When someone searches for a service "near me", the map results often appear above every website. Those listings come from Google Business Profile — a free listing many businesses set up once and forget. Done properly, it drives calls, direction requests and website visits every week.
Who Can Have a Profile?
Businesses that meet customers in person — at a shop or office, or by travelling to them. If you serve customers at their location and don't want your address shown, set up a service-area business and list the areas you cover. Online-only businesses without face-to-face contact aren't eligible.
Never create profiles for addresses where you don't genuinely operate. It breaks Google's rules and profiles get suspended.
Setting It Up
- Sign in at Google Business Profile with a Google account the business owns (not a personal one that might leave with an employee).
- Enter your exact business name — no added keywords or locations. "Smith Plumbing", not "Smith Plumbing — Best Emergency Plumber London".
- Choose your primary category carefully; it's one of the strongest signals. Add relevant secondary categories.
- Add your address or service areas, phone number and website.
- Complete verification — Google may use video, phone, email or post.
Optimising Your Profile
Complete every section
Opening hours (including holidays), services with descriptions and prices, products, attributes and a clear business description. Complete profiles give Google more to match against searches.
Keep details consistent
Your name, address and phone number should match your website and directory listings exactly. Consistency also helps AI assistants connect the dots about your business — see what AI SEO is.
Add real photos
Your premises, team and work. Genuine photos build trust; stock photos don't.
Earn and answer reviews
Ask happy customers for reviews — a short link in your follow-up emails works well. Reply to every review, especially negative ones, calmly and helpfully. Never buy reviews, offer incentives for positive ones, or post reviews for yourself.
Post updates
Offers, news and recent projects keep the profile active and give searchers a reason to choose you.
Link It to Your Website
Your profile works best alongside a website with clear service pages, your address and phone number on every page, and LocalBusiness structured data. Check yours with our free SEO Checker.
Measure the Results
The Performance section shows searches, calls, direction requests and website clicks. Add UTM tags to your website link so visits from the profile show up clearly in Google Analytics.
Want your local presence sorted properly? Our SEO services include Google Business Profile setup and optimisation, with honest monthly reporting.