The 20-Minute Google Business Profile Tune-Up Most Businesses Skip
A plain-English checklist to show up better on Google Maps and in “near me” searches, for free
When someone in your town types "plumber near me," "food pantry Green Bay," or "best pizza open now," the first thing they usually see isn't a website. It's a map with three businesses pinned on it. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, the free listing Google shows on Search and Maps.
Most small businesses and nonprofits set theirs up years ago and never touched it again. Hours are out of date, the category is too general, and the last photo is from 2019. The good news is that fixing it is free and takes about 20 minutes. Here's the tune-up I walk my clients through.
First, find your profile and sign in
Sign in to the Google account that manages your profile, then search Google for your business name and city. If you manage it, you'll see your profile with an Edit profile button. If you don't see that, someone else may control it (an old employee, a past web designer, or a marketing company). Sort that out first, because only the owner or a manager can make changes. Google also says your profile has to be verified before it shows on Search and Maps, and before your photos go live.
Step 1: Check your name, address, and phone (2 minutes)
Google's guidelines say your business name should match your real-world name, the one on your sign, website, and invoices. Don't add extra words like "Best Roofer Green Bay." Google lists taglines, keywords, and location words in the name as reasons it can suspend a profile.
Then make sure your address and phone number match your website exactly, down to "St." versus "Street." Google compares what it finds across the web, and mismatches make it less sure which details are right.
- If you work from home and travel to customers (like a contractor or a mobile groomer), Google says you should hide your address and set a service area instead.
- Use a local phone number you control, not a call-center or tracking number that sends callers somewhere else.
Step 2: Pick the right categories (3 minutes)
Your primary category is the single biggest clue Google uses to decide which searches you show up for. Google lets you add up to 9 more, but its own guidelines say to use as few as possible and to choose ones that finish the sentence "This business is a ___," not "This business has a ___."
So a bakery that also serves coffee is a "Bakery" first. It isn't a "Coffee shop," a "Wedding service," and a "Gift shop" all at once. Nonprofits should look for the specific category, like "Food bank," "Veterans organization," or "Non-profit organization," instead of something vague.
Step 3: Set your hours, and your holiday hours now (3 minutes)
Wrong hours are the fastest way to lose a customer's trust. Nobody forgives driving across town to a locked door.
Check your regular hours, then add special hours for the holidays coming up: Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26), the day after, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. Google lets you set these ahead of time, and your profile will show them on those dates. If you're closed for deer season or a family emergency, special hours cover that too.
Step 4: Write a description that helps a stranger (4 minutes)
Your description shows in the "From the business" section. Google allows up to 750 characters and doesn't allow links, prices, or sale offers in it. Use that space to answer three questions in plain words:
- What do you do, and for whom?
- Where do you serve? (Name your towns or county.)
- Why you? (Years in business, veteran-owned, family-run, certified, and so on.)
Write it for a customer, not for Google. If it reads like a list of keywords, rewrite it.
Step 5: Add fresh, real photos (4 minutes)
Profiles with real photos simply look more trustworthy. Google's photo guidelines are easy to meet: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, and at least 720 by 720 pixels recommended. Google also asks that photos look like reality, with no heavy filters.
Add these, in this order:
- Your logo, so people recognize you.
- The outside of your building, so first-time visitors know they've found you.
- Your team, your work, or your space. That might be finished projects, your shop floor, your volunteers in action, or a busy Saturday.
Google also accepts short videos, up to 30 seconds long. Give it a day or two, since Google says new photos can take 24 to 48 hours to appear.
Step 6: Link to the right page on your website (1 minute)
Your website link should go to your own website, not a Facebook page. Google says not to use links that redirect people somewhere other than your business. If you have more than one location, link each profile to that location's page. If your site uses Google Analytics, you can add a simple tracking tag to the end of the link so you can see how many visits came from your profile.
While you're there, add your social media links if your profile offers that option, and look through attributes like "Veteran-owned," "Wheelchair accessible entrance," or "Online appointments." They're quick to add and help people decide.
Step 7: Ask for reviews the right way (2 minutes)
Reviews are part of what Google calls prominence, one of the three things its local results are mainly based on (along with relevance and distance). More reviews and good ratings can help your ranking.
Google gives you a review link and a QR code right from your profile. Put the link in your thank-you emails and invoices, and print the QR code for your counter or event table. Just follow Google's rules, which are strict:
- Don't offer anything in return. Discounts, freebies, or entry into a drawing in exchange for a review aren't allowed.
- Don't pick and choose. Google doesn't allow asking only your happy customers, or steering people away from leaving honest reviews.
- Don't tell people what to write, and don't pressure them to review on the spot.
Then reply to your reviews, the good and the bad. Keep it short, personal, and polite. For a complaint, acknowledge it, explain what you can do, and offer to talk by phone. Other people read your replies more closely than you'd think.
Step 8: Post a quick update (1 minute)
Google Business Profile has a Posts feature for updates, offers, and events, and it lets you schedule them ahead of time. Google says posts older than 6 months are archived unless they have a date range. So a profile whose last post is from 2023 looks abandoned. Share a holiday schedule, a recent project, a volunteer day, or a seasonal tip. Once a month is plenty.
Your 20-minute tune-up checklist
- Sign in and confirm you own or manage the profile, and that it's verified.
- Match your name, address, and phone to your website exactly. No extra keywords in the name.
- Service-area business? Hide your home address and list the towns you serve.
- Choose one specific primary category, and only add others that truly fit.
- Update your regular hours and add special hours for Thanksgiving through New Year's Day.
- Rewrite your description (750 characters or less, no links or prices).
- Add a logo, an outside photo, and three or more real photos of your work or space.
- Check your website link goes to your own site, and add attributes and social links.
- Copy your review link or QR code and add it to your emails and invoices.
- Reply to every review from the last six months.
- Publish one post about something happening this month.
- Set a calendar reminder to check your profile again in 3 months.
FAQ
How long does a Google Business Profile tune-up take?
About 20 minutes for the eight fixes above, plus a few days if Google is still reviewing new photos.
Can I hide my home address on Google Business Profile?
Yes, if you travel to customers. Hide the address and set a service area with the towns you serve.
How many categories should I pick?
One clear primary category, then only add others that truly fit. Google allows more, but fewer and more accurate is better.
Are review incentives allowed?
No. Don’t offer discounts, freebies, or drawings for reviews, and don’t ask only happy customers.
How often should I post on my profile?
Once a month is plenty. Posts older than six months get archived unless they have a date range.
Next week: the 5-second homepage test. Do visitors know what you do and how to reach you?
Jim Murphy is a U.S. Army veteran and the founder of Real Wisconsin Website Design, a veteran-owned and woman-owned web design company in Green Bay, building accessible, mobile-responsive websites for small businesses and nonprofits since 2007.
