How to set up and optimize your Google Business Profile

When someone searches for a business like yours, the first thing they often see isn’t your website. It’s your Google Business Profile: the panel with your hours, phone number, reviews, photos, and a button for directions. For many local and service businesses, it’s the most-viewed page they have.

The good news is that it’s free and you can set it up yourself. Here’s how to do it properly, step by step.

Before you start

Have these ready so you can finish in one sitting:

• Your business name exactly as customers know it and as it appears on your signage and paperwork
• Your address, or the area you serve if you visit customers instead
• Your main phone number and website address
• Your opening hours, including any seasonal or holiday hours
• A short list of your services or products
• A few good photos: the outside of your location (if you have one), your work, and your team

Step 1: Claim or create your profile

Search for your business name on Google or Google Maps. If a profile already exists, look for the option to claim it. Google sometimes creates listings automatically, and customers can suggest them. If nothing comes up, create a new profile through Google Business Profile while signed in to the Google account you want to manage it with.

Use a business Google account that more than one person in your company can access, rather than a personal account that might leave with an employee.

Step 2: Verify that it’s your business

Google needs to confirm that you really run the business before your profile goes fully live. Depending on your business, it may offer verification by phone, text, email, video, or a postcard sent to your address. Follow the method it offers, and don’t edit your business name or address while verification is pending, as that can restart the process.

Step 3: Choose the right categories

Categories are one of the most important settings on your profile. They tell Google what you do and influence which searches you appear in.

• Primary category: choose the one that best describes your main business, such as “Plumber” rather than “Contractor” if plumbing is what you do.
• Additional categories: add others only if they genuinely describe services you offer.

Be specific and accurate. Adding unrelated categories to appear in more searches tends to backfire.

Step 4: Complete every section

A complete profile helps customers decide, and it gives Google more to work with. Fill in:

• Hours, including special hours for holidays
• Phone number and website, so people can contact you with one tap
• Services or products, with short descriptions and prices if you’re comfortable sharing them
• Business description, in plain language: what you do, who you help, and where. Write for customers, not for search engines.
• Service area, if you travel to customers
• Attributes, such as accessibility features or online appointments, where they apply

Step 5: Add photos that show what customers will get

Photos help people picture working with you. Add a logo and cover image, then real photos of your location, your work, and your team. Skip heavy filters and generic stock images, and add new photos from time to time so the profile looks active.

Step 6: Ask for reviews and reply to them

Reviews are one of the first things people read. Ask satisfied customers for a review soon after you’ve helped them, and share your direct review link to make it easy. Reply to reviews, both positive and negative, politely and promptly. A calm, helpful reply to a complaint often reassures future customers more than a perfect rating would.

Step 7: Keep it up to date

A profile isn’t a one-time task. Set a reminder to check it every month:

• Update hours before holidays and when your schedule changes
• Add new photos and services
• Share updates or offers with posts
• Make sure your name, address, and phone number match your website and other listings

Consistency matters. When your details match everywhere they appear online, customers and search engines can trust them.

The bottom line

Your Google Business Profile is often the first impression a nearby customer gets, and it costs nothing but a little time. Claim it, verify it, fill in every section, and keep it active.

If you’d rather have someone handle it, or you want it to work alongside your website and local search strategy, our marketing and growth strategy service can help. Or tell us about your business and we’ll suggest where to start.