Relevance
Explain your business accurately. Clear categories, services and website content help people and search systems understand what you offer.
Help nearby customers find you.
Make it clear what you do, where you work and how to get in touch. Local search starts with getting those details right.
Start with the essentials
Understand what helps you show up.
Google’s local results consider how well your business matches the search, how close it is and how well-known it is.
Distance
Location matters. Keep your real address or service area accurate. Listing more towns doesn’t move your business closer to the customer.
Prominence
Your reputation matters too. Reviews and links from other websites help Google understand how well-known your business is.
Make your profile useful.
For eligible businesses, a verified Google Business Profile helps customers find useful information in Search and Maps. Keep it current as your business changes.
Customers visit you? Show your real location. You travel to them? Set your service area and hide an address where you don’t receive customers.
- Business name
- Use the name customers know. Keep it consistent with your website and real-world branding.
- Categories & services
- Choose categories that describe what your business is. Add accurate services and a clear description.
- Contact details
- Use the correct website and a working business phone number. Check the location or service area.
- Opening hours
- Keep customer-facing hours current, including holiday changes where applicable.
- Real photos
- Show your space, work, products or team. Use recent photos that represent the actual business.
Let your website back it up.
A useful profile gets someone interested. Your website should make it easy to confirm you’re the right business for the job.
Explain your services
Use the words customers use. Explain what you do, who it’s for and what they need to know before getting in touch.
Show where you work
Make your location or service area easy to find. Include useful details such as travel limits, parking or appointment arrangements where relevant.
Keep the details aligned
Check your business name, contact information and hours across your website and the profiles you use. Update old information when anything changes.
Make mobile easy
People may be searching while they’re out. Keep services, directions, contact buttons and booking options easy to read and tap.
Give each location useful content
For multiple genuine locations, explain their services, hours and practical differences. Avoid copying the same page and changing only the town name.
Keep pages accessible
Use working internal links and clear page titles. Make sure important service and location pages can be crawled and aren’t accidentally blocked from indexing.
Describe the business you actually run. Clear services, genuine locations and useful answers give customers something they can act on.
Check what customers actually see.
Look at your business on your phone. Follow the same steps someone would take before calling, booking or visiting.
Read the Review Response Guide-
Find your business. Search your name and location. Check whether your details, hours and website link are correct.
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Read your reviews. Look for unanswered questions and concerns. Respond to the actual experience and bring issues to the right person.
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Try getting in touch. Test your contact form, booking links and chat where configured. Make sure customers can reach the next step.
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Watch useful activity. Review available Business Profile activity and Search Console data. Compare website visits and inquiries over time.