A well-built Google Business Profile gives your business a stronger presence when potential customers search for local products and services on Google Search and Google Maps. It is free to set up, but simply creating a profile is not enough. The information needs to be accurate, complete and useful to the people who find you.
This Google Business Profile setup checklist walks you through the process from claiming and verifying your listing to choosing categories, adding services, getting reviews and tracking how people interact with your profile.
If you’re setting up a new profile, work through the steps in order. If you already have one, use this as an audit and look for anything you’ve missed.
A Google Business Profile is Google’s free business listing for Search and Maps. It allows eligible local businesses to display information such as their location or service area, hours, phone number, website, services, photos and customer reviews.
Google says local search results are primarily based on relevance, distance and prominence. A complete and accurate Business Profile can help Google understand what your business does, where it operates and whether it is relevant to a local search.
If you’d rather have someone handle this for you, we offer Google Business Profile management as part of our local digital marketing services.
Google Business Profile Setup Checklist
Before getting into the details, here are the main things every business should review:
- Claim or create your Google Business Profile
- Complete Google’s verification process
- Use your real-world business name
- Add the correct address or service area
- Add your phone number and website
- Choose the best primary business category
- Add relevant secondary categories
- Set regular and special business hours
- Add your services or products
- Complete applicable business attributes
- Write a clear business description
- Add real photos of your business
- Build a steady stream of legitimate customer reviews
- Respond to your reviews
- Add booking, appointment or other action links where available
- Review your profile regularly for accuracy
- Track searches, calls, website clicks and other profile activity
Now let’s go through each one.
1. Claim or Create Your Google Business Profile
Start by searching Google for your business name.
If a profile already exists, claim it rather than creating another one. Duplicate profiles can create unnecessary problems and make it harder to manage how your business appears.
If no profile exists, create one and enter your basic business information.
Google Business Profiles are available at no charge to eligible businesses. Once you have claimed or created the profile, Google will ask you to verify that you are authorized to manage the business.
2. Complete Google’s Verification Process
Verification is required before you can fully manage your Business Profile and interact with customers through it.
Google determines which verification methods are available for each business. Depending on the business, location and information Google already has, you may be offered options such as video recording, phone or text, email, live video or postcard verification.
You generally cannot choose a verification method that Google has not made available to you.
If Google asks for video verification, prepare before recording. You may need to demonstrate that the business exists, show its location or equipment, and provide evidence that you are authorized to manage it.
Do not start changing major profile details while verification is underway unless necessary. Changing information such as your business name, address or category can sometimes trigger additional verification.
3. Enter Your Business Name Correctly
Your Google Business Profile name should match the name your business uses in the real world.
Do not add cities, services or keywords to the name just because you want to rank for them.
For example, if your company is called:
Smith Plumbing
don’t change the profile name to:
Smith Plumbing | Kitchener Plumber | Emergency Plumbing & Drain Cleaning
unless that is genuinely the business name you use publicly.
Keyword stuffing a Business Profile name violates Google’s guidelines and can put the profile at risk.
Use the proper business name and let your categories, services, website content and other information explain what you do.
4. Add the Correct Address or Service Area
How you configure your location depends on how customers interact with your business.
If customers visit your business at a staffed physical location, add the correct business address.
If you travel to customers and do not serve customers at your address, set the profile up as a service-area business and hide the address from the public profile.
For example, a plumber who operates from home but visits customers throughout Kitchener-Waterloo would normally use a service area rather than displaying the home address.
Google allows service-area businesses to specify the cities, postal codes or other areas they serve.
If customers do not visit your business address, that address should generally not be displayed on your Google Business Profile. Use service areas instead.
Getting this distinction right is important both for customers and for complying with Google’s Business Profile guidelines.
For a broader explanation of how location information fits into local search, see our plain-English guide to local SEO.
5. Add Your Phone Number and Website
Add the phone number customers should actually use to contact the business.
Where possible, use a direct local business number rather than a centralized call centre number.
Then add the most appropriate page on your website. For most businesses, that will be the homepage. Businesses with multiple locations may be better served by linking each Business Profile to the corresponding location page.
Make sure the information on your website agrees with the important information on your Google Business Profile, particularly your business name, address, phone number, hours and services.
