One of the first things I recommend to businesses that serve customers in a particular geographic area is to claim and maintain their Google Business Profile.
Formerly known as Google Places and later Google My Business, Google Business Profile is a free service that allows eligible businesses to manage how their information appears on Google Search and Google Maps.
When someone searches for a local contractor, restaurant, professional service, or retail business, Google may display business listings alongside traditional website search results. These listings can include contact information, business hours, customer reviews, photographs, directions, and links to the company’s website.
Over the years, I’ve encountered clients whose Google listings contained incomplete or inaccurate information. In some cases, the business owner wasn’t even aware that a listing existed or that they could manage it.
For a local business, this is an important marketing opportunity that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Fortunately, creating or claiming a Google Business Profile is free, and once it’s properly configured, maintaining it generally doesn’t require a great deal of time.
1. Why Your Google Business Profile Matters
Google Business Profile helps customers find businesses that offer products or services in their area.
For example, someone searching for a roofing contractor in Sacramento may see a selection of local businesses with ratings, contact information, and other details. Depending on the search, these results may appear prominently on the page, sometimes above the traditional website listings.
A complete Business Profile gives prospective customers an opportunity to learn about your company without necessarily visiting your website first.
Some of the information that may be displayed includes:
- Business name and primary category.
- Physical location or service area, as applicable.
- Telephone number and website address.
- Business hours, including holiday schedules.
- Products and services.
- Customer reviews and ratings.
- Business photographs and videos.
- Updates, events, and special offers.
It’s important to understand that having a Business Profile doesn’t guarantee a top position in Google’s local search results.
Google explains that local rankings are primarily influenced by relevance, distance, and prominence. Providing complete and accurate information helps Google understand your business, while customer reviews and other signals can contribute to its visibility.
Google also makes it clear that businesses cannot pay for better organic local rankings.
You can learn more in Google’s Tips to Improve Your Local Ranking.
My recommendation is to concentrate on creating an accurate, informative profile rather than looking for shortcuts to improve its position.
2. Check Whether Your Business Already Has a Listing
Before creating a new Business Profile, I recommend searching Google Maps for your business name and location.
You may discover that a listing already exists, even if you’ve never created one yourself.
Google gathers business information from various sources, including public information and contributions from users. As a result, a business may appear on Google before its owner has claimed the listing.
If you find an existing profile, review the information carefully.
Check the business name, address, telephone number, website, and other details. Also look for duplicate listings, particularly if your business has moved, changed names, or previously worked with a marketing company.
If the listing hasn’t been claimed, you can begin the process of verifying that you’re authorized to manage it.
The process generally involves the following steps:
- Sign in to the Google Account you want associated with your business.
- Search for your business on Google Maps.
- Select the option to claim or manage the business, if available.
- Follow Google’s instructions to verify your connection to the business.
- Once verified, review and complete the available business information.
If your business doesn’t already appear on Google, you can begin creating a new profile at Google Business Profile.
Google determines which verification methods are available. Depending on the business, these may include a video recording, telephone or text verification, email, or other methods. Some businesses may need to complete more than one verification step.
For current instructions, see Google’s Add or Claim Your Business Profile guide.
I recommend completing this process before spending time creating additional directory listings or purchasing advertising.
3. Make Sure Your Business Is Eligible
Not every type of business qualifies for a Google Business Profile.
Generally, eligible businesses must have in-person contact with customers, either at a physical location customers can visit or by traveling to customers to provide services.
For example, a restaurant, retail store, or professional office may qualify based on its physical location.
A plumbing contractor, landscaping company, or mobile service provider may qualify as a service-area business, even if customers don’t visit its office.
Businesses operating entirely online without in-person customer contact generally aren’t eligible.
There are also important rules regarding business addresses.
If you operate a service-area business from your home and travel to customers rather than serving them at your address, Google generally requires you to hide that address from the public.
Likewise, simply renting a mailbox or virtual office doesn’t establish an eligible business location.
These requirements are important because inaccurate locations or other violations can result in profile restrictions or suspension.
Before creating a listing, I recommend reviewing Google’s Guidelines for Representing Your Business.
4. Complete Your Profile With Accurate Information
Once you’ve claimed your listing, the next step is to review and complete the available information.
I recommend giving this some attention rather than simply entering your business name, telephone number, and website address and considering the job finished.
Some important areas include:
Business Name and Category
Use your actual business name, as it’s represented on your website, signage, and other business materials.
