To set up a Google Business Profile, check the business is eligible and find the existing listing. Claim it or add a new one, enter accurate details and complete the verification Google offers. Then keep the details customers act on right: hours, phone, address or service area, website and booking links. The profile is free, but it isn't set and forget.
Google Business Profile used to be called Google My Business. Google announced the rename on 4 November 2021, in its post on connecting with local holiday shoppers. You'll still see the former name in older articles and agency proposals. It's the same product.
It's also free. Google's Add or claim your Business Profile page says adding or claiming a business comes at no charge. Google's security advice says it will never try to convince you to pay to maintain the profile. Agencies, ads and third party tools can cost money. The profile itself doesn't.
Owning the profile lets you manage your details, not everything Google shows about the business.
Who is eligible and what the profile can do
Eligibility comes first. A profile for a business that doesn't qualify can be suspended. Everything built on it is at risk.
The test is in Google's Business eligibility and ownership guidelines. To qualify, a business must make in person contact with customers during its stated hours. That contact can happen at your premises, like a shop, clinic or office. It can also happen at the customer's place, like a plumber or a mobile dog groomer.
The same page rules out:
rental or for sale properties
an ongoing class or service at a location you don't own or can't represent
lead generation agents
online only businesses
Business situation | General direction | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
Customers come to your premises | Usually eligible as a storefront | Staffed in your stated hours, with permanent signage |
You travel to customers | Usually eligible as a service area business | Hide the address if you don't serve customers there |
Both | Eligible as a hybrid | Only when customers visit and you also travel to them |
Online only | Not eligible on that basis | A mailing address or a fictional service area doesn't change that |
Coworking space or virtual office | Check the detailed rules first | A mailing only address isn't eligible. An office in a coworking space needs signage, customers and your own staff in business hours |
Google's Guidelines for representing your business on Google fill in the detail. A PO box or a mailbox at a remote location isn't acceptable. Nor is a rented mailing address the business doesn't operate from. A service area business can't list a virtual office unless it's staffed during business hours.
An ABN shows the business is registered. It doesn't show that a location qualifies.
It's a first screen, not the full policy. The guidelines have separate sections for departments, individual practitioners, delivery only food brands and businesses sharing a location. So read the one that applies before you lean on a general rule.
What the profile can and can't control
Google's Tips to improve your local ranking on Google names three main factors behind local results. They're relevance, distance and prominence, also called popularity. The same page says businesses with complete, accurate details are more likely to show. It also says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Categories matter, but nobody outside Google can put a percentage on any field. Distance is how far the business is from the person searching. So listing more service areas doesn't move the business any closer. Our guide to Google Maps ranking factors covers how the local pack decides who shows. The wider plan sits in our guide to local SEO for small business.
Verification makes you the manager of the profile, not the author of everything on it. Google's page on how it sources business information lists:
public web content, such as your website
licensed data from third parties
contributions from users (owners included)
Google's own interactions with the business
Another help page, Understand Google updates on your Business Profile, deals with suggested edits. Once notified, owners get 4 days to accept or reject one. The page also says Google may apply user edits without prior review where policy requires it. Google may also publish a suggestion you ignore if other public information supports it.
That means you can't guarantee every photo, summary or answer people see. Nor does LocalBusiness markup on your website force Google to accept a claim. What you can do is look at the public profile often and correct what's wrong.
Add, claim and secure the right profile
Search before you create anything. Many businesses already have a listing built from public information or a customer's edit. Google's representation guidelines say there should only be one profile per business. That's because extra profiles can cause problems with how your information displays.
If nobody has verified the listing, open it in Maps and select Claim this business, then Manage now. If there's no listing at all, add the business through Business Profile Manager. Google's add or claim page walks through both routes.
Step | Get it right | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
Find or add | Search Maps for the name and the address first | Adding a second profile because the first one is locked |
Name | The name the business trades under, as customers see it on your signage | Adding services, suburbs or a tagline to the name |
Business model | Storefront, service area or hybrid, as customers really use it | Choosing hybrid for the reach you hope it brings |
Core details | A category, number, website and hours that are true | A call centre number or a redirect page |
Verify and test | The method Google offers, then a test of the public profile | Treating verification as the finish line |
The name doesn't have to match the legal entity on your ABN record. It has to be the name the business uses day to day. Don't add store codes, locations or phone numbers to it.
