Can you have a Google Business Profile?
Google has rules about who can have a Business Profile. Businesses that meet customers in person may qualify. An online-only business doesn’t qualify just because it wants local customers. Check the rules for how your business really works before you create a profile.
Use your real business name and correct details. Don’t invent an office, use an unrelated address or add services to the name to catch searches. If you go to your customers rather than them coming to you (a service-area business), follow the rules for showing your address.
Source: Google Business Profile: eligibility and business information
Keep your business details correct
Check the category, phone number, website link, service area and opening hours against reality. Keep holiday hours up to date where needed. Add real photos that help people recognise your business or understand the service.
Google says local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence (how well known a business is). Complete details help Google understand your business. But no edit changes how far you are from the person searching.
Answer local customers on your service page
Say what you do, who it’s for, where you really work and how customers ask for a quote or appointment. Include practical limits: how far you travel, access needs, or what you need to know before a visit.
Take an imaginary home-cleaning service. A useful page could explain what a standard clean includes, what needs a separate quote and how the first visit works. Copying the same text onto dozens of town pages adds little. Only create a separate town page when you have useful, different information for it.
Ask real customers for honest reviews
Make it easy for real customers to leave an honest review. Reply helpfully, and sort out problems the way you normally would with a customer. Don’t fake reviews, and don’t offer a reward only in return for a good rating.
Keep testimonials on your website separate from ratings on review platforms, and ask permission before you publish a customer’s words. Never turn one review into a claim that every customer gets the same result.
Check that being found brings the right enquiries
Test the profile link, phone link and enquiry form on a phone. Someone who finds you still needs to understand the offer and reach a person.
Look at impressions (how often you were shown in search) and clicks next to your real enquiries. Keep searches for your business name apart from searches for the service. Note your changes and compare a long enough period. A handful of impressions is too few to draw firm conclusions.
Your checklist
- Check the profile rules and who has access to it.
- Correct the name, category, hours and contact details.
- Explain your real service area on a useful service page.
- Add real photos and ask real customers for honest reviews.
- Test the contact route and check if the enquiries fit.
Your next step
Not sure what’s missing? An SEO check can turn these points into a short list of fixes, most important first.
Sources and further reading
- Google Business Profile: local ranking
- Google Business Profile: eligibility and business information
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
Sources checked on . Examples and checklists are planning aids, not client results.