Website tips
How to Set Up Google Business Profile for Any Local Business
Key takeaways
- Claim and verify properly: Use the official Google flow. Avoid third-party "listing services" that charge for what is free.
- Categories matter: Pick the primary category that matches how customers search for you.
- NAP must match everywhere: Name, address, and phone should be identical on your website and listings.
- Keep it alive: Fresh photos, accurate hours, and steady reviews beat a perfect setup you never update.
Whether you run a café, salon, accountancy practice, or plumbing firm, your Google Business Profile shapes how you appear on Maps and local search. A incomplete or wrong listing costs enquiries every week.
This guide walks through setup for any local business. Trades with large service areas may also want our trades-specific Google profile tips, but the core steps are the same.
Claim and verify
- Search for your business on Google Maps or go to business.google.com.
- Claim the listing or create one if it does not exist.
- Verify by postcard, phone, email, or video. Follow Google's options for your business type.
- Use a Google account you will keep long term, not a personal account you might lose access to.
Verification can take a few days. Do not pay strangers who promise instant verification.
Categories, hours, and NAP
Choose one primary category that reflects your main revenue. Add secondary categories only when they are genuine services. Set regular hours and special hours for bank holidays before customers assume you are closed.
Your business name should be your real trading name without keyword stuffing. Address and phone must match your website footer and contact page exactly.
Photos and reviews
- Upload a clear logo, cover image, and interior or product shots.
- Add new photos every few months. Stale galleries look abandoned.
- Ask happy customers for Google reviews after the job or visit.
- Reply to reviews professionally, especially critical ones.
Website link and ongoing habits
Link to your main website URL, not a social profile. The site should load fast on mobile and repeat the same phone number and address. When you move premises or change number, update Google on the same day you update your site.
Monthly habits: check hours, respond to questions, post a photo or update if relevant, and scan for duplicate listings competitors or data aggregators may have created.
Aligning your website with Google? Get in touch, read Google Business Profile for trades, or see getting found on Google in Birmingham.