Search for “plumber near me” or “best salon in Toronto” and Google shows a map with a handful of businesses before any regular results. Many people call straight from that map without ever visiting a website. If your business isn’t there, you’re invisible at the exact moment someone is ready to buy.
The listing that powers those results is your Google Business Profile. It’s free, and most of what makes it work is in your control. Use this checklist to get it right.
1. Claim and verify your profile
Search for your business name on Google. If a profile already exists, claim it; if not, create one at Google Business Profile. Google will ask you to verify that you run the business, usually by video, phone, email or postcard. Until you’re verified, many changes won’t appear publicly.
2. Get the basics exactly right
Your name, address and phone number need to match what’s on your website and other directories, character for character. Inconsistent details confuse both customers and Google.
- Business name: your real name, without extra keywords stuffed in.
- Address or service area: show your address if customers visit you; if you travel to customers, set service areas instead.
- Phone and website: a number that’s answered and a link to your most relevant page.
- Hours: including holiday hours, so no one arrives to a closed door.
3. Choose the right categories
Your primary category has a big influence on which searches you appear for. Pick the one that describes your main service most precisely, then add secondary categories for other things you genuinely offer. Look at the categories used by competitors who appear on the map for your key searches.
4. Fill in everything else
A complete profile gives Google more to match against and gives customers more reasons to choose you.
- Services or products, with short descriptions
- A clear description of what you do and who you serve
- Attributes such as accessibility, payment options or online appointments
- Real photos of your premises, team and work, added regularly
5. Build a steady flow of reviews
Reviews influence both your ranking and whether people click. The key is consistency: ask every happy customer, make it easy with a direct review link or QR code, and reply to every review, positive or negative, politely and promptly.
A calm, helpful reply to a negative review often reassures future customers more than a page of five-star ratings.
6. Keep the profile active
Post updates, offers and events, add new photos, and keep information current. An active profile signals that your business is open and engaged.
7. Back it up with your website
Your profile works best when your website supports it: a page for each main service, a page for each area you serve, and your name, address and phone number on every page. Together they tell Google, clearly and consistently, what you do and where.
Where to start
If you only do three things this week, verify your profile, fix your basic details and ask five happy customers for a review. Then work through the rest of the list one step at a time.
