How to Set Up a Google Business Profile: A Step-by-Step Guide for Small Businesses

Before you start

Decide first whether customers visit your premises or whether you visit them. If you visit customers rather than the other way round, you can set the profile up as a service-area business and keep your street address hidden from public view, which many small businesses working from home prefer.

Step 1: Claim or create the listing

Search Google for your business name first. If a listing already exists, usually created automatically by Google, claim it rather than creating a duplicate. Duplicate listings split your reviews and confuse Google about which one is real.

Step 2: Get the basics exactly right

Your business name should match your real trading name exactly, with nothing extra added for keywords. Your category matters a great deal: pick the primary category that most precisely matches what you do, then add extra categories only where they are genuinely true.

Your phone number and address details need to match, character for character, everywhere else your business is listed online. Mismatches here are one of the most common reasons a profile struggles to rank.

Step 3: Fill in services, description and photos

List your actual services with clear names and short descriptions. Write a description in plain English that says what you do and who for, without keyword stuffing. Add real photos: your premises or van, your team at work, and completed jobs where relevant. Empty profiles with a single logo photo tend to be treated as less trustworthy.

Step 4: Verify, then keep it active

Google will need to verify the listing, usually by postcard, phone or video, even if your address is hidden from public view. Once verified, keep the profile active with regular updates, accurate opening hours, and prompt replies to reviews. An untouched profile gives Google little reason to keep showing it prominently.