How to set up a Google Business Profile for your local business

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that appears when someone searches for your business name on Google Search or Google Maps. It shows your hours, phone number, address, photos, and reviews. For many local businesses, it is the first thing a customer sees.

Setup takes less than an hour. Verification can take longer. Start with the steps below and finish the details before you ask customers for reviews.

Check whether a profile already exists

Google often creates listings on its own from public information. Search for your business name and city before you make a new one. If a listing appears with a link or button to claim or manage it, use that option. A second profile for the same business causes confusion and can lead to suspension.

If the listing says someone else owns it, you can request access. Google then contacts the current owner. If the owner is a former employee or a past web designer, ask them to add you or transfer ownership.

Use a Google account that belongs to the business and not a personal email. Choose an address that more than one trusted person can reach. If the owner leaves or forgets the password, the business keeps control of the profile.

If your business already has a Google account, use that one. If you hired a designer, ask who holds the login. Our list of questions to ask a web designer before you hire one covers account ownership in more detail.

Enter your business name

Use the name on your sign, your invoices, and your website. Do not add keywords or city names to it. A name like “Smith Plumbing” is correct. “Smith Plumbing Kelowna Best Plumber” breaks Google’s guidelines and can get your profile suspended.

Pick a primary category

The category tells Google what your business is. It has a large effect on which searches show your profile. Pick the one that describes your main service, such as “Plumber,” “Bakery,” or “Hair salon.” Add secondary categories later for other services you offer.

Look at how nearby competitors are categorized. Their choices can help you find the right term.

Add your address or service area

Two kinds of businesses exist on Google.

A storefront business serves customers at a physical location. Enter the street address. The address appears on your profile and on the map.

A service-area business travels to customers, such as a cleaner, electrician, or mobile groomer. If customers do not visit you, you can hide your street address and list the cities you serve instead. In the Okanagan Shuswap, that list might include Vernon, Salmon Arm, Kelowna, or Penticton.

A home-based business can use a service area to keep the home address private.

Add a phone number and website

Enter a phone number that you answer. Enter the web address of your main site. Use the same number and spelling of your business name that appear on your website and on other listings. Matching details across the web help customers trust you. They also help Google confirm that the information is correct.

If you do not have a site yet, Google offers a basic free page built from your profile. A full site gives you more control. Our guide to web design companies in the Okanagan Shuswap lists studios across the region.

Verify the profile

Google must confirm you run the business before the profile shows to the public. The options depend on your business and can change. They may include a phone call, a text message, an email, a postcard mailed to the address, or a short video of your location.

If you choose a postcard, watch your mail. Do not edit the business name or address while you wait, because changes can restart the process. Enter the code from the postcard when it arrives.

Set your hours

Enter regular hours for each day. Then add special hours for holidays. Okanagan and Shuswap businesses with seasonal schedules, such as wineries, lake tour operators, and ski shops, should update hours at each change of season.

Wrong hours cost you customers. A person who drives to a closed shop because Google said it was open will not come back soon. Check your hours every season.

Write a short description

Describe what you sell, who you serve, and where you are. Stick to facts. Skip claims such as “the best in the valley.” Mention the specific products or services customers search for.

Add real photos

Upload clear photos of your storefront, your inside space, your team, your products, and your work. A logo and a cover photo are a good start. Customers trust photos of the actual business more than generic images.

If your phone photos look dim or cluttered, a local photographer can shoot a set in an hour or two. Browse our lists of photographers in the Okanagan Shuswap and Vernon photographers to find one near you.

Ask for reviews and reply to them

Reviews affect whether a customer picks you. Google lets you share a direct link to your review page. Send it by text or email after a job is done, or print it on a card at the counter.

Never pay for reviews. Never write reviews for your own business. Google can remove them and can penalize the profile.

Reply to every review, good or bad. Keep replies short and polite. For a poor review, thank the customer, state what you can do to fix the issue, and offer a phone number or email for follow-up. Future customers read your replies.

Keep the profile current

Log in every few weeks. Post a new photo, update your hours, and add any new services. Answer customer questions if the profile shows them. A profile that looks active gives a better first impression than one that has not changed in two years.

Check that your details match everywhere else your business appears, including your website and any local directory listing. If you move or change your phone number, update every place on the same day.