Don’t add extra keywords or geographic locations simply to improve your search visibility. For example, a company named “Smith Painting” shouldn’t change its Google listing name to “Smith Painting, Best Sacramento House Painters” unless that is genuinely its established business name.
Select the primary business category that most accurately describes what you do. Additional categories may be appropriate when they represent services your business actually provides.
Contact Information and Business Hours
Make sure your telephone number and website address are correct and that your business hours reflect when customers can reasonably expect to reach you or visit your location.
If your business has different holiday hours or seasonal operating schedules, update these as needed.
Businesses sometimes change telephone numbers, move to new locations, or modify their operating hours without updating their Google listings. This can result in lost inquiries and frustrated customers.
Business Description and Services
Write a clear description explaining what your company does, the services or products it offers, and what distinguishes it from similar businesses.
Keep the wording natural and informative. A business description shouldn’t read like a collection of keywords or a sales advertisement.
Where available, add your services individually and provide useful descriptions.
For example, an electrical contractor may offer electrical panel upgrades, EV charger installation, lighting improvements, and electrical repairs. Listing these services helps prospective customers understand the work the company performs.
Address and Service Area
If customers visit your business, make sure your location is accurate.
If you travel to customers, configure the service area according to Google’s requirements. Depending on the business, this may involve specifying cities, postal codes, or other supported geographic areas.
Be realistic about the locations you serve. Adding numerous distant cities doesn’t mean Google will rank your business prominently throughout those areas.
For instructions on updating profile information, see Google’s Edit Your Business Profile guide.
5. Add Useful Photographs and Business Updates
Photographs are an excellent way to make your Google Business Profile more informative and appealing.
Depending on your business, these might include:
- Your company logo and storefront.
- Completed projects or examples of your work.
- Products and equipment.
- Interior views of your business location.
- Staff photographs, where appropriate.
- Short videos demonstrating products or services.
For contractors and other service businesses, photographs of actual completed projects can be particularly useful.
I generally recommend using authentic photographs whenever possible. Prospective customers are often more interested in seeing the work your business actually performs than generic images that could represent almost any company.
Keep photographs reasonably current, particularly when they feature products, locations, or equipment that may change over time.
Google also allows businesses to publish updates, events, and offers through their Business Profiles.
These can be useful for announcing a new service, promoting an upcoming event, or sharing a seasonal offer.
However, I wouldn’t suggest posting simply to maintain an arbitrary schedule. For many businesses, occasional updates containing genuinely useful information are more practical.
Google explains these features in its Business Profile Posts Guide.
6. Encourage Customer Reviews and Respond to Feedback
Customer reviews are one of the most valuable features of Google Business Profile.
When someone is considering hiring a contractor, choosing a restaurant, or purchasing a service, the experiences of previous customers can be an important part of their decision.
For this reason, I encourage clients to ask customers to share their experiences on Google.
Google allows businesses to create a direct review link or QR code, making it easier for customers to find the appropriate place to leave feedback.
For example, you might include a review link in a follow-up email thanking a customer for their business.
Keep your request friendly and straightforward. There is no need to pressure customers or repeatedly ask for a review.
It’s also important to follow Google’s review policies.
Reviews must reflect genuine customer experiences. Businesses shouldn’t offer discounts, gifts, or other incentives in exchange for reviews, nor should they selectively request reviews only from customers expected to leave positive feedback.
You can find instructions in Google’s Tips to Get More Reviews.
I also recommend responding to customer reviews when appropriate.
A brief thank you is often sufficient for a positive review. If someone reports a legitimate problem, a courteous response can demonstrate that your business takes customer concerns seriously.
Remember that replies are public. Avoid arguments, unnecessary personal information, or discussions of confidential customer matters.
Of course, not every business will receive reviews at the same frequency. The important thing is to encourage genuine feedback and maintain a professional response to the reviews you receive.
7. Resolve Duplicate Listings and Ownership Problems
One issue I’ve encountered with business listings is duplicate profiles.
Duplicates may develop when a business changes its name or location, when someone creates a new profile without checking for an existing one, or when different people attempt to manage the same business.
Having multiple listings for the same business can confuse customers and complicate the management of reviews and contact information.
Google generally allows only one Business Profile for each eligible business location, although there are exceptions for certain departments, individual practitioners, and other distinct businesses.
