How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile (Step-by-Step)

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If you have a business with a physical location and you haven't set up your Google Business Profile, this is the single most impactful thing you can do for your online visibility today.

It's free. It takes 30 minutes. And it directly controls whether you show up when people search for your services "near me."

What Is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile (GBP) -- formerly Google My Business -- is the information panel that appears when someone searches for your business or a service in your area. It shows your business name, address, hours, reviews, photos, and a link to your website.

It's also what determines whether you appear in the Google Maps "3-pack" -- the three businesses shown on the map at the top of local search results.

Step 1: Claim Your Business (5 Minutes)

1. Go to business.google.com 2. Sign in with a Google account (create one if needed) 3. Search for your business name 4. If it exists: click "Claim this business" 5. If it doesn't: click "Add your business to Google"

Important: Use your real business name. Don't add keywords to it (e.g., don't write "Smith's Plumbing - Best Plumber in Leeds"). Google prohibits this and may suspend your listing.

Step 2: Verify Your Business (5 Minutes + Wait Time)

Google needs to confirm you actually own/manage this business. Verification options:

- Postcard: Google mails a postcard with a code to your business address. Takes 5-14 days.

Phone: Google calls or texts a verification code. Available for some businesses.

Email: Google sends a code to your business email. Available for some businesses.

Video: Google may ask you to record a short video showing your business location.

Choose whichever option is available. While waiting for verification, you can still fill in your profile.

Step 3: Fill In Everything (20 Minutes)

This is where most businesses fall short. They claim the profile but leave it half-empty. A complete profile ranks better than an incomplete one -- Google has said this explicitly.

Business Information

Business name: Exact legal/trading name (no extra keywords)

Primary category: Choose the most specific option available. "Plumber" is better than "Home Services."

Secondary categories: Add up to 9 more (e.g., "Emergency Plumber", "Boiler Repair Service")

Business description: 750 characters max. Describe what you do, who you serve, what makes you different. Include your main services naturally.

Opening date: When your business started

Contact Details

Phone number: Use a local number, not a generic 0800 number (local numbers rank better for local searches)

Website: Your homepage URL

Appointment link: If you take online bookings, add the link

Hours

Regular hours: Fill in every day, even if you're closed (mark as "Closed")

Special hours: Add them for public holidays BEFORE the holiday arrives. Google rewards proactive updates.

Location

Address: Full, accurate address (must match your website and all other listings exactly)

Service area: If you travel to customers, define your service area

Pin location: Make sure the map pin is on your actual building, not across the street

Attributes

These vary by business type but can include:

Wheelchair accessible

Free Wi-Fi

Outdoor seating

Payment methods accepted

LGBTQ+ friendly

Women-owned

Veteran-owned

Fill in every applicable attribute. They appear on your listing and help with search matching.

Step 4: Add Photos (10 Minutes Now, Ongoing)

Google says businesses with photos get 42% more requests for directions and 35% more click-throughs to their website.

Must-have photos: 1. Exterior (2-3 photos showing your signage and entrance -- helps Google and customers verify your location) 2. Interior (3-5 photos showing your space) 3. Team (1-3 photos of your staff) 4. Products/services (3-5 photos of what you offer) 5. Logo (your business logo) 6. Cover photo (the main photo that appears on your listing)

Photo tips:

Minimum 720px wide

Well-lit, in focus, not heavily filtered

Show real photos, not stock images

Add new photos monthly (signals an active business)

Geo-tag photos if possible (adds location data)

Step 5: Get Your First 5 Reviews (Ongoing)

Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking factors.

1. In your GBP dashboard, find "Ask for reviews" -- it generates a direct link 2. Send this link to 5 recent happy customers 3. Ask in person right after a positive interaction 4. Add the review link to your email signature, receipts, and follow-up emails

Rules:

Never offer incentives for reviews (Google bans this)

Never buy fake reviews (Google detects this and may suspend your listing)

Respond to EVERY review -- positive and negative

For negative reviews: acknowledge, apologise, offer to resolve offline

Step 6: Start Posting (Weekly)

GBP has a "Posts" feature -- like social media updates on your listing.

Post types:

Updates: News about your business

Offers: Special deals or promotions

Events: Upcoming events

Products: Featured products

Post at least once a week. Posts expire after 7 days, so regular posting keeps your listing fresh and signals activity to Google.

What Happens Next

After setting up and verifying your GBP:

You should start appearing in local search results within 1-4 weeks

Your visibility will improve as you get more reviews and keep the profile active

Monitor your Performance tab in GBP to see how people find you

How This Connects to Your Website

Your GBP and your website should reinforce each other:

Your website should link to your GBP listing

Your website should have LocalBusiness schema matching your GBP data exactly

Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) must be identical on both

If these don't match, Google gets confused about whether they're the same business.

*Check whether your website is properly connected to your Google presence. [Get your SEO audit](https://seorankmasters.com) -- from GBP 29. Includes dedicated Google Maps analysis.*