When someone searches for a service "near me" or looks up your business by name, Google often shows a box with your hours, reviews, photos and a button to call or get directions. That box comes from your Google Business Profile. It's free, and for many local businesses it's seen by more people than the website itself.
This guide covers setting up a profile from scratch. If you already have one and want it kept active, our Google Business Profile management page explains what ongoing care involves.
Before you start: check whether a profile already exists
Search Google Maps for your business name and town. Google sometimes creates a basic listing from public information, and a previous owner or employee may have made one. If you find a listing for your business, choose the option to claim or manage it instead of creating a new one. Duplicate profiles confuse customers and can cause problems with verification.
Step 1: Sign in and add your business
Use a Google account you'll keep long term, ideally one tied to the business rather than a personal account an employee controls. Go to Google Business Profile, choose to add your business and enter its name exactly as customers see it on your sign, vehicles and paperwork. Google's guidelines don't allow adding extra keywords or locations to the name, and doing it can get a profile suspended.
Step 2: Pick the right primary category
Your primary category tells Google what your business is, and it has a big influence on which searches you appear for. Pick the most specific category that describes your main service, such as "Plumber" rather than "Contractor". You can add secondary categories later for other services you offer, but keep them accurate; more categories isn't better if they don't fit.
Step 3: Address or service area
This is where many service businesses get stuck.
- If customers come to you (a shop, salon, office or restaurant), enter your address so it shows on the map.
- If you go to customers (cleaners, trades, mobile services), you can set a service area of cities or regions instead and hide your address. Google still asks for an address to verify you, but it won't be displayed.
- If you do both, you can show your address and set a service area.
Google expects a real location where the business operates. Virtual offices and mailbox addresses generally don't qualify.
Step 4: Add contact details and your website
Add the phone number and website customers should use. Use the same business name, address and phone number you use on your website and elsewhere online. Matching details help Google trust your information; mismatches create doubt. If you don't have a website yet, the profile still works, but a site gives customers more reasons to choose you. See our guide to what a small business website needs to get calls.
Step 5: Verify the profile
Verification proves you run the business. Google decides which methods are offered for your profile; depending on your business, options can include a phone call or text, email, a short video recording showing your location and equipment, a live video call or a postcard mailed to your address. Follow the instructions exactly. If you're asked for a video, show your signage or branded vehicle, tools of the trade and something that ties the business to the location. Verification can take a little while to process, so don't make big edits while it's pending.
Step 6: Fill in everything that applies
A complete profile gives customers fewer reasons to look elsewhere.
- Hours, including holiday hours when they change
- Services or products, with short descriptions in plain language
- A business description that says what you do and where, without stuffing keywords
- Photos: your work, your team, your vehicles or your premises, inside and out. Real photos beat stock images.
- Attributes that apply, such as accessibility details or payment options
Step 7: Keep it active
A profile isn't something you set and forget. Google describes local results as based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. You can't change your distance from a searcher, but you can keep your profile relevant and build prominence over time:
- Ask happy customers for reviews regularly, and reply to every review, good or bad, politely
- Add new photos as you finish jobs or update your space
- Post updates for offers, news and seasonal changes
- Update hours before holidays, not after
- Answer customer questions when they appear
Never buy reviews, write your own or offer rewards in exchange for positive ones. It breaks Google's policies and can lead to removed reviews or a suspended profile.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Creating a second profile instead of claiming an existing one
- Adding cities or keywords to the business name
- Using an address that doesn't match where the business actually operates
- Letting hours go stale, which sends customers to a closed door
- Different phone numbers or names on the profile and the website
Keeping all of this current takes a few minutes every week. If you'd rather hand it off, NuWeb manages your profile as part of the same plan as your website. You add us as a manager, so you always remain the owner.
General information for small businesses, not a quote. Every business is different; ask us about yours.