Google Business Profile is the free listing that puts your business on Google Maps and in the map results, the panel with reviews, opening hours and a Call button that appears when someone searches for what you do nearby. For a local business it’s usually the most valuable free marketing asset there is, and setting it up properly takes about half an hour.
The setup itself is answered in the box above: sign in at business.google.com, add your details, verify, complete everything. But “set it up” and “set it up so it actually brings in customers” are different jobs. Below is the exact checklist MarketingDone4U runs when we do this for clients, in order.
Before you start: check a profile doesn’t already exist
Search Google for your business name plus your town. If a panel appears on the right (or at the top on mobile) with your details, a profile already exists, often auto-created by Google or started by a previous owner. Don’t create a duplicate. Click “Own this business?” on the existing panel and claim it instead. Duplicate profiles cause exactly the kind of mess we cover in why your business isn’t showing in the map pack.
The 30-minute setup checklist
| Step | What to do | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign in at business.google.com with a Google account the business controls | 2 |
| 2 | Enter your exact real-world business name | 1 |
| 3 | Choose your primary category carefully | 3 |
| 4 | Add your address, or set a service area if you work at customers’ premises | 3 |
| 5 | Add phone number and website | 2 |
| 6 | Request verification (post, phone, email or video, whichever Google offers) | 5 |
| 7 | Fill in hours, description, services and attributes | 8 |
| 8 | Upload photos: logo, cover, premises, work, team | 6 |
A few of these steps carry traps, so let’s take them properly.
Step 2: your name is your name
Enter your real business name, exactly as it appears on your signage and invoices. Not “Dave’s Plumbing | Boiler Repair Wilmslow | Best Prices”. Stuffing keywords into the name field is against Google’s guidelines and is one of the common reasons profiles get suspended. It’s not worth it.
Step 3: the category decision matters more than any other field
Your primary category is the strongest signal on the whole profile. Be specific: “Plumber”, not “Contractor”. “Dog groomer”, not “Pet care”. Then add secondary categories for genuine other services. A quick way to sanity-check your choice: search your main service in your town and see what category the top three results use. That’s the category competition you’ve chosen.
Step 4: address or service area, be honest
If customers visit you (a shop, a salon, a café), show your address. If you go to them (trades, mobile services), hide the address and set a service area covering the towns you genuinely work in. Don’t list half of England; a realistic area reads as credible to Google and to customers. And never use a mate’s address in a better town to game the map. That’s a suspension waiting to happen.
Step 6: verification is the gate everything waits behind
Until you verify, your edits don’t show publicly. Google decides the method: often a postcard with a code (allow up to a couple of weeks), sometimes phone, email or a video walkthrough of your premises. Do it immediately, because an unverified profile is invisible, however complete it is.
Steps 7 and 8: completeness is the ranking work
This is where the half-hearted profiles fall away. Write a plain description of what you do and where. List your services individually with short descriptions. Set accurate hours, including holidays when they come round. Then photos: real ones of your premises, your van, your work and your face. Profiles with genuine photos simply look like real, trading businesses, and looking real is most of the battle. Make sure the phone number and address match your website exactly, since consistency between profile and site is a core part of designing a website that wins locally.
After setup: the 15 minutes a month that keep it working
A profile isn’t a set-and-forget asset. The maintenance is small but it compounds.
- Ask every happy customer for a review, and reply to every one, good or bad. Reviews are the strongest trust signal on the entire panel.
- Add a photo or a post occasionally. An update from last month says “still trading, still busy”.
- Keep hours accurate. A “Closed” label on a bank holiday you’re actually working, or the reverse, costs real enquiries.
- Check the Q&A section, because anyone can ask (and anyone can answer) questions on your profile. Better that the answers come from you.
Why we say it beats ads
A blunt comparison for a local service business. Ads cost money every single click and stop the moment you stop paying. Your Google Business Profile is free, sits in the same screen area for local searches, carries your reviews with it, and keeps working month after month. Paid ads absolutely have their place, but if you have half an hour and no budget, this is where it should go first.
The honest caveat: the profile gets you found; it doesn’t do the ongoing work of ranking for more searches, in more towns, against more competitors. That’s SEO, and if you’d rather someone handled the whole thing, our SEO plans start at £49 a month with Google Business Profile suggestions included from the Growth tier. You can see what SEO costs in the UK laid out with real numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes, completely. Creating, verifying and managing a Google Business Profile costs nothing, and Google doesn’t charge for appearing in map results. Anyone phoning to sell you “activation” or “registration” of your Google listing is selling you something you can do yourself for free in about half an hour.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
It depends on the method Google offers. Phone, email or video verification can complete the same day. The postcard route typically takes up to a couple of weeks to arrive, and the code expires if unused for long, so enter it promptly. Your profile only appears publicly once verification is complete.
What is the difference between Google My Business and Google Business Profile?
They’re the same thing. Google My Business was renamed Google Business Profile in 2021, and the old management app was retired, with everything now managed through Google Search and Maps directly. If a guide or a cold caller talks about “Google My Business”, they simply mean the current Business Profile.
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
You can be found without one, but you’ll convert fewer of the people who find you. The profile wins the glance; the website wins the decision, with your prices, your work and your story. The two also reinforce each other’s credibility with Google, so businesses running both consistently outperform profile-only rivals.
Why is my business not showing on Google Maps after setup?
Usually one of four things: verification isn’t complete, the profile is too new to have built any prominence, your category doesn’t match what people search, or you’re simply outside the area Google considers close to the searcher. Work through our map pack diagnostic post for the full checklist and fixes.
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