When someone else owns the profile
Ownership trouble is common, and often innocent. A former agency, a web developer or an ex employee set the profile up years ago. They used their own login, then moved on. We run access checks for new local SEO clients. About 1 in 3 of their profiles had a primary owner outside the business.
The quickest fix is the person who set it up. Ask them to add the business's Google Account as an owner, then make it the primary owner.
Agencies don't get to keep what isn't theirs. Google's eligibility and ownership guidelines set the rules for authorised representatives, SEO companies included. They must never claim a profile without the owner's express consent. They must also transfer ownership immediately when asked.
If you can't reach them, Google's Request ownership of a Business Profile page explains the route:
You submit a request form.
The current owner is notified by email and has 3 days to respond.
If they don't, you may get the option to claim the profile. The page says that option isn't always available.
If they refuse, you get a rejection email. You can still suggest an edit or try to appeal.
A service area business that serves customers at their location goes through Google support instead. There, choose "Transfer ownership of listing" as the issue.
Once you're in, expect one short wait. It's 7 days, according to Google's Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile page.
Until then, a new owner or manager can't manage all the features. They might get an error if they try to delete or undelete the profile. The same goes for removing other owners or managers, or making anyone primary owner. Everyday edits aren't on that list.
Secure access and keep a record
Run the profile from a Google Account the business controls, not a staff member's personal Gmail. Google's Help protect your Google Business Profile recommends:
2-Step Verification
access only for the owners and managers who are essential
extra care with owners, because they can edit and transfer ownership
an email alias for managers
The page also says to remove ex employees' access when they leave.
Keep primary ownership with the business and give an agency manager access. Google's owners and managers help page shows managers can do nearly everything. Their access runs from editing details, posts and photos to replying to reviews and downloading insights.
Only owners can add or remove users or remove the profile. A profile can have several owners but only one primary owner. Never share a password or a verification code with anyone, your agency included.
The tags show who holds admin rights. Connected services don't need ownership to do their job. Keep a private access record outside the profile:
The Business Profile ID and the account that holds primary ownership
A second owner the business trusts, where that suits
Each manager, who they work for and when they were added
Who controls account recovery, from the phone number and email address to 2-Step Verification
Connected services: Google Ads, the booking provider, call tracking and the website
When a staff member or an agency leaves, sign in with the business's own owner account first. Confirm it works before you remove the departing user. A primary owner can't remove themselves until they've transferred primary ownership. So sort that out before their last day.
Don't let the owner account go dormant, either. Google's eligibility and ownership guidelines list not signing in recently among the reasons ownership may be removed.
Real calls from Google, and fake ones
Not every call from Google is a scam. Google's page about automated calls and texts says it may call or text the number on your profile. That can be to confirm your details are up to date or to help customers with enquiries. Google may also call to book an appointment for a customer.
You can opt out on the call or in the profile's settings, under "Google automated calls and text messages". Replying STOP to a text works too.
The same page says Google will never ask for payment, credit card details or account passwords. And a caller asking for money to keep your business on Google isn't calling from Google. The protection page adds that Google never asks for a one time password or PIN. When in doubt, hang up and check inside the signed in profile.
Storefront, service area or hybrid?
Pick the model that matches how customers actually get the service. It decides what the profile shows and what verification has to prove.
Google's service area help page says service areas are set by city, postcode or another type of area. They aren't set as a radius around your base. You can set up to 20. The boundaries of the whole area shouldn't be more than about 2 hours' drive from your base. Those are limits on what you can claim, not a ranking setting.
A plumber who works from home and never sees customers there should hide the address. Google's Manage your business address page says to hide it only if you're a service area business. Turning off Show business address to customers swaps it for your service area. The page also covers moving the map pin if Google can't place the address. It says changes usually appear within about 10 minutes, though some take up to 30 days.
Hybrid is for businesses that genuinely do both. A bike shop that also services bikes at customers' homes is a good example. A hybrid shows its storefront address. That means the premises has to meet the storefront rules: staffed, signed and open in your stated hours.
When the business moves, change the address even though you'll have to verify again. Google's edit help says a business that moves to a new address after it's verified must verify again. Leaving an outdated address up to dodge that sends customers to an empty office.
Trades have their own wrinkles. Our guide to Google Business Profile for tradies covers the setup for a trade business.
Complete the verification Google offers
Verification is Google checking that the business is real and that you're entitled to manage it. You don't choose the method. Google's Verify your business on Google page says the methods are determined automatically and can't be changed.
