How to set up your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is what appears when someone searches for you by name, and it’s the main way local customers find you in Google Maps and the map results. It’s free, and it’s worth doing carefully.

Written by Thys du Plooy. I’ve seen more profiles held back by small mistakes than by anything clever.

Step 1: Check whether you already have one

Search Google for your business name. If a panel appears with “Own this business?” or “Claim this business”, a profile exists. Claim it rather than creating a second one, because duplicates cause problems.

Step 2: Create or claim it

Sign in with a Google account that you control, not an agency’s or a former employee’s. Search for your business at business.google.com, or add it. You should always be the owner. If someone else sets it up for you, ask for owner access.

Step 3: Name, category and contact details

Field	What to do
Business name	Your real, everyday name, as on your signage, website and invoices. Don’t add keywords or locations. Google can edit or suspend profiles that do
Main category	The one that best describes what you mainly do. It’s one of the most important settings
Extra categories	Add a few more only if they’re really accurate
Address	Your real address. If you’re a service-area business without a public premises, hide the address and set service areas
Phone	A number that gets answered. Use the same one as on your website
Website	The most relevant page, often your home page or a location page
Hours	Accurate, including bank holidays. Update them when they change

Step 4: Services and description

Add each service you offer, using plain words.
Write a description in your own voice: what you do, who for, where. Keep it factual and avoid sales language and links.

Step 5: Photos

Add real photos: your premises, your team, your work and your logo. Photos of real work and real people help customers trust you. Avoid stock images.

Step 6: Verify

Google will ask you to prove the business is real. The method varies: a postcard, a phone call, an email, or a short video showing your premises and signage. Follow what Google shows you. Be wary of anyone who offers to “verify” your profile for a fee.

Step 7: Keep it alive

Add an update or offer regularly.
Reply to reviews.
Review your hours, services and photos every few months.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Why it hurts
Adding keywords to the name	Risks suspension, and misleads customers
Using a virtual office or a mailbox address	Can lead to suspension
Different details to your website	Confuses Google about which is right
Wrong main category	Shows you for the wrong searches
Leaving it unverified	Limits what you can do
Someone else owns it	You can lose control of it