How to set up and optimise your Google Business Profile

Why your Google profile matters

Your profile is what shows up on Google Maps and in the map results at the top of a local search. It's where people see your reviews, your photos and your phone number, and plenty of them call straight from it without ever visiting your website. It's free, and a well-kept profile is one of the simplest ways to get more local calls.

Part 1: Setting it up

1. Check you don't already have one. Search your business name and town on Google. If a profile already exists, claim it rather than making a new one. Two profiles for the same business can get both suspended.
2. Create your profile. Sign in to a Google account (ideally one with your business email), go to business.google.com/create and enter your business name.
3. Use your real business name. Exactly as it appears on your van, invoices and signage. Don't add your trade or town to the name, Google can suspend profiles that do.
4. Pick your main category. Choose the one that best describes your trade, like Electrician or Plumber. You can add more later.
5. Shopfront or service area. If customers don't visit you, choose No when asked if customers can visit a location. Your address stays hidden, and you list the areas you cover instead: up to 20, ideally within a couple of hours' drive.
6. Add your phone number and website. Use the number you actually answer.
7. Verify it. Google decides how you verify, and you can't choose. It might be a phone call, text, email or a short video. For a video, film one unbroken clip of at least 30 seconds on your phone, showing where you work from (street signs or landmarks), your tools or van, and something that proves you run the business, like a branded van or an invoice in your business name. Google can take up to 5 working days to review it.

Part 2: Making it work for you

1. Categories. One main category, plus a couple of extra ones that genuinely fit. More isn't better.
2. Description. Up to 750 characters. Say what you do, where, and why someone should pick you, in plain English. No keyword stuffing.
3. Services. List each job you want more of, like rewires, boiler installs or roof repairs, with a line about each.
4. Service areas. Towns people actually search for, not just your borough or county.
5. Hours. The hours you'll actually answer the phone. Customers notice when you don't.
6. Photos. Real photos of your work, your van and your team. Put your logo in the logo slot and a strong job photo as the cover. Skip stock photos, customers can tell.
7. Reviews. Ask every happy customer. Open your profile, go to Reviews, then Get more reviews, and you'll find a link and a QR code to send or print. Reply to every review, good or bad. Never offer anything in return for a review, it's against Google's rules.
8. Updates. Post a photo of a recent job every week or two. It shows the profile is active.
9. Links. Add your website and social media profiles, so people can see more of your work.

A few things we've learned doing this for trades

• Geotagging your photos does nothing. Google strips the location data when you upload, so don't waste time on it.
• Don't keep a bad photo because it has lots of views. Older photos always have more views, and views don't help you rank. Replace anything dark, blurry or badly framed.
• Reply to reviews within a day. Nearly half of customers now expect a reply that quickly.
• Check your social links from a private window. Links copied from your own dashboard often only work for you. If it opens in a private window, it works for everyone.
• Bad review? Don't argue in public. Say sorry where it's deserved, keep private details out, and invite them to call you to sort it.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding keywords to your business name
• Using a stock photo or your logo as the cover
• Leaving reviews unanswered
• Listing areas you don't really cover
• Setting it up once and never touching it again