Search “coffee near me” or “plumber in Leeds” and look at what shows up first. It isn’t a website. It’s a map with three businesses pinned on it, each with a phone number, opening hours and a row of star ratings. That box is driven by Google Business Profile, and if your business isn’t in it, you’re invisible to a lot of people who are ready to buy right now.
The good news: setting up a Google Business Profile is free and you can do most of it in under an hour. Here’s exactly how, plus the small details that separate a profile people scroll past from one they actually call.
What is a Google Business Profile, exactly?
It’s the free listing that appears on Google Search and Google Maps when someone looks up your business or a service like yours nearby. You used to hear it called “Google My Business.” Same thing, new name.
A complete profile shows your name, address or service area, phone number, hours, website, photos, reviews and posts. For local businesses in the US, UK and Canada, it’s often the first impression a customer gets, before they ever see your website.
Who can get one?
Google gives profiles to businesses that meet customers in person, either at a location (a shop, clinic, salon or restaurant) or by traveling to them (a cleaner, electrician or mobile dog groomer). Purely online businesses with no face-to-face contact generally aren’t eligible. If that’s you, put your effort into your website and social channels instead.
How to set up your Google Business Profile, step by step
1. Check whether you already have a listing
Search your business name and city on Google Maps. Sometimes a listing already exists because a customer suggested it, or because a previous owner set it up. If it’s there and nobody has verified it, you’ll see an option to claim it. If someone else already controls it, Google lets you request access from the current owner.
2. Add your business
No listing? Go to business.google.com/add and sign in with a Google account. Use an account you’ll keep for years, ideally a business email rather than a personal one an employee might take with them when they leave.
3. Pick the right category
This one matters more than people think. Your primary category tells Google which searches you should appear for. Be specific: “Italian restaurant” beats “Restaurant,” and “Emergency locksmith service” beats “Locksmith” if that’s really what you do. You can add secondary categories later.
4. Add your location or service area
If customers come to you, enter your address exactly as it appears on your signage and website. If you go to them, you can hide your home address and list the towns, cities or postcodes/ZIP codes you serve instead.
5. Add your phone number and website
Use a number that someone actually answers during business hours. Missed calls from Google are some of the warmest leads you’ll ever lose.
6. Verify your business
Google needs to confirm you’re real. Depending on your business, you might be offered verification by phone, text, email or a short video showing your location and proof you manage it. You may need to use more than one method. Video verification is reviewed by a person, so it can take a few days. Until you’re verified, most of your edits won’t go live.
How to make your profile stand out (the part most people skip)
Getting listed is step one. Getting chosen is a different game. Here’s what moves the needle:
- Fill in everything. Hours, holiday hours, services, products, attributes like “wheelchair accessible.” Every empty field is a missed chance to match someone’s search.
- Add real photos. Your storefront, your team, your work, your products. Skip stock photos. People can tell, and they want to see what they’re actually getting.
- Write a description that sounds human. Two or three sentences on what you do, who you do it for and what makes you different. Don’t stuff it with keywords.
- Ask for reviews, every time. The easiest moment is right after a happy customer says thank you. Your profile gives you a short link you can text or email. Never pay for reviews or offer discounts in exchange for them; it breaks Google’s rules and can get reviews removed.
- Reply to reviews, including the bad ones. A calm, helpful reply to a one-star review often does more for your reputation than ten five-star reviews you ignore.
- Post updates. Offers, events, new products, seasonal hours. Posts keep your profile looking active and give people a reason to click.
- Keep your details consistent. Your business name, address and phone number should match everywhere: your website, Yelp, Facebook, Yell in the UK or local directories in Canada. Mismatches confuse both Google and customers.
Mistakes that can get your Google Business Profile suspended
Google is strict about this, and suspensions are a real headache to undo. Avoid these:
- Adding keywords to your business name. If your sign says “Smith Plumbing,” don’t list yourself as “Smith Plumbing – Best 24/7 Emergency Plumber Toronto.”
- Using a virtual office or PO box as your address. Your address needs to be a real place where you operate.
- Creating multiple listings for the same business to cover more areas.
- Writing fake reviews for yourself or against competitors.
How Google decides who shows up first
Google has said local rankings come down mainly to three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher) and prominence (how well-known and well-reviewed you are). You can’t move your shop closer to everyone, but you can control relevance with a complete profile and build prominence with reviews, photos and a website that backs it all up.
If you want to go further, it helps to think about the whole journey from “first saw you on Maps” to “became a customer.” Our guide on digital marketing funnel optimization walks through that bigger picture.
Quick answers
Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. Adding, claiming and managing your profile is free. Be wary of anyone who calls claiming to be “from Google” and asking for payment to keep you listed.
How long until my profile shows up?
Once verified, changes usually appear within days, but ranking well takes longer and depends on reviews, activity and competition in your area.
Can I use AI to write my posts and review replies?
Yes, as a starting point. Just edit everything so it sounds like you, and never use it to fake reviews. We cover the right way to do this in our guide to AI tools for small business.
The bottom line
For a local business, a Google Business Profile is probably the most valuable free marketing tool you’ll ever get. Set it up properly once, then spend ten minutes a week on it: answer reviews, add a photo, post an update. That small habit is often what puts you in the top three when it counts.
For Google’s own instructions, see its help page on how to add or claim your Business Profile.
