a separate platform. The functionality remains the same.

Final Checklist for Google My Business

Your business profile has been claimed or created.
The verification process is complete.
Your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are 100% accurate.
Your primary and secondary business categories are specific and correct.
Business hours, including special hours for holidays, are set.
A compelling, 750-character business description has been written.
Your logo and a high-quality cover photo have been uploaded.
At least 5-10 additional photos of your business (interior, exterior, team) are live.
You have a plan to consistently request new customer reviews.
You are prepared to respond to all reviews within 24-48 hours.
Your first Google Post is planned or has been published.
Performance Insights are scheduled for a weekly or monthly review.