What you're offered depends on your business type, public information, region or business hours. The options include:
phone or text
email
a live video call
a recorded video
a postcard
instant verification, in some cases
Some businesses have to verify with more than one method.
The same page says reviews take up to 5 business days, and on rare occasions longer. That's guidance, not a promise. If you're waiting on a postcard, don't edit the business name, address or category in the meantime.
Plan the verification video
When a recorded video is offered, Google recommends using it. The rules on Google's Verify your business with a video recording page are strict:
at least 30 seconds
one unedited, unique and complete recording with no breaks
captured live on a mobile device
uploaded through your Business Profile
A polished promo video doesn't count. The recording has to show where the business is, that it exists and that you manage it.
What to show | Storefront or hybrid | Service area business |
|---|---|---|
Where it is | Street signs, building numbers or nearby businesses | Street signs, landmarks or other identifiers at your base |
That it exists | Your business name on a permanent sign, wall or window | The tools, equipment or products you use for work |
That you manage it | Something only staff can access, like opening the cash register | Opening a van with your business branding, or a permit, invoice or utility bill in the business name |
Plan the route before you press record, because the take has to be continuous. Google says not to show bank account, tax or ID numbers, or other people's faces. Private information about you or anyone else is out too. If a document proves you manage the business, show only the business name and the detail that matters. A service area business should avoid filming empty land or places with no clear markers.
If the video isn't accepted, the result says Not successful. Select Review issues, then record a new video showing everything from the first one plus what was missing. That review can also take up to 5 business days.
If the Get verified button comes back, Google wasn't able to complete verification. So try again. Or use another method, if one is offered. When nothing works, contact support from the verification help page.
Public profile videos follow different rules, covered in the photos section.
Categories and the essential profile fields
Wrong details are common. They're also the cheapest thing on the profile to fix. When we first check new local SEO clients' profiles, about 1 in 2 have an error. At least one core detail is wrong. By core detail we mean the hours, the phone number, the website link or the category.
Google also sets a few hard limits worth knowing before you start.
Choose the primary category
Start with the primary category. It's the label that says what the business is. Google's representation guidelines say to use as few categories as possible to describe the core business. They also say to make them as specific as possible. Choose ones that complete the sentence "This business IS a", not "This business HAS a".
Categories aren't keywords. Google's Edit your Business Profile help lets you add up to nine more. That's a limit, not a target.
Take a plumbing business. Plumber is the obvious primary category. Additional categories for gas fitting or drainage belong only if the profile offers them in Australia. The business also has to genuinely do that work.
Category names differ between countries and change over time. So choose from what the profile offers. Don't copy a competitor's categories just because they rank. A change to core details can also prompt Google to ask you to verify again.
Core business: [what the business actually is]
Primary category: [the most specific accurate category on offer]
Additional categories: [only other genuine business types, or none]
Evidence: [the services, website pages and work behind each one]
Checked: [date and person]
Keep the record with the access record. That way the next person knows why each category is there.
Fill in the fields customers use
Each field answers a question a customer would otherwise ring to ask.
Field | What to put in it |
|---|---|
Name and location | The name the business trades under, and the true address, map pin or service areas |
Phone and website | A number the business controls that rings at that location, and the page for that location or service, with no redirects |
Hours | Regular hours customers can use, special hours for public holidays in your state or territory, and more hours for things like delivery |
Services | The services you actually provide, each with a plain description of scope. No lists of suburbs |
Attributes | Only factual attributes that are true. Subjective ones come from Google users' opinions |
Description | What you do, who for and what's different, within 750 characters, with no links or sales copy |
Bookings and links | The right branch, the right provider and a booking that actually confirms |
The phone number causes the most arguments. Google's representation guidelines say to provide a number that connects to your individual business location. That number should be under the direct control of the business. They also say not to use numbers or URLs that redirect or refer people to landing pages.
A permanent, business controlled tracking number is a different thing from a temporary Google forwarding number. The forwarding number must never go on the profile. Our guide to call tracking for Google Ads explains the difference.
The edit help also allows up to 2 more numbers. You can hide the number there too.
Booking and ordering links can also appear from third party providers on their own. Google's Manage your local business links page shows how to set a preferred link. It also covers removing a provider's booking link. Providers must remove a link within 5 days of a removal request, the page says. Check those links whenever you change providers.
Write the description yourself
The edit help sets the rules for the description. Keep it to 750 characters at most, with no URLs or HTML. Focus on the business rather than promotions, prices or sales. Write it yourself first.
