How to set up Google Business Profile the right way — a complete guide for small businesses

If your business doesn't appear on Google Maps or in local search results, potential clients are finding your competitors instead. The fix is simpler than you think — a properly set up Google Business Profile.

This guide walks through every step, including the one section most small businesses skip entirely (and it's the one that matters most for local search).

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free tool that lets your business appear in Google Search and Google Maps when people search for services nearby. It shows your address, hours, phone number, photos, reviews and more — before anyone even visits your website.

Step 1 — Claim or create your profile

Go to business.google.com and sign in with your Google account. Search for your business name — if it already exists, claim it. If not, click "Add your business."

Use your exact legal business name — don't add keywords like "best plumber Sydney" to your name. Google can suspend profiles that do this.

Step 2 — Choose the right category

Your primary category is the most important ranking factor in local search. Be specific:

• Instead of "Service" → use "House Cleaning Service" or "Domestic Cleaning"
• Instead of "Consultant" → use "Business Management Consultant" or "Financial Consultant"
• Instead of "Health" → use "Massage Therapist" or "Beauty Salon"

You can also add secondary categories. Add up to 9, but only ones that genuinely describe your business.

Step 3 — Add your service area (don't skip this)

This is the section most businesses miss. If you go to clients (cleaning, plumbing, consulting, tutoring) rather than clients coming to you, you should set a service area rather than a physical address.

Go to "Service area" and add the suburbs or regions you work in. This is how Google decides whether to show your business to someone searching in a particular area.

Step 4 — Write a strong business description

You have 750 characters. Use the first 250 to describe exactly what you do, who you help and where. Include your most important service keywords naturally — not stuffed in awkwardly.

Example for a cleaning business: "Professional home and office cleaning service in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. We provide weekly, fortnightly and one-off cleans for homes, apartments and small businesses. Insured, reliable and eco-friendly products available."

Step 5 — Add photos

Profiles with photos receive significantly more clicks than those without. Add:

• A logo (square, high quality)
• A cover photo (wide format, ideally showing your work or premises)
• At least 5 photos of your work, team or premises
• Your products or services if applicable

Use real photos, not stock images. Google can detect stock images and they perform worse in search.

Step 6 — Set up review collection

Reviews are one of the strongest local SEO signals. Your profile has a direct review link you can send to clients. Find it under "Ask for reviews" in your dashboard.

Create a simple message template like: "Hi [name], thanks for choosing us. If you had a good experience, it would mean a lot if you left us a quick Google review — it helps other local businesses find us. [link]"

What to do next

Once your profile is live and verified, add it to your email signature, your website footer and any printed materials. Aim to get your first 5 reviews within the first month — this gives Google enough signal to start ranking your profile locally.