Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is the free shop window your business gets on Google Search and Google Maps. The map results that appear for searches such as "hairdresser near me" or "wine bar in the old town" are drawn from these profiles. This guide shows how to stand out in local search, from setting up your Google Business Profile to managing reviews.
Create and verify your Google Business Profile
Sign in with a Google account and add your business through the Google Business Profile page or directly in Google Maps. If your business already shows on the map, someone probably added it earlier; request ownership of that profile instead of opening a new one.
Before handing over management, Google asks you to verify the business. Depending on its type and location, Google offers options such as phone, email, video or post, and decides which method you get. Changes made before verification may not appear in search results.
- Use the real business name shown on your signage and official documents. Adding keywords to the name breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- If you welcome customers at your address, show it. If you serve customers at their location, you can hide the address and choose service areas instead.
- If a production facility does not receive customers, open the profile for a showroom or sales office that customers can visit. Google expects face-to-face contact with customers at the listed address during the stated hours.
When ranking local results, Google looks at relevance, distance and how well known the business is. You can't change distance, but a complete profile, steady reviews and consistent information across the web support the other two.
Categories, opening hours and photos
Your primary category is one of the most important details in your Google Business Profile, because it shapes which searches you appear in. Pick the most precise category as primary and add secondary ones for your other services. If something more specific than a general "restaurant" fits you, choose it.
Keep your opening hours up to date and set special hours for public holidays and special occasions. A business shown as open while closed loses the customer and risks a negative review.
Photos are the first thing people look at on a profile. Alongside your logo and cover image, add real photos of the exterior, interior, products, team and workspace. An exterior photo helps people recognise you from the street.
Examples by sector
- Restaurants: Add your menu and booking link; refresh photos of dishes, the dining room and any garden with the seasons.
- Beauty salons: List your services one by one, add a booking link and share photos that show the salon's cleanliness and atmosphere.
- Manufacturers with a showroom: Add your product groups to the products section, state showroom visiting hours clearly and link to the catalogue or quote page on your website.
Manage your reviews
Reviews are the most powerful part of a Google Business Profile for trust and visibility. Don't hesitate to ask happy customers for one: put your review link or a QR code at the till, on tables or in your post-delivery message.
Reply to every review, positive or negative. With a negative review, don't get defensive: acknowledge the problem, offer a solution and, if needed, continue by phone or email. A calm, solution-focused reply also shows other readers how you work.
The risk of fake reviews
Buying reviews, having staff or friends write them, or offering discounts for them all breach Google's policies. Asking only customers you know are happy is not allowed either. Google can remove fake reviews and restrict the profile, and losing customers' trust costs far more than a few negative reviews.
You can report reviews that break the rules, contain insults or have nothing to do with your business. A review being negative, however, is not on its own a reason for removal.
Keep your profile active with posts
Google Business Profile lets you share update, offer and event posts. They appear on your profile and show that your business is active.
- A restaurant can announce its new seasonal menu or a live music night.
- A beauty salon can promote seasonal treatments.
- A manufacturer can share a trade fair appearance or a new product group in the showroom.
Give each post a clear image and an action button to call, book or visit your website. Short, genuine, regular posts beat occasional long announcements.
Keep your name, address and phone number the same everywhere
Google gathers information about your business from your profile but also from your website, social media and business directories. When your name, address and phone number match across these sources, Google and customers identify you correctly; conflicting details confuse both.
- Write your address the same way everywhere; keep the order of street, number, district and postcode unchanged.
- Use one main phone number and show the same number on your profile, website and social media.
- If you move or change your number, update your Google Business Profile first, then your website, social media accounts and other map services such as Apple Maps and Bing Maps.
- Don't open more than one profile for the same address. Duplicate profiles break the rules and send customers to the wrong information.
Connect your profile to your website
Your Google Business Profile and website complement each other. The profile link takes visitors to more detail, and your contact page should show the same name, address and phone number.
- Add a map showing your address to your contact page.
- Mark up your business details on your site with structured data; this helps search engines read them correctly.
- Add a UTM parameter to the website link on your profile, so you can see visitors from the profile separately in GA4.
- If you have several branches, create a separate page for each on your site and link each branch's profile to its own page.
The performance section of your profile shows how many people called, asked for directions or clicked through to your site. Read alongside your website analytics, it tells you whether local interest is turning into real demand. To check whether your site is ready to welcome these visitors, see our article on how to plan a company website.
Stay visible in local search
A Google Business Profile is not a page you set up once and forget. The right category, current hours, real photos, reviews that get replies and consistent contact details all support your visibility in local search. Nobody can guarantee rankings, but keeping your information complete and current makes it easier for customers to find you.
Local visibility is part of your wider SEO work; we cover the basics in our SEO guide. To tackle your profile and website together, explore our SEO service or get in touch with us.