Google Business Profile Management (Formerly Google My Business)
Sets up and looks after your free Google listing, the box that shows your reviews, phone number, opening hours and directions.
When someone searches for what you do, this listing is often the first thing they see. A complete, accurate and active profile gives Google confidence to show your business, and gives customers what they need to choose you.
This works the same way for businesses across the Thames Valley, including nearby in High Wycombe, Reading and Maidenhead, and everywhere in between.
Best for
Any business that wants to appear on Google Maps and in the map results.
What's included
- Claiming or creating the listing
- Choosing the right categories, and adding services and a description
- Adding photos, opening hours and other details
- Keeping it up to date and posting regular updates
This is a draft scope. Say what you need and it can be tailored to your business.
How I work
- 1I start by checking what's already there, claimed or not, correct or not, rather than assuming and starting from scratch.
- 2Categories, services and description get set properly first: these are the details Google actually matches against what people search for.
- 3Photos, hours and the practical details get filled in properly, because an empty-looking profile is often the reason customers scroll past to the next result.
- 4Ongoing posting and monitoring, so the profile stays active rather than going quiet the moment it's set up.
Problems I see most often
Your listing shows up but with the wrong category, an old address, or services missing.
This is checked line by line against what's actually true today, since mismatched details are one of the most common reasons a profile underperforms.
You're worried about showing your home address publicly.
If you visit or serve customers rather than welcoming them to a premises, the profile can be set up as a service-area business with the street address hidden. This is standard, not a workaround.
You don't know what to post, or forget to for months at a time.
Posting gets planned around what your customers actually ask and the work you're actually doing, not generic filler, and it happens on a schedule rather than depending on you remembering.
A note on timing
Opening hours around bank holidays and Christmas are one of the most common things left wrong on a Google profile, and one of the most damaging: a customer who turns up to a business showing as open when it isn't rarely comes back. Getting hours updated ahead of each season is a small job that avoids a real cost.
Ready to talk about google business profile management?
A short, no-pressure call is the fastest way to find out if this is the right fit for your business.
How this is done, honestly
- Google renamed "Google My Business" to "Google Business Profile" in 2021. The site says "Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)" once, then uses the new name, except in this page's own meta title, which keeps the old name because far more people still search for it.
Google Business Profile management FAQs
What is the difference between Google Business Profile and Google My Business?
They are the same thing under two names. Google renamed "Google My Business" to "Google Business Profile" in 2021 and folded the management tools into Google Search and Maps directly, rather than a separate app. Plenty of people, and plenty of search results, still use the old name, which is why you will see both used on this site.
Can I hide my business address on my Google Business Profile?
Yes, if you are a business that visits or serves customers rather than welcoming them to a premises. This is called a service-area business on the profile. Your service area is shown instead of a street address, and Google still needs to confirm your real address privately in order to verify the listing, but it is never shown publicly.
How often should a Google Business Profile be updated?
A profile that never changes gives Google, and customers, no sign that the business is active. Regular posts, current opening hours (including holiday changes), fresh photos and prompt replies to reviews all show the listing is being looked after. There is no fixed schedule that suits every business, but going quiet for months at a time is worth avoiding.
What happens if my Google Business Profile gets suspended?
A suspension usually follows something Google's automated checks flagged: a mismatched address, a name that includes marketing text, or a sudden change that looks unusual. The listing stops showing in search and Maps until it is resolved. Getting the basics right from the start (an accurate name, the right categories, a real service area) is the best way to avoid it happening.
Will you use my own business name or "Simply Leads" when managing my profile?
Your profile is managed under your own business name, exactly as it should be. Simply Leads is the company doing the work behind the scenes, not something that appears on your listing.
What if I already have a Google Business Profile agency and I'm not happy with it?
That's a common starting point. I'll look honestly at what's there now and tell you plainly what's wrong and what isn't, rather than assuming everything needs redoing.
Ready to talk about getting found on Google?
Call me for a short chat, no pitch. If it makes sense to work together, we can take it from there.