Set up your Google Business Profile in one sitting
The free listing that puts you on Google Maps and in local search. Here is exactly what to fill in, in order.
· 2 min read
When someone searches "plumber near me" or types your business name into Google, the box with your hours, phone number, photos and reviews comes from your Google Business Profile. It is free, and for most local businesses it is the single most valuable piece of marketing you can own.
If you only do one thing this month, do this.
Step 1: Claim or create your profile
Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account you will keep long term (not a former employee's). Search for your business name. If a listing already exists, claim it. If not, create one.
Google will ask you to verify that the business is real and that you run it. The method varies: it might be a phone call, an email, a short video or a postcard. Follow whatever it offers. Your edits may not show publicly until verification is finished.
Step 2: Get the basics exactly right
- Business name. Use your real name, the same as your sign and your website. Do not add keywords or city names; it is against Google's rules and can get a profile suspended.
- Primary category. This matters more than almost anything else. Pick the most specific category that describes your main business ("Pizza restaurant", not "Restaurant").
- Address or service area. If customers come to you, show your address. If you go to them, hide the address and list the areas you serve.
- Hours. Keep them accurate, and add holiday hours when they change. Wrong hours cost you customers and earn you bad reviews.
- Phone and website. Use the number you actually answer.
Step 3: Fill in everything else
A complete profile gives people fewer reasons to click the next business instead.
- Description. Two or three plain sentences: what you do, who you do it for, and where.
- Services or products. List them, with prices if you can.
- Photos. Add your storefront, your team, and your work. Real photos beat stock photos every time. Aim for at least ten to start.
Step 4: Keep it alive
A profile is not a set-it-and-forget-it thing. Put a reminder on your calendar to do these once a month:
- Add a few new photos.
- Post one update: an offer, an event, or a recent job.
- Reply to every new review, good or bad.
- Check that your hours are still right.
Do this today
Search for your own business on Google right now. If you see "Own this business?" on the listing, it has not been claimed. Click it and start Step 1.