The complete Google Business Profile setup and optimisation checklist

Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) controls how your business appears in Google Search and Google Maps: your name, hours, reviews, photos, phone number and the buttons customers tap to call or get directions. It is free, and for most local businesses it is where a large share of first impressions now happen.

This checklist takes you from nothing to a complete, well-maintained profile. Work through it in order and tick each item off.

Part 1: Before you start

• Decide your exact business name. It must match your real-world name as used on your signage, website, stationery and as customers know it. Google's guidelines say adding unnecessary information (like keywords or locations) isn't allowed and can lead to suspension.
• Decide what type of business you are:
  • Storefront: customers visit you at a staffed address (cafés, salons, shops).
  • Service-area: you visit customers and don't serve them at your address (most trades, mobile hairdressers, cleaners).
  • Hybrid: both (for example, a garage that also does mobile repairs).
• Choose one main phone number you control directly, ideally a local number.
• Have your website address ready (if you have one) and a short list of your services.
• Search Google Maps for your business first. You may already have a profile created by Google or a customer. Claim it rather than creating a duplicate.

Part 2: Create or claim your profile

1. Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account you'll keep long term. Using a business email you control is sensible; avoid a staff member's personal account.
2. Search for your business name. If it appears, select it and follow the steps to claim it. If someone else already manages it, Google provides a request-access process.
3. If it doesn't exist, add your business name and choose your primary category.
4. Add your address (storefront) or choose to hide it and add service areas (service-area businesses).
5. Add your phone number and website.

Part 3: Verify your business

Verification proves you are authorised to manage the profile. Google's help pages say verification methods are assigned automatically and you can't choose them. They may include:

• Phone or text message
• Email
• Video recording (recorded in the app, continuous and unedited)
• Live video call
• Postcard (in some cases)

For video verification, Google asks for a continuous recording showing your location or service area, evidence the business exists there (such as signage, equipment or a branded vehicle) and proof you manage it (such as opening a till, unlocking the premises or showing tools). Google's review can take up to five business days.

Tip: plan your video before you press record. Example plan for a plumber (illustration only): start on the street sign, walk to the van showing the business name, open the van to show tools, then show a utility bill or invoice template with the business name.

Part 4: Complete every relevant field

Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up for relevant searches.

• Primary category: the single most accurate description of what you are ("Plumber", "Café", "Hair salon"). This matters more than any other field.
• Secondary categories: only ones that genuinely apply. Don't add "Electrician" if you're a plumber who once changed a light switch.
• Description (up to 750 characters): what you do, who for, where, and what makes you different. Google doesn't allow URLs, HTML, prices or promotional offers in this field.
• Opening hours: your real, regular hours.
• Special hours: bank holidays, Christmas, closures. Update these before each holiday.
• Services or menu: list each service, with a short description. For food businesses, add your menu.
• Products (if you sell physical items).
• Attributes: things like wheelchair accessibility, Wi-Fi or payment options. Only tick what is true.
• Opening date: useful for new businesses.
• Booking or appointment link if you take online bookings.
• Social profiles where offered.

Part 5: Photos and videos

Google's tips page recommends adding photos and videos to show customers what you offer. Practical guidance:

• Logo and a cover photo that represents the business well.
• Exterior photos (storefronts) so people recognise you when they arrive.
• Interior photos for cafés, salons and shops.
• Work photos for trades: before-and-after shots of real jobs (with the customer's permission and no personal details visible).
• Team photos if your team is comfortable with it.
• Use real, well-lit photos. Avoid stock images, heavy filters and text overlays.

Add a few new photos each month rather than 50 at once. It keeps the profile fresh and gives you something to post.

Part 6: Reviews

• Get your review link (from the "Ask for reviews" option on your profile) and save it somewhere handy.
• Ask every customer, not just the happy ones. Google forbids "selectively soliciting positive reviews".
• Never offer discounts, freebies or payment for reviews. It's against Google's policy and, in the UK, incentivised reviews that aren't disclosed are banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
• Reply to every review, positive or negative, politely and without personal details.

Our full guide: how to get more Google reviews honestly.

Part 7: Posts and updates

Posts appear on your profile in Search and Maps. There are three types: Updates, Offers and Events. Google says posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set.

• Publish a post at least once or twice a month: a recent job, a seasonal reminder, a new service, an event.
• Add a real photo and a clear button (Call, Book, Learn more).
• Avoid putting phone numbers in post text; Google says these may be rejected if it can't verify the number is connected to the business.

Example post (illustration only): "Boiler service season is here. We're booking autumn services across Woking and Guildford now. Gas Safe registered. Tap Book to choose a slot."

Part 8: Questions customers ask

Google has replaced the old public Questions & Answers section with AI-generated answers in Maps that draw on your profile, website and reviews. The practical lesson: make sure the answers exist in your profile fields, services, description and website. If customers keep asking whether you have parking, take cards or cover a certain town, put that information somewhere Google can read it.

Part 9: Messaging and calls

• Make sure the phone number on your profile is answered during your listed hours, or has a voicemail that says when you'll call back.
• If you use a call tracking number, follow Google's guidelines on primary and additional phone numbers so customers can still reach you directly.

Part 10: Monthly maintenance checklist

• Check hours and special hours.
• Reply to all new reviews.
• Add 3–5 new photos.
• Publish 1–2 posts.
• Check for suggested edits from Google or the public, and accept or reject them.
• Review the Performance report: searches, views, calls, website clicks and direction requests.

Things that can get a profile suspended

Based on Google's guidelines, the common causes are:

• Keywords or locations stuffed into the business name.
• Using an address you don't operate from (for example, a PO box or remote mailbox).
• Showing an address for a service-area business that doesn't serve customers there.
• Multiple profiles for the same business at the same location.
• Fake or incentivised reviews.

If your profile is suspended, Google provides an appeal process through the Business Profile help centre. Fix the problem first, then appeal with evidence (for example, photos of signage and a utility bill).

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
• Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business on Google
• Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business with a video recording
• Google Business Profile Help: Manage your Business Profile description
• Google Business Profile Help: Create & manage posts on your Business Profile
• Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google

This guide is general information, written to be accurate as of October 2026. Platforms and rules change, so check the official sources linked above. Examples are illustrations, not real businesses or results. Nobody, including BizBoost AI, can guarantee a ranking position on Google, Bing or Apple Maps.