Guide: Tutorial on how to set up your Google Business Profile to appear in local searches

Step 1: Check if the profile already exists

Before creating a new profile, search for the exact business name in:

• Google Search;
• Google Maps.

If a profile already exists for your business, check if you can claim it. Creating an additional profile for the same business can produce duplicates and create management issues.

Google allows owners to add or claim an existing Business Profile.

Step 2: Check if the business is eligible

Not every online activity is eligible for a Business Profile.

Google indicates as eligible, mainly, businesses that interact with customers in person, either at a physical location or in a local area where they provide services.

For a local business there are two important situations:

Step 3: Create or claim the profile

1. Go to Google Business Profile.
2. Sign in with a Google account controlled by the business.
3. Enter the real business name.
4. Select the category.
5. Enter the location or service area.
6. Add the phone number.
7. Add the website.

Google allows profile management directly from Google Search and Google Maps.

Step 4: Choose the main category

The main category is important because it helps Google understand what type of business the profile represents.

Choose the category that most accurately describes the main activity of the business.

Do not choose a category just because it seems to have more searches.

If the profile represents an IT service, the category must reflect the actual activity of the company, not a list of keywords.

You can also use secondary categories when they genuinely describe additional business activities.

Step 5: Correctly configure the location or service area

This is one of the most important settings for a local business.

If you receive customers at your premises, you can display the business address.

If you travel to customers and do not receive them at that location, you can use a service area and you can remove the address display.

Google allows defining the service area using cities, postal codes or other areas. Currently up to 20 service areas can be configured.

Google recommends that the area be as exact and realistic as possible.

Step 6: Verify the business

Google may request profile verification before it can be fully managed.

The available verification method may vary depending on the business and the profile situation. Google may request, as the case may be, methods such as phone, email, video or a code received by post.

Follow the method that appears in your account.

There is no universal method that you can manually choose for any business.

Step 7: Fill in all the information

After verification, fill in as much of the relevant information as possible:

• primary category;
• secondary categories;
• address or service area;
• opening hours;
• special hours;
• phone number;
• website;
• services;
• products, if relevant;
• business description.

Google recommends complete and accurate information to help the system understand the business and associate it with relevant searches.

Opening hours must be updated when they change. Special hours can be used for holidays or temporary changes.

Step 8: Write a natural description

The description must clearly explain:

• what the company does;
• what products or services it offers;
• who it is addressed to;
• what area it works in.

The goal is for the information to be easy to understand both for the user and for Google's systems.

Step 9: Add the services

If the business offers multiple services, these must be clearly presented in the profile when the feature is available for the respective category.

For an IT business, for example, the services can be separated according to the actual activities of the company:

• PC repairs;
• laptop repairs;
• Windows installation;
• camera setup;
• network configuration;
• IT maintenance.

The list must reflect the services actually offered, not services added just for SEO.

Step 10: Add real photos

Photos help customers better understand the business.

You can use photos of:

• the premises;
• the exterior;
• the interior;
• the team;
• the products;
• the work done;
• the services performed.

Google recommends clear, well-lit photos that comply with its guidelines. For Business Profile photos, JPG and PNG are accepted, among others; Google indicates 720 × 720 px as the recommended resolution and 250 × 250 px as the minimum for photos.

The photos must realistically represent the business.

Step 11: Ask for reviews from real customers

After completing a job, you can ask the client to leave a review.

Google allows generating a link that you can send to the client to reach the review form.

It is important that reviews come from real clients.

• Do not buy reviews.
• Do not create fake reviews.
• Respond politely to both positive and negative reviews.

Step 12: Use negative reviews correctly

A negative review should not be automatically ignored.

The response must be:

• calm;
• professional;
• relevant to the described situation;
• without publishing any personal data of the client.

If there is a real problem, the response can indicate that you want to clarify the situation through a private channel.

Do not turn responses into repeated advertisements.

Step 13: Publish posts and updates

Google Business Profile allows publishing updates, offers, and events, depending on the features available to the profile. Posts can include text, photos, videos, and a call-to-action button with a link.

Content examples:

• new service;
• offer;
• event;
• important announcement;
• schedule change;
• company news.

Posts must comply with Google policies.

Step 14: Keep information consistent

Periodically check if the business information is the same on:

• Google Business Profile;
• website;
• social pages;
• local directories;
• other platforms where the company appears.

Google uses information from multiple sources for local profiles, including public information from the web and user contributions.

If the company changes its phone number, address, or schedule, update the relevant information.

Step 16: Do not confuse Google Business Profile with Google Ads

Google Business Profile and Google advertising are different things.

The Business Profile is the local organic presence from Search and Maps.

Google Ads is paid advertising.

You can use both, but paying for ads does not mean you can buy a better organic position in local results.

Step 17: Check the profile periodically

Do not set up the profile once and then abandon it.

Periodically check:

• if the phone number is correct;
• if the website works;
• if the opening hours are updated;
• if the service area is correct;
• if the services are up to date;
• if there are new reviews;
• if suggestions or changes to information appear;
• if the photos still represent the business.