Google Business Profile checklist.

Sign in at business.google.com (or search your business name on Google while signed in) and go through each item. Most of it takes under an hour; the last section is a habit.

By Ahmad Awwad · Updated October 2026

1. Set up

Get the basics exactly right first.

• Claim and verify the profile. Google may verify by video, phone, text or email.
• Business name: use your real-world name only. Adding keywords or cities to the name breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
• Primary category: choose the most specific one that describes your main business. It is one of the strongest ranking signals.
• Secondary categories: add the few that match other things you really do.
• Address or service area: show your address if customers visit you; set a service area (and hide the address) if you go to them.

2. Fill in everything

Complete profiles get more views and more trust.

• Hours, plus special hours for holidays, so Google never shows you as open when you are closed.
• Phone number and website. Link to your homepage, or to the page for that location if you have several.
• Services or menu with short descriptions and prices where it makes sense.
• Business description (up to 750 characters): what you do, who you serve, where, and what makes you different. No links or promotions.
• Attributes such as wheelchair access, outdoor seating or women-owned, where they are true.
• Booking or ordering link, if you take appointments or orders online.

3. Photos and video

Profiles with recent, real photos get more clicks.

• Logo and cover photo.
• Outside photos so people recognise the building, and inside photos so they know what to expect.
• Your team and your work: dishes, cars, finished jobs. Real photos beat stock photos.
• Add a few new photos every month.

4. Keep it active

An active profile signals that the business is open and cared for.

• Post an update every week or two: an offer, event, new product or recent project, with a photo.
• Ask every happy customer for a review using the review link from your profile.
• Reply to every review within a few days, thanking good ones and calmly addressing bad ones.
• Check and approve suggested edits. Anyone can suggest changes to your profile; make sure they are correct.
• Look at the Performance report each month: calls, direction requests and website clicks.

5. Match it everywhere

Google cross-checks your profile against the rest of the web.

• Same name, address and phone on your website, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook and directories.
• Link your website to your profile and add LocalBusiness structured data (schema) on the site.

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