A guide to setting up your Google Business Profile

Getting your business noticed will be one of your biggest challenges as a business owner. How do you make your operation stand out and encourage customers to choose you over a competing business? Fortunately, there’s a quick, simple, and free way to help get your business noticed by the right people: a Google Business Profile.

In this article, we will quickly explain why you should get a Google Business Profile and then show you how to set one up. Let’s get started.

Why set up a Google Business Profile?

A well-curated Google Business Profile (formerly known as a Google My Business) can provide any business that deals with customers in person – think shops, hairdressers and tradespeople who make visits, such as plumbers – with an easy-to-maintain online presence that:

• Makes a professional impression on potential customers and partners
• Provides key information such as opening hours and phone number(s)
• Boosts legitimacy by showcasing user reviews
• Helps you get found online and offline by placing your business on Google Maps
• Gives you a platform to engage with customers publicly and privately
• Demonstrates that your business is up and running

If you’re unsure what a Google Business Profile looks like, head onto Google now and search for a local business. Provided that the business has set one up, you’ll immediately be presented with information about that business, as well as some relevant photos. This is the Google Business Profile.

How to set up your Google Business Profile:

1. Do you have a Google account? If yes, log in now. If not, set one up here.
2. Select the 9-dot Google App icon that appears on the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Click on the Business Profile Manager icon. It’s the blue shopfront one.
4. You’re now on the Business Profile page. Take the time to read more about how a Google Business Profile can help your business. Then, when you’re ready, select the ‘Manage now’ button.
5. Enter the name of your business. This should be your ‘real world name’; the one you use on your shopfront, website and other marketing materials. Select ‘Continue’.
6. Specify which of the following applies to your business: ‘Online retail’, ‘Local store’, ‘Service business’. Select ‘Next’.
7. Choose your ‘business category’ by typing in your work type and selecting an appropriate description from the dropdown menu. Select ‘Next’.
8. Provide the address where your customers can visit you. This is the location where Google will place your business’ pin on Google Maps.
9. Provide your business’ phone number and, if applicable, your website address. This information will be public, so don’t use a phone number that you’d rather keep private. You can skip this step if you don’t have a phone number.
10. Agree to Google’s ‘Terms of Service’ and, if you want, choose to receive advisory emails from Google about your profile, and opt-in to receive invitations to ‘surveys and pilots’.
11. Your profile will undergo a quick verification process, which should only take a few seconds. Once complete, select ‘Next.’
12. You now have the option to add information about the services that you provide. If an accurate description of your service isn’t presented, you can create your own (this description is limited to 120 characters).
13. Now, it’s time to provide your business’s opening hours. First, work through the days of the week, confirming whether you’re open or closed. Then, on the open days, provide your exact working hours.
14. You are presented with the option to enable private messaging. Turning this on will allow customers and other contacts to contact you directly via a button on Google Maps.
15. Provide a (public-facing) description of your business. You have up to 750 characters to use here, so take the time to get this right. However, if you aren’t happy with what you enter, you can go back and update it.
16. Upload any high-quality photos and graphics you have, such as your logo, shopfront, and anything else relevant. For example, if your business is a restaurant, add pictures of food that you have prepared.
17. You will now see this note: ‘Your edits will be visible once you’re verified.’ Click ‘Continue.’ Your profile request will be sent to Google for full verification. This typically takes a few days to a few weeks. While you wait, you will have access to a mock-up of your profile, allowing you to see how it will look when active and tweak anything that isn’t quite right.

When your Google Business Profile has been set up

You will soon receive an email with the subject line: Your Business Profile on Google is live for YOUR BUSINESS NAME. This is where the real work/fun starts.

Once you have this confirmation, you must check on your profile regularly – we recommend at least once a day. To access the profile, select the Business Profile Manager icon (the blue shopfront) from your Google account.

You should then:

• Respond to reviews, public questions and private messages (if switched on) as soon as possible. Google may switch off your ability to receive private messages if your average response time for each message is over 24 hours
• Update general business information when required (such as operating hours)
• Add new product and service information when appropriate
• Upload new photos
• Add your own frequently asked questions alongside answers
• Use the ‘Add update’ feature regularly to make business announcements and share newly created content

It’s important to make checking up on your profile part of your regular marketing routine. A neglected profile will do more harm than good, particularly if it includes outdated information, ignored reviews, and unresolved questions.

So there you have it

That was our guide to setting up your Google Business Profile. We hope you have found this article useful.

So, what are you waiting for? Set up your profile today to give your business the best chance of getting noticed. Thanks for reading.