Lead-gen playbook
How to optimize your Google Business Profile
A strong Google Business Profile is verified, accurate and complete: your real business name, the category that says what you are, a correct address or service area, real hours, photos of your work, and recent reviews with replies. Google says complete, accurate information helps your local ranking, and that nobody can pay for a better one.
Published · 7 min read · 10 sources · By the AOS Sites team
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The Google Business Profile playbook
8 steps, in order. The detail behind each one is below.
- Claim your profile and finish verificationSearch for your business on Google, claim it (or create it), and complete whichever verification method Google offers you.
- Use your real-world business nameExactly as on your sign, invoices and website. No towns, services or slogans added.
- Choose the most specific primary categoryPick the category that completes "this business is a…"; add others only for genuinely separate services.
- Set your address or service area correctlyShow your address if customers come to you. If you go to them, set the towns you serve and hide the address.
- Fill in hours, services and a descriptionRegular and holiday hours, every service you offer, a plain description, your phone and your website.
- Add real photos of your work, team and premisesClear, well-lit photos of finished jobs, your team, your vehicles and your storefront. No stock photos.
- Ask every customer for a review, and replySend your review link to every customer and reply to each review personally.
- Check and update it every monthConfirm hours and holiday hours, add new photos, post an update and make sure every detail still matches your site.
Why does your Google Business Profile matter so much?
It's the panel people see when they search your name, and the listing that shows in Google Maps and the local results for searches like "plumber near me". Google ranks those results on relevance, distance and prominence, and says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.[1]
It also feeds Google's AI answers. Google's guidance for its AI features tells site owners to check that their Business Profile information is up to date, and its generative AI guide says Business Profiles can help your business be visible in AI responses.[2][3]
And it's where most people still read reviews. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US consumers, Google remained the top review site, used by 71%, though that was down from 83% a year earlier as Apple Maps and AI tools grew.[4]
How do you claim and verify your profile?
Find your business on Google Search or Maps and claim it, or create a new profile if none exists. Then verify. Google says you need to verify your business to edit information like your name and hours and to interact with customers, and that verifying gives you ownership of the profile.[5]
You don't choose the method. Google says verification methods are determined automatically and can't be changed, and that the options depend on your business type, public information, region and hours. Follow whichever options your profile shows.[5]
Until you're verified, some things simply won't appear: Google notes that photos and videos show on your profile only after verification.[6]
What business name and category should you use?
Your real-world name, and nothing else. Google's guidelines say your name should reflect your business's real-world name as used consistently on your storefront, website and stationery, and that including unnecessary information in your name isn't permitted and could result in suspension of your profile.[7]
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Riverbend Plumbing | Not allowed: Riverbend Plumbing | 24/7 Emergency Plumber |
| Marion Family Dental | Not allowed: Marion Family Dental Best Dentist in Marion IA |
| Oak & Ash Landscaping | Not allowed: Oak & Ash Landscaping, Lawn Care, Snow Removal |
For your category, Google asks you to pick categories that complete the statement "this business IS a", rather than "this business HAS a". Choose the most specific one that fits; Google implicitly includes more general categories. If no category fits exactly, choose a more general one. Google also says it can detect category information from your website and from mentions of your business around the web, another reason to keep your site clear about what you do.[7]
Should you show your address or a service area?
It depends on where customers meet you. Google's guidelines distinguish storefront businesses, which show their address, from service-area businesses, which serve customers at their locations. A service-area business should have one profile for its central office with a designated service area, and should hide its address.[7]
- Customers come to you (a salon, a dental office, a shop): show your address, and keep permanent signage with your business name there.
- You go to customers (plumbers, cleaners, landscapers): set your service area and hide your address.
- Both (an auto shop with roadside service): show your storefront address and also set a service area.
- No virtual offices: Google says a service-area business can't list one unless it's staffed during business hours.
Sources: [7]
Which details should you fill in?
All of them. Google's local ranking help says to make your business information as complete as possible, including your hours and special hours.[1]
| Field | How to fill it |
|---|---|
| Hours | How to fill it: Your real hours, plus special hours for holidays and closures, before they happen |
| Phone | How to fill it: The number you answer, the same one on your website |
| Website | How to fill it: Your home page, or the page for that location |
| Services | How to fill it: Every service you offer, named the way customers say it |
| Description | How to fill it: A few plain sentences: what you do, for whom, where, and what makes you different |
Keep it the same as your website. When your profile and site agree on name, address or service area, phone, hours and services, customers and search engines can trust both. Our local SEO checklist covers the website side.
What photos and posts help?
Real ones. Google recommends business-specific photos that show features customers use when deciding, and says photos should be in focus, well lit, and without significant alterations or excessive filters or AI. Exterior photos help people recognize your business as they arrive.[8]
- Finished work: the new roof, the clean kitchen, the repaired car.
- Your team and vehicles, with your name visible.
- Your storefront and entrance, if customers visit.
- Before and after pairs, where they're genuine.
Posts let you share announcements, offers, updates and events on your profile in Search and Maps. A short post when you add a service, change hours for a holiday or run a seasonal offer keeps the profile current.[9]
How do you keep it working month to month?
Reviews are the part that never stops. Google suggests reminding customers to leave reviews with a link or QR code, replying to reviews, and personalizing replies rather than sending everyone the same thank-you. It also prohibits offering incentives for reviews. The review playbook has the details.[10]
- Monthly: check hours, add holiday hours ahead of time, add a few new photos, post one update.
- Weekly: reply to every new review.
- Whenever something changes: phone, hours, services or address, on your profile and website the same day.
AOS Sites can connect to your profile and show your site and your Google details side by side, marking each one Matches, Different or Missing, with a one-tap fix either way. Connecting needs your site to be live and Google's approval of AOS Sites' access, which your dashboard shows. See connecting your Google Business Profile.