To set up your Google Business Profile, sign in with a Google account, add your business name, category, location or service area, and contact details, and then verify your business. Once you're verified, fill out every section and keep it updated so customers can find you in Google Search and Maps.
It's free, it doesn't take long, and it's one of the most useful things you can do for a local or service-based business. It's also where I ask every web design client to leave a review after launch, because I've seen how much a well-kept profile helps people find and trust a business.
Google updates its setup screens from time to time, so the exact buttons may look a little different, but the process stays about the same.
What is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile is the information panel that shows up when someone searches for your business on Google or finds you on Google Maps. It can include:
- Your business name, category, and description
- Your address or service area
- Hours, phone number, and website
- Photos of your work, products, or space
- Customer reviews
- Services or products you offer
For many people, it's the very first impression of your business, sometimes before they ever visit your website.
Is your business eligible for a Google Business Profile?
Google's guidelines are designed for businesses that serve customers in person, either at a location or by traveling to them. That includes storefronts, studios, and service-area businesses like photographers, contractors, and designers who meet with local clients.
If you run your business from home and don't see customers there, you can list a service area instead of your address and keep your home address hidden.
If your business is entirely online, such as an Etsy shop with no local pickup, in-person sales, or local clients, check Google's current eligibility guidelines before you set one up. The rules are specific, and following them helps keep your profile from being suspended.
What do you need before you start?
Having these ready makes setup go quickly:
- A Google account, ideally connected to your business email
- Your business name, exactly as you use it on your website, signage, and social media
- Your main business category, such as "Website designer" or "Engraving service"
- Your address or service area
- Your phone number and website
- Your business hours
- Your logo and a few good photos
- A short description of what you do and who you serve
How do you set up your Google Business Profile?
- Go to Google Business Profile and sign in with your Google account.
- Search for your business name. If a profile already exists, you may be able to claim it instead of creating a new one.
- Choose your business category. Pick the one that best describes your main service. You can add more categories later.
- Add your location or service area. Enter your address if customers visit you, or choose the areas you serve if you travel to them or work from home.
- Add your contact information, including your phone number and website.
- Verify your business. Google will walk you through the verification options available to you.
- Finish filling out your profile once you're verified.
How does Google verify your business?
Verification confirms that you're the real owner of the business. Depending on your business type and location, Google may ask you to verify by phone, text, email, video, or a mailed postcard with a code.
A few tips:
- Verification can take anywhere from a few minutes to several days.
- Avoid changing your business name, address, or category while verification is in progress.
- For video verification, have things ready that show your business is real, like your workspace, equipment, products, or branded materials.
What should you add to your profile after it's verified?
A complete profile gives customers more reasons to choose you. Once you're verified, add:
- A business description that clearly explains what you do, who you serve, and where
- Your services or products, with short descriptions
- Photos, such as your logo, a cover photo, examples of your work, your products, and you
- Hours, including special hours for holidays
- Additional categories that fit your business
- Attributes, like whether you're woman-owned or offer online appointments, when they apply
- A booking or contact link, if you have one
Write your description the way you'd explain your business to a new customer. Keep it natural rather than stuffing in keywords.
How do you get more Google reviews?
Reviews help customers decide whether to trust you, and they give Google more information about your business.
- Ask at the right moment, like right after a project wraps up or a customer tells you they love their order.
- Make it easy by sending your direct review link, which you can find in your profile.
- Respond to every review, including thoughtful, calm replies to any negative ones.
- Don't offer discounts or rewards for reviews. Google's policies don't allow incentivized reviews.
I ask each web design client for a Google review a few days after launch. Most are happy to leave one, and all it takes is asking.
What are the most common Google Business Profile mistakes?
- Adding keywords to your business name, like "Lilly's Candles | Best Candles Lexington KY." Use your real business name only.
- Using a P.O. box as your address.
- Creating duplicate profiles for the same business.
- Leaving sections blank or letting hours go out of date.
- Listing details that don't match your website or social media.
Consistent information everywhere your business appears builds trust with customers and with search tools.
How often should you update your Google Business Profile?
Try to check in at least once a month. Add new photos, update seasonal hours, respond to reviews, and share updates about new products, services, or events.
A profile that's kept up to date shows customers, and Google, that your business is active.
How does your Google Business Profile help with AI search?
Your profile is one of the most trusted sources of information about your business online. AI tools and Google's AI results can draw on it along with your website and reviews, so keeping it complete and accurate supports your visibility there too.
I go deeper into this in "How to Get Your Small Business Found in ChatGPT and Google AI?"
How does your website work with your Google Business Profile?
Your profile and your website work best together. Your profile gets people's attention in search results, and your website gives them the full picture and a clear next step.
When I launch a website, connecting it to Google is part of my launch checklist. Every site I build also includes SEO and AI search setup, mobile design, and ADA accessibility features, so when someone clicks through from your profile, they land on a site that's ready for them.
Ready for a website that matches your Google presence?
If your Google Business Profile is bringing people in but your website isn't doing its part, let's talk. Learn more about my web design services, explore branding and logo design, or browse my portfolio.
Every project starts with a free 30-minute consult where we talk through your business and what your website needs to do.