If you discover a duplicate, I recommend investigating it before requesting its removal. You don’t want to accidentally remove an established profile containing legitimate customer reviews.
Another common problem occurs when a business listing was originally created by an employee, web developer, or marketing company that no longer works with the business.
If the listing is already verified under someone else’s account, Google provides a process for requesting ownership.
You can find instructions for these situations in Google’s Duplicate Profiles and Ownership Help.
For more complicated situations, Google may require additional verification or supporting information before making changes.
8. Make Sure You Retain Ownership of Your Business Profile
This is something I consider particularly important when assisting clients with their Google Business Profiles.
Your business should retain control of its listing, even when you hire someone to manage it.
Google allows businesses to assign access to additional owners and managers. This makes it possible for a web developer or marketing professional to update information, add photographs, and assist with reviews without requiring access to the business owner’s personal Google account.
My recommendation is that the business owner, or an appropriate account controlled by the business, retain primary ownership.
A developer or marketing company can then be assigned the level of access necessary to perform the requested work.
This arrangement offers several advantages:
- The business retains control of its information.
- Employees and service providers can be granted appropriate access.
- Access can be removed when someone no longer works with the business.
- There’s no need to share Google Account passwords.
- Changing web developers or marketing companies is less likely to create ownership problems.
Google explains how these permissions work in its Business Profile Owners and Managers Guide.
I’ve always felt that businesses should retain ownership and administrative control of their important online accounts, including their domain names, website hosting, and Google Business Profile.
These are valuable business resources, and access to them shouldn’t depend entirely on an outside service provider.
9. Review Your Profile’s Performance
Once your Business Profile is properly configured, it’s useful to periodically review how customers are finding and interacting with it.
Google provides performance information that may include profile views, searches, website clicks, calls, directions requests, and other interactions, depending on the business and available features.
This information can help you identify trends and better understand how customers are using your listing.
For example, a restaurant may be particularly interested in directions requests and telephone calls, while a service business may pay closer attention to website visits and inquiries.
However, I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on one statistic.
A large number of profile views doesn’t necessarily mean those visitors became customers. Likewise, a business generating a smaller number of qualified inquiries may be receiving considerable value from its listing.
It’s also worth remembering that not all business inquiries can be attributed accurately to one source. A customer may discover your company on Google Maps, visit your website later, and then telephone you directly.
Google provides more information in its Business Profile Performance Guide.
For most small businesses, reviewing this information periodically is sufficient. There is generally no need to spend hours analyzing reports unless you have a specific marketing question you’re trying to answer.
10. Keep Your Listing Current
One of the most common mistakes businesses make is creating a Google Business Profile and then forgetting about it.
Although much of the information may remain accurate for years, it’s worth reviewing the listing occasionally to ensure nothing important has changed.
Some items I recommend checking include:
- Business name, telephone number, and website address.
- Physical address or service area.
- Regular and holiday business hours.
- Services and product information.
- Photographs that no longer represent the business.
- Recent customer reviews that may warrant a response.
- Unexpected changes or duplicate listings.
- Access permissions for employees and outside service providers.
Google may also update some business information based on information from other sources, so it’s worthwhile to check that your profile still represents your business accurately.
Most routine management can be performed directly through Google Search or Google Maps while signed in to the Google Account associated with your profile.
And remember, you don’t need to pay a company simply to maintain a basic Google Business Profile. Claiming and managing an eligible listing is free.
Professional assistance can certainly be worthwhile when you need help with verification, complicated ownership issues, optimization, or ongoing management, but the underlying listing itself doesn’t require a paid subscription.
Final Thoughts
For eligible local businesses, Google Business Profile is one of the most important free marketing resources available.
It helps prospective customers find your company, learn about your services, view photographs, read reviews, and contact you directly through Google Search and Maps.
However, simply having a listing isn’t enough. I recommend taking the time to verify ownership, complete the available information, add representative photographs, and keep your business details accurate.
Customer reviews and occasional updates can provide additional value, but there’s no need to turn profile management into a complicated marketing project.
I also encourage business owners to retain primary ownership of their profiles, even when a web developer or marketing company assists with their management.
Your Google Business Profile should complement your website, not replace it. While Google provides valuable local visibility, your website remains the place where you have greater control over your content, branding, and presentation of services.
For additional information about other useful business listings and search engine resources, visit my Website Submission and Business Listings Guide.
The most important thing is to make sure prospective customers can find accurate information about your business, wherever they happen to be searching.
