How to Set Up and Optimise a Google Business Profile

To set up a Google Business Profile, go to business.google.com/add, enter your business details and complete Google's verification step. To optimise it, keep your name, address, hours and categories accurate and within Google's guidelines, add photos, reply to reviews and post updates regularly. Google says there is no way to pay for a better local ranking, so accurate, complete information is what counts.

For a local business, the Google Business Profile is often the first thing a potential customer sees: the panel on Google Search and the listing on Google Maps showing your hours, phone number, reviews and directions. It is free to set up. This guide walks through the process using Google's own Business Profile Help pages, with tips relevant to UK shops, trades and service businesses.

How do you create a Google Business Profile?

Google's help centre describes a short process:

Go to business.google.com/add.
Choose to add your business to Google.
Follow the on-screen steps to enter your business name, category, location and contact details.
Choose a verification option and complete the steps shown.

Before you start, search Google Maps for your business name. A profile may already exist, created by Google from public information or by a customer. If so, you can request access or claim it rather than creating a duplicate. Google's guidelines allow only one profile per business location.

Why does verification matter?

Verification proves to Google that you are authorised to manage the business. Google states that once a profile is verified, you can make changes to it on Google Maps and Search, and its local ranking advice lists verification first. The verification methods offered vary by business, so follow the options Google shows you for your listing.

What rules apply to your business name, address and phone?

Google's guidelines for representing your business are strict, and breaking them can lead to a profile being suspended. The main points are:

Business name: use your real-world name as it appears on your signage, website and stationery. Do not add keywords, locations, taglines, phone numbers or service descriptions. "Smith & Sons Plumbing" is fine; "Smith & Sons Plumbing Best Emergency Plumber Leeds" is not.
Address: use a precise, real address where you can meet customers. PO boxes and virtual offices are not eligible. Co-working spaces only qualify with clear signage and staff present during business hours.
Phone and website: use a number and website you control for that specific location. Google prefers a local number to a central call centre, and premium-rate numbers are not allowed.

What if you visit customers rather than having premises?

Many UK trades, such as electricians, cleaners and mobile hairdressers, work at customers' homes. Google calls these service-area businesses. If you do not serve customers at your address, hide it and set a service area instead.

Google's guidance is to create one profile for your central base, and says service areas should generally not extend beyond about two hours' driving time from where you are based. If you have premises that customers visit and also travel to them, you can show your address and set a service area, provided the location is staffed during your stated hours.

How should you choose categories?

Your categories tell Google, and customers, what kind of business you are, and they feed into the relevance factor described below. Google advises choosing as few categories as possible to describe your core business, and making them as specific as you can. A useful test is to complete the sentence "This business is a..." rather than listing every service you offer.

For example, a bakery that also sells coffee might choose "Bakery" as its primary category. Do not use categories as keywords or to describe features, which belong in attributes and your description.

What should you include to make the profile complete?

Google's advice on local ranking explains that results are mainly based on three factors: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher) and prominence (how well known your business is, including reviews and links from other websites). You cannot change your distance from a customer, but you can improve relevance and prominence.

Use this checklist to make sure your profile is complete:

Profile item	What to do
Opening hours	Add your regular customer-facing hours and set special hours for bank holidays and Christmas.
Categories	Choose the most specific primary category and only relevant extras.
Attributes	Add relevant features such as accessibility, parking or Wi-Fi where offered.
Description	Describe what you do in plain language. Google's guidelines say no links, promotions or prices.
Photos and videos	Show your premises, team, products and finished work.
Website and booking links	Link to your own site and any booking or ordering page.
Products or services	List what you offer so customers can see it at a glance.
Reviews	Ask customers for reviews and reply to them.

Remember that Google can also update profiles using information from users and other sources, so check your profile regularly and correct anything that has changed without your knowledge.

How should you handle reviews?

Reviews influence both whether customers choose you and how prominent your profile is. Google suggests asking customers for reviews by sharing a review link or a QR code, which you can create from your profile. Customers need to be signed in to a Google Account to leave one.

When replying, Google recommends keeping responses polite, professional, short and relevant. For negative reviews, avoid sharing private details or making personal comments, acknowledge mistakes where they happened, explain what you can and cannot do, and apologise where appropriate.

One rule is non-negotiable: Google strictly prohibits offering discounts, free goods or other incentives in exchange for reviews, or for changing or removing a negative review. Doing so counts as fake and misleading content.

How can posts keep your profile active?

Posts let you share news directly on your profile. Google offers three main types:

Updates for general news, with an optional photo, video and action button such as "Book" or "Learn more".
Offers for promotions, with a title, start and end dates and optional coupon code and terms.
Events for workshops, open days or launches, with a title and dates.

A simple routine, such as one post a week or fortnight showing recent work, seasonal opening hours or a new service, keeps your profile looking current. Make sure post content follows Google's content policies.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?

No. Creating and managing a Business Profile is free. Google also offers paid local advertising, but that is separate, and Google states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

Can I add my town or keywords to my business name?

Only if they are genuinely part of your real-world business name, as shown on your signage and stationery. Adding extra keywords or locations breaks Google's guidelines and can put the profile at risk.

Can I work from home and still have a profile?

Yes. If customers do not visit you, set up the profile as a service-area business, hide your home address and define the areas you serve.

Can I have more than one profile?

Google allows one profile per business per physical location. A business with several staffed premises can have a profile for each, but duplicate profiles for the same location are not allowed.

Sources

General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Google's features and policies change from time to time, so check the Google Business Profile Help Centre for the latest guidance.

The SME Ledger editorial team

Our editors research every article from GOV.UK, HMRC, Companies House, the FCA and the British Business Bank, and update it when rules change. Read our editorial policy.