Your Google profile
Your Google Business Profile: create it, fill it in, keep it right
Your Google Business Profile, formerly “Google My Business”, is the first thing a customer looking for you sees, before your website and before your shop front. Creating it takes twenty minutes. Keeping it right is a weekly job.
Google Business Profile, Google My Business, business listing: the same thing
Google has renamed its tool several times, but it is still the same profile: the one that appears when people search for your business, and on Google Maps when they search for your trade nearby.
What it shows
Your name, your address or service area, your opening hours, your photos, your reviews and your phone number.
Where it appears
In Google Search, on Google Maps, and in the answers of the assistants that draw on it.
What it costs
Nothing at Google. What costs is the time it takes to keep it right, week after week.
Create your profile, or claim the one that already exists
Before you create one, search for your business on Google Maps: quite often, a profile already exists. If so, you claim it rather than create a second one.
- 1Go to business.google.com
Sign in with your business’s Google account, then choose to add your business to Google. It’s free.
- 2Type the name on your shop front
Exactly as it is written outside, with no extra words. If Google tells you someone else has already verified the profile, you can request ownership.
- 3Choose your primary category
It is what makes you show up when people search for your trade. Pick the most specific one: “Barber shop” rather than “Hair salon”.
- 4Enter your address or service area
Customers come to you: your address. You go to them: your service area, and your address stays hidden.
- 5Add your phone number and website
Your own number, not a platform’s. No website yet? A single web page is enough to start.
- 6Verify your profile
Google offers you the method: video, phone call or post. Until it is verified, nobody sees your changes.
Fill it in to get found, in the order that matters
- 1The primary category, then the secondary ones
They decide which searches you can appear in. A category that is too broad puts you up against the whole neighbourhood.
- 2Accurate opening hours, public holidays included
A profile that says closed when you are open loses the sale, without you ever knowing.
- 3A description that sounds like you
750 characters at most. What you do, who for, and what people can only find at your place.
- 4Recent photos
Your shop front, your interior, what you sell. Taken on your phone, in daylight: that’s enough.
- 5The attributes
Outdoor seating, delivery, card payments, accessibility: every box you tick answers one of your customer’s questions.
- 6The same name, address and phone number everywhere
On your profile, your website and your social accounts. An address that changes from one site to the next sows doubt.
Suspended, duplicated, needs editing: the cases that cause trouble
Your profile is suspended
Often a name with extra words, an address that doesn’t receive customers, or a duplicate. Fix the cause first, then ask Google to reinstate it from your profile.
It exists twice
Keep the one with the most reviews and report the other as a duplicate. Two profiles for the same business hurt each other.
You want to edit it
From your profile on Google or in the Maps app. Some changes, like the name or the address, go back through verification.
You want to delete it
If your business still exists, keep it: a deleted profile leaves room for one you don’t control. If it has closed, mark it as permanently closed.
What you can do yourself, what Markus does for you
On your own, for free
- Create and verify your profile
- Keep your opening hours right, public holidays included
- Add a photo every week
- Reply to your reviews in the evening
With Markus
What it costs
The profile is free at Google. What costs is the time it takes to keep it right, or someone to do it for you.
| Who does it | What you pay | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Yourself | €0 | Your time, every week |
| A local agency | On quote | Depends on the agency |
| HelloMarkus | Profile €199 excl. VAT one-off, posts €49 excl. VAT / month | Your profile brought up to standard, then kept right every week |
Frequently asked questions
Is creating a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Google says so: you can add or claim your business at no cost. What costs is the time it takes to keep it right.
Are Google My Business and Google Business Profile the same thing?
Yes, it is the same tool, renamed. Your business profile stays the same.
How long does it take to get my profile verified?
It depends on the method Google offers you: video or a phone call are quicker than post. Until it is verified, your changes stay invisible.
Why is my Google Business Profile suspended?
Most often: extra words added to the name, an address that doesn’t match a place that receives customers, or a duplicate. Fix the cause before asking for reinstatement.
Do I need a website to have a profile?
No. But a page that gets people to call or book helps the customer decide, and Google likes profiles that lead somewhere.
Can Markus manage my profile for me?
Yes, as a manager: you remain the only owner. He brings your profile up to standard, keeps it right and suggests every change before publishing it.
Your profile, as your customers see it
The audit is free and takes two minutes. You see where you rank on Google, your profile and your reviews, and where to start.
