Follow these step by step instructions derived from the 2026 Best Practices Playbook to ensure your profile is fully optimised for discovery.
Phase 1: Core Business Information
You cannot edit your business info or interact with customers until you verify your business.
Searching for your business on Google Search or Maps is the first step to creating or managing your profile.
Once claimed, you must complete the verification method assigned to your category to gain full administrative control.
- Claim Your Profile: Visit business.google.com/add, enter your business name and address, and select your business from the list.
- Verify Your Identity: Search for your business on Google Search or Maps and follow the specific verification method (such as a business video) automatically assigned to your category.
- Set Primary & Secondary Categories: Go to Edit profile, select Business category, and enter one primary category; add up to nine additional secondary categories to appear in more specific searches
- Craft Your Description: In the Edit profile menu, select Description and enter a concise overview (up to 750 characters) or use the Suggest description AI tool to generate one based on your website.
- Configure Operating Hours: Select Edit profile, click the pencil icon next to Business hours, and fill in regular, special, and holiday hours
Phase 2: Service & Reach Optimisation
Defining a service area tells Google and potential customers exactly where you operate.
This ensures you appear in relevant local searches within your operational boundaries.
You can set up to 20 service areas, which should not be more than about 2 hours of driving time from your base.
- Define Service Areas: Go to Edit profile, select Location, and then Service area to add up to 20 specific regions (keeping them within roughly 2 hours of driving time from your base).
- Build Your Service List: Select Edit services, choose the service you want to edit, and add detailed descriptions and pricing to build immediate customer trust.
- Apply Business Attributes: Select Edit profile, then More, and click Edit next to attribute categories (like Accessibility or Amenities) to select Yes or No for features like "wheelchair accessible" or "free Wi-Fi".
Phase 3: Visuals & Engagement
High quality visuals show what makes you unique and help customers see why they should choose you.
90% of people are more likely to visit you if you have photos on your profile. Businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks.
- Upload Media: Select Photos, then Add photos, and choose high-quality images or videos of your storefront, products, or services.
- Integrate Social Media: Under Edit profile, scroll to Social profiles, click the pencil icon, and use the dropdown menu to add links for Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube.
- Enable Direct Chat: Navigate to Edit profile, then Contact, and in the Chat section, select Text message or WhatsApp to add your contact number or URL.
- Set Up Booking: Contact your booking provider to opt-in to the Reserve with Google integration to enable a prominent Book Online button on your profile.
- Publish Google Posts: Select Add Post, choose a type (Update, Offer, or Event), include a visual and description, and aim to post at least once a week.
- Manage Reviews: Navigate to the Reviews tab on your profile, click Reply next to customer feedback, and write a response to demonstrate customer care.
Phase 4: Maintenance & Security
- Audit Managers: Regularly check Business Profile settings > People and access to ensure only essential, current staff have management permissions.
- Generate Review QR Codes: Create easy to scan QR codes within your profile to place on receipts or menus, encouraging customers to leave feedback directly on Google.
Need help with your Google Business Profile?
Check out our Google Business Profile workbook or get in touch about our SEO Services.