For most local businesses, the Google Business Profile is the first impression. It is what appears when someone searches your name, looks for a service "near me" or browses Google Maps. A complete, accurate profile will not guarantee the top spot, but an incomplete or rule-breaking one can quietly keep you out of it.
This checklist walks through the profile section by section, based on Google's own guidelines, plus the changes from the past two years that many businesses missed.
How Google ranks local results
Google says local results are based mainly on three factors:
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what the person searched for.
- Distance: how far your business is from the searcher or the location in the query.
- Prominence: how well known your business is, including how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have.
Google also states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Everything below is about improving relevance and prominence, the two factors you can influence.
1. Get the basics exactly right
Business name
Use your real-world business name as it appears on your signage, website and stationery. Google's guidelines prohibit adding marketing taglines, keywords, locations, phone numbers or other extra details to the name, and unnecessary information can lead to suspension. "Smith Plumbing" is fine. "Smith Plumbing Best Emergency Plumber Orlando" is not.
Address or service area
Storefront businesses should show their address. Service-area businesses that visit customers, such as plumbers or cleaners, should set a service area and hide the address if customers do not visit them. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not eligible.
Phone, website and hours
Use a local phone number that is answered, link to the most relevant page on your website and keep regular and holiday hours current. Inaccurate hours frustrate customers and generate negative reviews.
2. Choose categories carefully
Your primary category is one of the strongest relevance signals. Google advises choosing the fewest categories needed to describe your core business and using the "this business IS a" test rather than "this business HAS a." A restaurant with a bar is a restaurant, not a bar. Do not use categories as keywords.
3. Fill in services, products and the description
- Services: list each service in plain language, matching the terms customers use.
- Products: add key products or packages with photos where relevant.
- Description: explain what you do, who you serve and what makes you different. Google does not allow links, promotions, prices or sales offers in the description.
4. Add real photos and keep adding them
Upload your logo, a cover photo, exterior and interior photos, your team at work and examples of finished jobs. Real photos help customers recognize your location and trust your work. Avoid stock images.
5. Build a steady flow of genuine reviews
Reviews influence both rankings and decisions. Ask every happy customer, make it easy with a direct review link or QR code from your profile, and respond to reviews, positive and negative, promptly and professionally.
Follow the rules. Google prohibits paying for reviews, offering incentives for reviews, asking only happy customers to review (sometimes called review gating) and reviews from employees or others with a conflict of interest. Google can remove reviews, temporarily block new ones and show a warning on profiles caught with fake engagement. We cover this in depth in how to get more Google reviews the right way.
6. Use posts and updates
Posts let you share offers, events and news on your profile. They must follow Google's content policies, and Google may remove posts that include phone numbers or links in the text; use the built-in call-to-action buttons instead.
7. Connect the profile to your website
Your profile and website reinforce each other. Make sure the name, address and phone number on your website match your profile, include a clear contact page and consider adding local business structured data to your site. For more, see our guide to local SEO for service businesses.
Recent changes local businesses should know
| Change | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Free Business Profile websites shut down | March 2024, with redirects ending June 10, 2024 | If you relied on a Google-built site, you need a real website |
| Business Profile chat and call history removed | Chat ended July 2024 | Make sure customers can reach you by phone, form and booking link |
| Q&A being replaced in Google Maps by an AI "Ask" feature | Announced late 2025 | Answers increasingly come from your profile details and reviews, so keep both complete |
| Official review request links and QR codes | Documented by Google in December 2025 | Use the official link to make asking for reviews easy |
The checklist
- Business name matches real-world signage exactly.
- Correct address or service area, with no virtual office.
- Answered local phone number, accurate regular and holiday hours.
- Most accurate primary category, plus only truly relevant secondary categories.
- Every service listed in customer language.
- Clear description without links, prices or promotions.
- At least a logo, cover, exterior, interior, team and work photos.
- A system for requesting reviews from every customer, and replies to all reviews.
- Regular posts for offers, events and updates.
- Website contact details that match the profile exactly.
Want it done for you? Our Google Business Profile setup covers creation, verification, categories and business information, and our SEO services build on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I rank higher on Google Maps?
Google ranks local results by relevance, distance and prominence. You can improve relevance with accurate categories, services and descriptions, and prominence with genuine reviews, links from other websites and a strong overall web presence. Google does not sell better local rankings.
Can I add keywords to my Google Business Profile name?
No. Google requires the name to match your real-world business name and prohibits adding keywords, taglines or locations. Doing so can lead to suspension of the profile.
How many categories should I choose?
Choose the fewest categories that accurately describe your core business. Your primary category matters most. Use the test "this business IS a" rather than "this business HAS a."
Can I offer customers a discount for leaving a Google review?
No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews and selectively asking only satisfied customers. Ask all customers for honest feedback instead.
Does Google Business Profile still offer free websites?
No. Websites built with Google Business Profiles were turned off in March 2024, and their redirects ended in June 2024. Businesses need their own website to link from the profile.
