Google Business Profile: how to set up and optimise your business listing

When someone searches for "plumber near me" or the name of a restaurant, the first thing they see is often not your website but your listing on Google: the one with the map, opening hours, phone number and reviews. It is called Google Business Profile. It is free and, for a local business, it is one of the most important parts of your online presence. Here is how to set it up and look after it, with no tricks.

What it is and who needs it

Your business listing is the space Google gives your company in Search and Maps. You add an address or service area, hours, category, photos and services, and customers can leave reviews. It suits businesses that receive customers at a location (shops, offices, restaurants) and those that travel to them (plumbers, electricians, cleaners).

According to Google's guidelines, a business needs in-person contact with customers, either at its own premises or at theirs. A business that sells only online, with no physical point of contact, generally does not qualify.

How to create the listing, step by step

1. Check it does not already exist. Search for your business name. Google itself warns that duplicate profiles confuse customers and that a profile treated as a duplicate may not appear in Search and Maps. If one exists, claim it rather than creating another;
2. Sign in with an account that stays yours. Preferably a company account that does not depend on an employee or a supplier: if that person leaves, the listing should not leave with them;
3. Enter name, category and address. If you also work at customers' homes, state your service area. If you have signage and receive customers, give the address;
4. Add phone and website. Use the same number and address as on your website and paperwork;
5. Complete verification. Google must be satisfied that you are the owner or an authorised representative. The method offered depends on the case (for example phone, email, video or other steps). Until you verify, you cannot manage the listing properly.

The name: the most common mistake

The name must be the real one, the same as on your signage, business cards and invoices. Google's guidelines rule out slogans and marketing information in the name field. Writing "Smith Plumbing – 24h emergency – Best in Bergamo" is the quickest way to have edits rejected or the listing suspended. Words such as "cheap" or a city name forced into the name will not lift you up; they expose you to reports.

The same goes for the address: P.O. boxes or virtual offices far from your real premises are not allowed. Google states that P.O. boxes are not acceptable.

Category, services and description

The primary category tells Google what you do, and it is one of the things relevance is based on. Choose the most precise one and add a few secondary categories only if they truly describe what you do. Google recommends using as few as possible.

Then fill in services (or products) in plain words, the ones a customer would use rather than industry jargon. Write the description simply: who you are, what you do, for whom, where. No links, no promotions or prices: the guidelines do not allow them in that field.

What really counts for showing up

Google explains that local ranking depends mainly on three things: relevance (how well the listing matches what the user is searching for), distance (how far you are from the searcher) and prominence (how well known the business is). You cannot change distance. You can work on the other two:

• relevance: complete information, the right category, services described well;
• prominence: reviews, presence across the web, a website that talks about you consistently.

Google adds that more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking. There is no public formula, though, and nobody can guarantee you first place on the map.

Reviews: how to ask and how to reply

Ask real customers, once the job is done, using the direct link you can find in the listing. Do not pay for reviews, write them yourself or swap them with other businesses: these practices are prohibited and when they are spotted the damage outweighs the gain.

Reply to all of them, negative ones too, calmly and without arguing. The reply is aimed not only at the reviewer but at everyone who reads it later. A polite answer offering to put the problem right is worth more than ten stock replies.

Photos, hours and updates

Upload real photos: the entrance, the premises, the work you do, the team. Stock images tell customers there is nothing authentic behind the listing. Keep opening hours and closing days up to date, especially for holidays: a customer who finds you closed when the listing said "open" is a lost customer, and possibly a bad review.

Check the listing now and then: edits suggested by others, new customer questions, reviews without a reply. Ten minutes a month is enough.

Mistakes we see often

Besides the inflated name, a few recurring mistakes cost visibility without the owner noticing:

• different phone numbers or hours across the listing, the website and social media, sending mixed signals to customers and to Google;
• a listing claimed years ago by a former colleague or a supplier, and now outside the company's control;
• a category that is too generic, such as "shop" instead of the type of shop;
• several listings for the same premises, created at different times and never merged;
• reviews left unanswered for months, including the positive ones.

None of these is fixed with a trick: they are fixed with a periodic check and one person in the company who knows they are responsible for the listing.

How it connects to your website

The listing does not replace the website; it complements it. The site should confirm the same details (name, address, phone, hours) and have a clear page for each service and, if you work in several areas, for each area. Before polishing the listing it is worth checking that the site works: you can start with the free SEO analysis of your domain. To see how we approach local visibility, read the SEO services page, and for an example of a location page see SEO consultant in Bergamo.

So, in practice

A well-built listing means one profile, the real name, a precise category, details identical to those on your website, genuine photos, and reviews requested honestly and answered. It is not magic and it takes little time, but it must be kept alive. If you would like a second opinion on how you appear online today, you can request the free SEO analysis or get in touch.

Sources: Google Business Profile Help (guidelines for representing your business; tips to improve your local ranking), support.google.com.