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Google Business Profile: Setup and Tips for Local Businesses

Your Google Business Profile is the box that can show up in Google Search and Maps with your hours, phone number, directions, photos, and reviews. For local businesses, it's often the first thing a customer sees. It's free to set up.

Note: Google changes this tool often. The steps below are general. Check Google Business Profile Help for current screens.

Before you start

  • Use a Google account the business controls, not a personal account that might leave with an employee.
  • Have your exact business name, address, phone number, website, hours, and main category ready.
  • Make sure your business info matches what's on your website.

Set up your profile

  1. Go to Google Business Profile (business.google.com) and sign in.
  2. Search for your business. If it exists and isn't verified, claim it. If someone else already manages it, request ownership. If it isn't listed, add it.
  3. Enter your business name the way it appears on your signs and paperwork.
  4. Choose your primary category. Pick the one that best describes your main business. You can add more categories later.
  5. Add your location. Service-area businesses (like plumbers who go to customers) can hide their address and list the areas they serve.
  6. Add your phone number and website.

Verify it

Google needs to confirm you're the business. Depending on your business, it may offer video, phone, text, email, or postcard verification. Follow the steps it shows. Your profile won't fully appear until it's verified.

Fill it in completely

  • Hours, including holiday hours
  • Description: a plain summary of what you do and who you serve
  • Services or products
  • Photos: your storefront, team, work, and logo. Use your own photos.
  • Attributes that apply to you, like accessibility features
  • Appointment or booking link, if you have one

Keep it current

  • Update hours for holidays and closures.
  • Add new photos now and then.
  • Post updates, offers, or events if they fit your business.

Reviews

  • Ask happy customers for a review. Google gives you a link you can share.
  • Respond to reviews, good and bad, politely and promptly.
  • Don't offer rewards for reviews or post fake ones. It's against Google's rules.

Link it with your website

  • Make sure your name, address, and phone number match your website exactly.
  • Link to the right page, like your home page or a location page.
  • If you have more than one location, each one can have its own profile and its own page on your site.

Watch out for

  • Calls or emails claiming you'll lose your listing unless you pay. Google Business Profile is free.
  • Someone else suggesting edits to your profile. Check your profile regularly.

Related

How 3by400 can help

We can set up and tune your profile and connect it with your website as part of our marketing services.

Start a project

Ready to talk about your website? Start a project or reach us at 678-379-9321 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We're based in Dalton, GA, and work with businesses everywhere.

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