When someone searches for a business like yours nearby, the map and the business listings under it are often the first thing they see. Those listings come from Google Business Profiles. A complete, accurate profile is one of the most valuable free things a local business can have.
Claim and verify it
Search for your business on Google. If a profile already exists, claim it; if not, create one at business.google.com. Google will ask you to verify that you run the business, by video, phone, email or post depending on your business. Nothing else on this list works until you're verified.
The checklist
- Business name: exactly as it appears on your signage, with no extra keywords added. Stuffing keywords into the name breaks Google's rules.
- Primary category: the single category that best describes your main service. Add secondary categories only for things you really offer.
- Address or service area: show your address if customers visit you; set a service area instead if you go to them.
- Phone number and website: the same number and web address you use everywhere else.
- Hours: including holiday hours. Wrong hours are one of the fastest ways to lose a customer's trust.
- Description: a few plain sentences about what you do, who you do it for and where.
- Services or menu: list them, with prices where it makes sense.
- Photos: your storefront, your team, your work and your products. Add new ones regularly.
- Reviews: ask for them steadily and reply to them.
Keep everything consistent
Your name, address and phone number should match exactly across your Google profile, your website, Facebook, Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing Places and any industry directories. Inconsistent details make it harder for Google, and for AI assistants, to trust which information is right.
Keep it alive
A profile isn't a one-time job. Update your hours before holidays, add photos, post updates and offers, and check now and then that nobody has suggested an edit that changed your details.
How FullFound helps
FullFound checks how your business appears across Google, directories and AI assistants, shows you which listings are missing, keeps your website details current, and helps you grow your reviews.