To set up a Google Business Profile properly, claim your listing with an accurate address, choose the right categories, complete every field, verify ownership and keep it active with photos, posts and replies to reviews. Details must match your website and other listings exactly.
For many local searches, your Google Business Profile is the first thing a customer sees. It shows your name, reviews, photos, hours and a call button. A profile that is complete and accurate brings calls. One that is wrong or suspended costs you customers.
This guide covers setup, the rules that matter and the habits that keep a profile healthy. It applies to shops, clinics, classes, trades and professional offices alike.
Before you start: the address rules
Google expects a business to show a real address where customers can visit or where staff work, unless it is a service-area business. Using a virtual office, a friend's address or a co-working desk you never use can get a profile suspended, sometimes months after it was created.
If you work from home and customers do not visit, you can hide your address and show only a service area. If you have a shop or office that is staffed during the hours shown, you can list it.
- List a real location that is staffed during the hours shown
- If you serve customers at their location, set service areas instead of an address
- Do not create profiles for cities where you have no real presence
- Use your real business name, with no keywords added
- One profile per real location
Fill it in completely
Complete profiles tend to perform better because they answer customer questions before they call. Treat the profile as a small website that you control directly.
- Choose the most accurate primary category, then add secondary ones
- Add opening hours and update them for holidays and festivals
- List your services and products with short descriptions
- Add a short, honest description of the business and what you do
- Upload real photos of the premises, team and work, and add new ones regularly
- Add your website, phone number and WhatsApp where possible
- Add attributes that apply, such as accessibility or payment methods
Verification
Google verifies new profiles, often by video, phone or postcard, depending on the business. Follow the steps carefully and use real footage of your premises, signage and equipment when asked. Do not try to avoid verification with shortcuts. If a profile is suspended, appeal with accurate documents.
Reviews
Reviews matter for trust and for visibility. Ask real customers after a good experience, make it easy with a direct review link, and reply to every review, including critical ones, politely and specifically.
A professional reply to a bad review often matters more to future customers than the review itself. Apologise where fair, explain what you will do and invite them to contact you directly.
- Never buy or fake reviews, which can lead to removal and loss of trust
- Do not offer payment or discounts in exchange for positive reviews
- Reply within a few days
- Do not ask only happy customers in a way that suggests a filter
Keep it active
Post updates and offers, answer questions and update photos. Check the profile every month for wrong edits and duplicate listings. Competitors and well-meaning customers can sometimes suggest changes that make your details wrong.
Make sure your details match elsewhere
Your name, address and phone number should be the same on your website, social pages and directories. Small differences, such as a different phone number on an old directory, confuse customers and search engines. Fix the biggest directories first.
Key takeaways
- Use a real address and service area; never a fake location
- Complete every field, including services, hours and photographs
- Verify the profile and reply to every review politely
- Keep your details identical across your website and directories
Common questions
Can I list a business that works from home?
Yes, usually as a service-area business without showing your home address, following Google's guidelines.
What happens if my profile is suspended?
Review Google's guidelines, correct the cause and submit an appeal with evidence such as business documents.
How often should I update the profile?
Check it at least monthly, add new photos and posts regularly and reply to reviews promptly.
Keep reading
Where we help
- Digital services in Dombivli
- Digital services in Thane
- Get a free review of your website
- Areas we serve: Dombivli, Thane, Mumbai and more
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