Google gathers information about businesses from multiple sources, so giving it consistent, accurate information makes your business easier to understand.
6. Choose Your Primary Category Carefully
Your primary category is one of the most important choices you make when setting up a Google Business Profile.
Choose the category that most specifically describes what the business is.
Google makes a useful distinction here: your categories should describe what the business is, not simply everything the business has or every individual service it offers.
A physiotherapy clinic, for example, should select the most appropriate category representing the clinic rather than adding categories for every treatment available.
Your primary category should represent the main business. Secondary categories can then be used for other significant parts of the business.
Google confirms that the categories you choose can affect your local ranking.
If appearing in Google’s local results is important to your business, read our guide to how the Google Map Pack works for a deeper explanation of local search visibility.
7. Add Relevant Secondary Categories
After choosing the primary category, review the available additional categories.
Add categories that accurately represent important parts of the business, but don’t treat the category list like a place to stuff keywords.
More categories are not automatically better.
A smaller group of highly relevant categories usually describes the business more accurately than selecting every category that has a loose connection to something you offer.
Ask yourself a simple question:
Does this category describe what my business actually is?
If the answer is no, it probably doesn’t belong there.
8. Add Accurate Hours and Special Hours
Enter your normal customer-facing business hours and keep them accurate.
This sounds obvious, but incorrect hours create a terrible customer experience. Someone who drives to a business Google says is open only to find the doors locked isn’t likely to become a customer.
Google also lets businesses set special hours for holidays, temporary schedule changes and special events.
Make updating these part of your routine before major holidays.
If different parts of the business operate at different times, Google also supports additional types of hours for certain businesses and services.
9. Add Your Services, Products and Attributes
Depending on your business category, Google may allow you to add individual services or products.
Use them.
For service businesses, add the main services customers are likely to look for and write short, useful descriptions where appropriate.
A landscaping company might list services such as:
- Landscape design
- Lawn maintenance
- Garden installation
- Interlocking stone
- Spring and fall cleanup
This gives potential customers useful information directly on the profile and helps Google develop a clearer understanding of what the business offers.
You may also have access to attributes related to accessibility, amenities, payment options, parking and other business characteristics. Complete the ones that genuinely apply.
The goal isn’t to fill fields for the sake of filling fields. The goal is to give Google and potential customers an accurate picture of the business.
10. Write a Useful Business Description
Your Business Profile description should clearly explain what your business does, who you serve and what distinguishes you.
Don’t write it like an SEO title tag.
A good description sounds natural while still giving Google and customers useful context.
For example:
Evergreen Digital Marketing is a Kitchener-Waterloo digital marketing agency specializing in WordPress website design, SEO, Google Ads and ongoing website support for businesses and organizations across Southern Ontario.
That single sentence communicates the business name, location, type of business and core services without forcing keywords into the copy.
Use the available space to explain the business clearly rather than trying to squeeze every possible keyword into it.
11. Add Real Photos of Your Business
Photos help potential customers understand who they’re dealing with before they call, visit or book.
Add a recognizable logo and strong cover image, then build out the profile with genuine photographs such as:
- Your storefront or building
- The inside of your location
- Your team
- Your equipment
- Completed projects
- Products
- Staff performing the work
- Other images that accurately represent the customer experience
Avoid relying on generic stock photography.
A potential customer looking at a restaurant, contractor, clinic, retail store or professional service wants to see the actual business.
Use clear, well-lit images that accurately represent the business rather than heavily altered or excessively filtered photos.
12. Ask Customers for Reviews
Reviews are an important part of a strong Google Business Profile because they give potential customers direct evidence of other people’s experiences with your company.
Google also identifies reviews as one factor that can contribute to prominence in local search.
Build review requests into your normal customer process. Google provides businesses with a direct review link and, in some cases, a QR code you can share with customers.
But there is an important rule:
Google reviews should reflect genuine customer experiences. Businesses should not offer discounts, free products, prizes or other incentives in exchange for reviews.
Don’t chase a perfect rating. A steady flow of legitimate reviews from real customers is far more valuable than trying to manufacture one.
And when reviews come in, respond to them.
Positive replies show appreciation. Thoughtful replies to negative reviews show prospective customers how you handle problems.
We’ve covered this in more detail in our guide to how reviews affect local ranking.
