For many trades, your Google Business Profile is where a customer decides who to call. A good one is verified, accurate, complete and kept up to date, and it follows Google’s rules for representing your business. Google says local results mainly depend on relevance, distance and prominence, and that you can’t pay for a better local ranking. Work through the checklist below whether you’re setting up a new profile or tidying up an old one.
How Google says local ranking works
Google’s help page on improving your local ranking names three main factors:
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what someone searched for. Complete, detailed information helps here.
- Distance: how far your business is from the person searching.
- Prominence: how well known your business is, based on things like how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have.
The same page states that there’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. You can’t change your distance from a searcher, but the steps below cover the parts of relevance and prominence you can influence. Links from other websites are part of wider SEO work, which we cover in what SEO involves.
Set up the basics
1. Claim and verify your profile
Verification tells Google you’re authorised to represent the business, and Google says it makes your profile more likely to show up in search results.
- Use whichever method Google offers you: phone or text, email, a video recording, a live video call or a postcard. Google decides which are available based on your business type, region and other details (Google’s verification guide).
- While you wait for a postcard, don’t edit your business name, address or category, or the code won’t work.
- Keep to one profile per business, or one per location. Google’s guidelines for representing your business don’t allow duplicates.
2. Use your real business name
Your name should match your signage, website and stationery. Google’s guidelines rule out extras such as marketing taglines, service descriptions, locations, phone numbers and opening hours, and warn that adding unnecessary information could get your profile suspended.
If your van says “Hart Plumbing”, your profile should say “Hart Plumbing”, not “Hart Plumbing – 24/7 Emergency Plumber Leeds”.
3. Pick the right categories
Your primary category describes what your business is, and Google says the categories you choose affect your local ranking.
- Choose the most specific category that fits. Google’s example is “Nail salon” rather than “Salon”. For a trade, that might be “Roofing contractor” rather than “Contractor”.
- Think “this business is a…”, not “this business has a…”.
- Use as few categories as possible, and don’t add them just as keywords (Google’s category guidelines).
- Changing categories may mean you need to verify again.
4. Show an address, a service area, or both
- Shopfront business: customers come to you. Use your precise address and keep permanent signage there. PO boxes and virtual offices aren’t allowed.
- Service-area business: you travel to customers, like a plumber or cleaner. Remove your address from the profile and set a service area instead.
- Hybrid business: you do both, so show your address and add a service area.
Service areas are set by town, city or postcode rather than a radius. Google allows up to 20, and your overall area shouldn’t stretch beyond about two hours’ drive from your base (managing service areas).
5. Add accurate hours, including special hours
- Enter your regular customer-facing hours. Businesses that only work by appointment shouldn’t list hours.
- Use special hours for bank holidays, events or closures of up to six days in a row. Google suggests confirming holiday hours even when they’re unchanged.
- If you’ll be closed for seven days or more, mark the business as temporarily closed instead.
6. Check your phone number and website
Use a phone number you control that reaches your business directly, ideally a local number rather than a call centre. Premium-rate numbers aren’t accepted. Link to a website that represents your business, not one that redirects elsewhere.
Fill in the details customers look for
7. Services and products
If your category supports it, use the services editor to list what you offer, with optional descriptions and prices. Keep prices and phone numbers out of custom service names, as Google rejects them. If you run a shop, you may also be able to show your in-store products; the UK is one of the eligible countries.
8. Business description
You have up to 750 characters (Google’s guide to editing your profile). Explain what you offer and what makes you different, in plain language. Don’t include links or focus on sales and special offers.
9. Photos and videos
- If customers visit your premises, add an exterior photo so they recognise you when they arrive. Either way, add your logo and a cover photo.
- Show your real jobs, before-and-afters, vans and team. Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and true to life, without heavy filters.
- Use JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB. Google recommends 720 × 720 pixels, and videos can run up to 30 seconds.
Photos only appear once your profile is verified (photo and video guidelines).
10. Posts
Posts let you share updates, offers and events on Search and Maps, such as a new service or seasonal hours. Google archives posts older than six months unless you set a date range, and may reject posts containing a phone number it can’t link to your business.
11. Questions and answers
Q&A has been changing. Google discontinued its Q&A API (the tool that let software manage questions) on 3 November 2025, and its help centre now says Q&A is only available for some categories and regions and may change. If you still see a Q&A section, answer questions accurately. Either way, cover common questions, like the areas you cover, call-out charges, guarantees and how to get a quote, in your description, services and website.
Reviews: ask honestly, reply helpfully
12. Ask for reviews the right way
Google suggests asking customers for reviews with a link or QR code. Ask genuine customers without trying to influence what they say. Under Google’s policy on fake engagement, you must not:
- offer anything for a review, such as payment, a discount or something free, or for changing or removing a negative one
- only ask happy customers (sometimes called “review gating”) or discourage negative reviews
- ask staff, family or anyone else with a conflict of interest to review you
- pressure people to review you while they’re with you, or tell them what to write
It’s also the law. The UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans businesses from submitting or commissioning fake reviews, or reviews that hide the fact they were incentivised. These rules took effect in April 2025, and the Competition and Markets Authority can fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover for breaking consumer law. Its fake reviews guidance explains what’s banned.
13. Reply to reviews
Google says replying shows you value customers’ feedback. Its tips for replying include:
- Keep replies short, polite and professional, and sign off with your name or initials.
- Reply when you have something useful to add. You don’t need to thank every reviewer publicly.
- Don’t use replies to sell or offer deals.
- With negative reviews, never share personal details or attack the reviewer. Apologise where it’s due and invite them to contact you directly.
- Report a review if you believe it breaks Google’s content policies.
Keep your details consistent everywhere
14. Check your NAP
NAP means name, address and phone number. Google builds Business Profiles from several sources, including your website, licensed third-party data and information people contribute. It may also update your profile when other sources suggest your details are out of date.
- Make sure your name, address and phone number match on your profile, website, social media pages and directory listings.
- When you move or change number, update your profile, website and other listings at the same time.
- Check your profile regularly for Google updates and suggested edits.
If you’re launching or rebuilding a website, our website launch SEO checklist covers the on-site side.
Quick checklist
- Verified profile, one per location
- Real business name, specific primary category
- Correct address and/or service area
- Regular and special hours, phone number and website
- Services, description, photos and posts
- Reviews requested fairly and replied to
- Name, address and phone number matching everywhere
Need a hand?
If you’d like someone to go through your profile against Google’s guidelines, ask for a free check and we’ll show you what we’d fix first.