Setting Up Google My Business

A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) controls how your business appears in Google Search and Maps. It is the primary driver of local pack rankings — the three business listings that appear above organic results for local queries. Businesses without a verified profile are essentially invisible to nearby searchers.

Google may have already auto-generated a basic profile for your business using publicly available information. Search for your business name in Google Maps before creating a new profile — if a listing exists, you will need to claim and verify it rather than create a duplicate, which could split your reviews and harm your ranking.

Your primary category is the single most important ranking factor in Google local search. Choose the most specific category that accurately describes your core service. Add secondary categories for additional services you offer, but do not add irrelevant categories to try to rank for unrelated searches — this can trigger a profile suspension.

For businesses with a physical location, enter your address exactly as it appears on your website and other citations to maintain NAP consistency. If you serve customers at their locations (like a plumber or caterer), enable the service area option and define your radius instead of displaying a street address publicly.

Your business description has a 750-character limit and appears prominently on your profile. Write it in natural language that explains what you do, who you serve, and what makes you different. Include your most important local keywords naturally, but write for potential customers first — Google reads the description but humans decide whether to call.

Businesses with more than 100 photos receive significantly more direction requests and website clicks than those with only a handful. Upload interior shots showing your space, exterior shots helping customers recognize the location, team photos building trust, and product or service photos illustrating what you offer. Update photos regularly to signal an active, maintained profile.

Inaccurate hours are one of the most common causes of negative Google reviews. Keep your hours up to date and use the special hours feature to update for holidays, closures, and seasonal changes. Google displays whether your business is currently open directly in search results, and incorrect hours directly damage customer trust.

The Services and Products sections allow you to detail every offering with names, descriptions, and prices where applicable. These details are indexed by Google and help your profile appear for more specific service-related searches. A landscaping business, for example, should list individual services like lawn mowing, hedge trimming, and seasonal cleanups separately.

Your Google Business Profile should link to the most relevant page on your website — usually your homepage for most businesses, but a location-specific landing page for multi-location businesses. Ensure the linked page is fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and consistent with the information on your profile to signal trustworthiness to both Google and visitors.

Google requires verification before your profile appears fully in search results. Verification methods include a postcard mailed to your business address (most common), phone verification, email verification, or instant verification for eligible businesses. Until verified, your profile has limited visibility and you cannot access insights or respond to reviews.

Google Posts allow you to publish short updates, offers, events, and product announcements directly on your Business Profile — visible to searchers in both Google Search and Maps. Posting at least once per week signals to Google that your profile is actively managed and gives searchers fresh reasons to choose your business over competitors with dormant profiles.

Test your understanding of Google Business Profile optimization.

A fully optimized Google Business Profile requires claiming rather than duplicating existing listings, choosing the most specific accurate primary category, maintaining NAP consistency, writing a keyword-natural description, uploading a rich and regularly updated photo library, keeping hours accurate including special closures, listing all services and products, linking to the right website page, completing verification, and publishing weekly Google Posts to signal an actively managed presence.