13. Add Booking and Action Links Where Available
Depending on your business category, Google may allow you to add links that let customers take action directly from the profile.
These can include:
- Book an appointment
- Make a reservation
- Place an order
- View a menu
- View services
If these options are available to you, make sure they point to the correct pages.
Reducing the number of steps between a Google search and a customer contacting or booking with you is almost always worthwhile.
Some businesses can also add social media profiles. Availability can vary, so complete the fields Google makes available for your particular profile.
14. Keep the Profile Updated
A Google Business Profile isn’t something you should set up once and forget about.
Business information changes.
Staff change. Hours change. Services change. Websites change. Phone numbers change. Businesses move.
Review the profile periodically and make sure everything remains accurate.
You can also add new photos and publish updates when you have genuinely useful information to share, such as an event, announcement, new service or temporary change.
Don’t post simply because someone told you an “active profile ranks better.” Frequent posting by itself does not guarantee better local rankings.
Keep the profile current because accurate information makes it more useful to customers.
15. Track Your Google Business Profile Performance
Once the profile is established, check how people are finding and using it.
Google Business Profile performance data can include information such as:
- Searches that triggered your profile
- Profile views
- Phone call clicks
- Website clicks
- Direction requests
- Bookings and other interactions when applicable
Look at trends rather than obsessing over one week’s numbers.
If more people are discovering the profile for relevant searches and taking useful actions such as visiting your website, requesting directions or calling the business, your local presence is doing its job.
How Does Google Decide Which Local Businesses to Show?
Google says local results are primarily based on three factors: relevance, distance and prominence.
Relevance is how closely a business matches what someone is searching for.
Distance considers how far the business is from the location used in the search.
Prominence relates to how well known or established the business appears to be, using information Google gathers from across the web and from sources such as links and reviews.
There is no setting inside your Google Business Profile that guarantees a top-three Map Pack position.
The best approach is to make the profile as accurate and useful as possible, build a strong website, earn legitimate reviews and strengthen the overall online presence of the business.
That’s why Google Business Profile optimization works best as one part of a larger local SEO strategy, rather than as a standalone trick.
Google Business Profile Quick Audit
Already have a profile? Take five minutes and check it now.
Look at your business name, primary category, additional categories, address or service area, phone number, website, regular hours, holiday hours, services, description, photos and reviews.
Then look at it like a customer.
Is anything missing? Is anything outdated? Does the profile clearly explain what you do? Does it give someone enough information to feel comfortable calling, visiting your website or booking with you?
Most Business Profile improvements aren’t complicated. The biggest opportunities often come from correcting inaccurate information, filling obvious gaps and making the profile genuinely more useful.
Google Business Profile FAQs
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Eligible businesses can create and manage a Google Business Profile at no charge. The profile can appear across Google Search and Google Maps.
Does a Google Business Profile help with SEO?
A Google Business Profile is an important part of local SEO. It gives Google information about what your business does, where it operates and how customers can interact with it. Google says local results are primarily determined by relevance, distance and prominence.
What information should I add to my Google Business Profile?
At minimum, add an accurate business name, location or service area, phone number, website, category and business hours. Depending on your business, you should also add services, attributes, a business description, photos, reviews and appropriate booking or action links.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Verification time depends on the method Google makes available to your business. Some profiles can be verified quickly, while other verification methods require additional review.
Can I have a Google Business Profile if I work from home?
Potentially, yes. A legitimate service-area business that travels to customers can have a Google Business Profile even if customers don’t visit its address. In that situation, the business address should generally be hidden and the areas served should be entered instead.
Should I put keywords in my Google Business Profile name?
Only if those words are genuinely part of your real business name. Adding services, locations or other keywords purely to improve rankings violates Google’s Business Profile guidelines.
How often should I update my Google Business Profile?
Update your profile whenever important business information changes. At a minimum, regularly check your hours, holiday hours, contact information, services, website links and other customer-facing details to make sure they are still accurate.
Need Help With Your Google Business Profile?
Setting up a Google Business Profile isn’t difficult, but getting the details right can make a meaningful difference to how your business appears in local search.
If you’d rather have us set it up, optimize it or manage it for you, get in touch with Evergreen Digital Marketing. We’ll make sure your profile accurately represents your business and fits into a broader local search strategy.
