SEO
Google Business Profile Setup Checklist: 12 Things to Get Right
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing local customers see. This 12-step setup checklist covers claiming, verifying and getting every detail right.
On this page
- Who can have a Google Business Profile?
- 1. Check whether your profile already exists
- 2. Claim and verify your profile
- 3. Use your real business name
- 4. Choose the right primary category
- 5. Get your address or service area right
- 6. Add your phone number and website
- 7. Set accurate opening hours
- 8. Write a clear business description
- 9. List your services (and products)
- 10. Upload real photos
- 11. Collect reviews and reply to them
- 12. Keep it active
- Keep your details consistent everywhere
- Mistakes that get profiles suspended
- How do you know if it is working?
- Want help getting found locally?
- Frequently asked questions
When someone searches for a business near them, the first thing they often see is not a website. It is a box on Google with a map, a phone number, opening hours, photos and reviews. That box is a Google Business Profile, and for local businesses it can matter as much as the website itself.
A profile is free to set up, and the difference between one that works and one that does not is in the details. This checklist covers Google Business Profile setup in 12 steps, based on Google’s own guidelines.
Who can have a Google Business Profile?
Google’s rule is that a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours. That includes shops, offices where you meet clients, and service-area businesses such as plumbers, electricians and mobile hairdressers who travel to customers. Brands, organisations and other online-only businesses are not eligible, and neither are virtual offices or PO box addresses.
If you are not sure you qualify, read Google’s guidelines for representing your business first. Setting up a profile that does not meet them is one of the quickest ways to have it restricted or suspended.
1. Check whether your profile already exists
Search for your business name on Google and Google Maps before creating anything. Your business may already have a profile, and making a second one causes duplicates. Google’s guidelines do not allow more than one profile for the same business location. If one exists, claim it instead of starting a new one.
2. Claim and verify your profile
Claiming means proving the business is yours. Depending on your business, Google may offer verification by phone or text, email, a live video call, a video recording or a postcard sent to your address. Google decides which options you see, and you cannot change them. Do this early so you are in control of the profile.
3. Use your real business name
Your name on the profile should match the name on your signage, website and invoices. Google’s guidelines say not to add marketing taglines, phone numbers, web addresses or location details, so a name like “Smith Plumbing | Cheap Emergency Plumber Leeds” breaks the rules and can get the profile suspended. Keep it to your actual trading name.
4. Choose the right primary category
Your primary category tells Google what kind of business you are, which helps it decide which searches you may appear for. Pick the one that most closely describes what you do, such as “Plumber” or “Bathroom remodeler”. Google’s advice is to use as few categories as possible to describe your core business. Add more only where they genuinely apply, and choose each one by completing the sentence “This business is a...”.
5. Get your address or service area right
If customers visit you, add your full address. If you travel to customers and they never visit you, hide your address and list the areas you serve instead. Google says a service area should not stretch further than about two hours’ driving time from where your business is based. Be honest about where you actually work, because Google may suspend profiles that list areas the business does not really cover. Never use a virtual office or PO box as your address.
6. Add your phone number and website
Use one main phone number and make sure it matches the number on your website exactly. Link to the page you most want visitors to land on. For most businesses that is the homepage, though a dedicated page for a key service can work well. If you do not have a website yet, here is why a website still matters alongside your profile.
7. Set accurate opening hours
Wrong hours cause real problems: customers turn up at a closed door and leave a bad review. Set your regular customer-facing hours, add special hours for bank holidays and holidays, and update them whenever they change. If you work by appointment or out of hours, say so in your description.
8. Write a clear business description
The description is your chance to say, in plain words, what you do, who you do it for and where. You have up to 750 characters, so put the most important information first. Write for people first, and leave out web links, special offers and prices, which Google asks you not to include in the description.
9. List your services (and products)
Add each service you offer, with a short plain-English description, wherever Google lets you for your type of business. This helps customers see at a glance whether you can help, and helps Google understand what you do. Use the names customers search for, such as “boiler repair” rather than “heating solutions”.
10. Upload real photos
Add a logo, a cover image, photos of your premises or van, your team, and your best recent work. Google suggests including an exterior photo so customers can recognise your business when they arrive. Use your own photos rather than stock images, avoid heavy filters, and refresh them from time to time so the profile looks current.
11. Collect reviews and reply to them
People read reviews before they decide who to call, so they matter a great deal. Ask every customer, make it easy with a direct review link and reply to every review, including the critical ones, politely and promptly. Play by Google’s rules: you cannot offer a discount or reward in return for a review, ask only your happy customers, or discourage negative reviews. Google can remove those reviews and restrict your profile. Our guide to getting more Google reviews without breaking the rules covers how to do this properly.
12. Keep it active
An active profile looks trustworthy. In your profile, choose Posts, then Add post, and share an update, an offer or an event when you have something worth saying. Posts older than six months are archived automatically unless you gave them an end date. Keep your photos fresh and check the profile regularly for new reviews or edits suggested by others.
Keep your details consistent everywhere
Your business name, address and phone number should be the same on your profile, your website, your social media and any directories you are listed in. Small differences, such as “Street” in one place and “St” in another, can create confusion for customers and search engines. Our plain-English guide to ranking higher on Google explains how local listings fit into the bigger picture.
Mistakes that get profiles suspended
Google can restrict or suspend a profile that breaks its guidelines. The most common causes are:
- A name stuffed with keywords or locations
- A fake, virtual or PO box address
- Listing a service area you do not really cover
- Fake, paid-for or incentivised reviews, or reviews from friends and family
- Creating several profiles for the same business
- Choosing a category that does not describe what you do
Restrictions can include being unable to receive new reviews for a period, or existing reviews being hidden. It is worth getting these right from the start. The details are in Google’s Business Profile guidelines and its fake engagement policy.
How do you know if it is working?
Google shows basic performance information for your profile, such as how many people called you, asked for directions or clicked through to your website. Find your profile on Google Search and choose Performance, or open the Google Maps app, tap Business and look for Performance. The metrics you see depend on your business. Check it monthly. The numbers that matter most are calls and enquiries, not views.
Want help getting found locally?
We help UK businesses get found on Google, from setting up and tidying their Business Profile to improving the website behind it. Try our free website check and we will tell you what we would fix first, or find out more about our SEO services. New to all this? Start with what SEO actually is.
Details checked against Google’s Business Profile Help on 7 October 2026. Google changes its tools often, so check its help pages if something looks different.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Setting up and managing a profile costs nothing.
Can I have a profile without a shop or an office?
If you travel to customers, such as a plumber or mobile hairdresser, you can set up a service-area profile and list the areas you cover instead of showing your address. If you only work online and never meet customers in person, you are not eligible.
How long does verification take?
It depends on the method. Google says postcards usually arrive within 14 days, and the code expires after 30 days. After you complete the steps, Google can take up to 5 business days to review your information. Start early and keep an eye on your email or post.
Do I still need a website if I have a profile?
Yes. The profile helps people find you, but your website is where you explain your services, show your work and turn visitors into enquiries. The two work best together. We cover this in our guide to website design for tradespeople.
How many reviews do I need?
There is no magic number. What matters is that you keep collecting genuine reviews steadily and reply to them. A steady flow of recent reviews tends to look more trustworthy than a big burst followed by silence.
