Google Business Profile checklist

Check eligibility and ownership

Before creating anything, search for your business name on Google Maps. There may already be a profile to claim. Follow Google’s eligibility and representation rules for your business type; do not create extra profiles simply to cover more towns or keywords.

Use an account your business controls and keep recovery access current. Give staff or agencies appropriate access rather than handing over the only login. Record who owns the profile so a change of supplier does not leave you locked out.

Verify the profile

Follow the verification options Google offers for that profile. The method can vary. Do not assume verification is immediate or that another business can use the same evidence. Keep the business name, address and contact information consistent with reality.

If you serve customers at their locations, check how Google handles service-area businesses and whether your address should be shown. Do not publish a private address as a walk-in location if customers cannot visit it.

Choose accurate categories

Select the category that most closely describes your main business, then relevant additional categories if allowed. Do not add unrelated categories to attract traffic. Describe services in words a customer would recognise, including what is and is not included.

For a takeaway, car valet or cleaning service, a precise category and service list is more helpful than broad claims. Review the choices when your actual services change.

Complete contact details and hours

Check website URL, phone, address or service area, normal hours and special hours. Add holidays or temporary changes before customers travel or call. Make the same details easy to find on your own site.

Try the website and phone links from a mobile device. A correct listing with a broken booking link still loses the customer. If a call route changes, update all the places where that number appears.

Show the business honestly

Add current photos that help a customer understand the premises, team, vehicle or work where appropriate. Use images you have rights to publish. Avoid misleading stock photos that imply a location or facility you do not have.

Write a concise description of what you do and whom you serve. Do not fill it with repeated town names or promises about search position. A profile should reflect the real business, not act as a doorway to unrelated pages.

Make the customer route work

Connect the profile to a relevant page rather than automatically sending everyone to the homepage. A customer looking for airport transfers should reach the transfer information and booking route. The landing page should answer the next question and work on a phone.

If you have a booking link, test it after changes. If the customer needs a quote, make that clear before they enter details. Track enquiries only in a way that respects privacy.

Handle reviews properly

Ask customers who actually used the service for an honest review. Google provides a shareable review link or QR code. Do not offer a reward, ask only happy customers or pressure people for a particular rating. Reply professionally without revealing private customer details.

A complaint can show where the process failed. Respond to the issue and, where needed, move the discussion to a private contact route. Avoid arguing about personal details in public.

Keep a monthly routine

Check hours, services, photos, links, reviews and suggested edits regularly. Assign one person to own the routine. Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and prominence; there is no paid shortcut to a higher organic local position.

Use the local SEO checklist to align the website with the profile. Search changes take time and results are not guaranteed. For Google’s own instructions, see Business Profile ranking guidance.

Check for duplicates and changes

Search for old trading names, former addresses and duplicate map entries before creating a new profile. A duplicate can confuse customers and split reviews or updates. Use Google’s own correction and support routes when you find a problem. Keep evidence of the real business details so changes can be resolved accurately.

When you move premises or change a number, plan the update across the profile, website, social pages, directories and printed material. Do not create a fresh profile as a shortcut without checking Google’s move guidance. Ask a colleague to search from a customer’s perspective after the change and confirm that the phone, hours and directions are still correct.

Keep a simple record of the changes you make and when. If a correction does not appear, that record helps you investigate without repeatedly editing the same field.

Questions you may have