Google's Manage your Business Profile description page says AI descriptions are available in select regions and languages. They draw on your profile and other sources, such as your website. The page also says to review them for accuracy. Treat a suggestion as a draft to check, not copy to publish.
Generic claims are the usual problem. The fix is detail a customer can check.
We deliver outstanding solutions and unmatched excellence for every customer.
Name the services, the area you cover and what happens when someone books. Use claims you can back up.
A clear description helps people choose. It doesn't control the summaries Google writes about the business, though.
Keep the same facts everywhere
Make the website and the main directories say what the profile says. Local and retail facts include the name, address, phone number and hours. They have to be accurate and identical everywhere. That's because Google and AI answers draw on every place they appear.
You need the same facts, not the same punctuation. A true address matters more than whether every listing writes "St" or "Street".
When details change, correct the outdated listings. Don't publish a hidden home address somewhere new while you're at it. Our guide to local citations in Australia covers the directories that matter.
Photos, services, products and menus
Photos and product details help customers recognise the business and decide. They aren't a ranking lever with a known weight. No rule says you need 20 photos or a new one every week.
Use genuine, current images:
the outside of the premises, if customers visit
the inside
the team at work
equipment
products
finished jobs you have permission to show
Keep customers, their homes and their details out of frame. Never show a hidden home base. Don't use AI to create a job, a team or a shopfront that doesn't exist. Google's photo and video help page says the image should represent reality, without significant alterations or excessive filters.
Public media | Current technical guidance |
|---|---|
Photos | JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB. Recommended 720 by 720 pixels, minimum 250 by 250 |
Public videos | Up to 30 seconds, up to 75 MB, 720p or higher |
Verification video | A separate process with its own rules, covered in the verification section |
Uploads are reviewed first and can take 24 to 48 hours to show. Choosing a cover photo doesn't guarantee it shows first, either.
Services and products
List services with a plain description of what each one covers. Products are for physical goods. Google's About product editor page says the product editor suits a local store selling physical goods. It particularly suits one with no online checkout, no barcodes or no current stock data. The page sends businesses that sell services to the services editor instead.
So don't load services into products to get another spot on the page. Products must follow the shopping ads policy. If a Merchant Center account is linked to the profile, Edit products takes you to Merchant Center.
The edit help lists its in store products option for the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland. That option connects a shop's point of sale system to the Local Inventory app. A product on the profile isn't proof of live stock or a completed sale. Feeds, inventory and the online store itself belong in our guide to ecommerce SEO for Australian online stores.
Menus
Food and drink businesses get a menu tool. Google's About the menu editor page covers sections, items, descriptions, prices and a menu URL. Creating a menu from a photo is experimental. So review every item, price and dietary claim before it goes live.
Google may also transcribe menu data from your website or suggest items from another menu source. Where it finds several sources, your preferred menu is the public one. Allow 24 to 48 hours for changes to show. Updating a menu across several profiles at once needs the Business Profile API.
Under the representation guidelines, a menu URL can't link straight to a third party ordering or delivery service. Restaurants have more to juggle with bookings and hours. Our guide to local SEO for restaurants goes further.
What matters most depends on how customers buy. These three are examples, not client results.
A professional services firm, like an accountant or a law practice, sits closer to the clinic. That means an office that genuinely qualifies. It also means a website that answers the questions people have before they call.
Posts, messaging and the contact journey
Use posts when there's genuine news, such as an event or an offer that's running. They don't replace accurate hours and services. Posting more often isn't a confirmed ranking switch, either.
Google's posts help page covers updates, offers and events. You can schedule a post or set it to repeat. You can also post to several profiles at once.
A post shows as Pending while Google reviews it against its content policy. Then it shows as Live or Not approved. One with a phone number in its description may be rejected if the number can't be verified. Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set.
Give every repeating post an end date and an owner. Otherwise a repeat will happily republish a cancelled event or an offer that's finished.
Messaging
The original chat feature ended in 2024. Google's Changes to Google Business Profile chat and call history page gives the detail. As of 31 July 2024, chat and call history are no longer available in your Business Profile.
Today's messaging options are separate and work differently. Google's Chat with customers from your Business Profile page covers them. Claimed and verified profiles can add a WhatsApp or text message option, in select regions. You'll find it under Edit profile, Contact, Chat.
You enter a WhatsApp click to chat URL or a number that can receive texts. If you add both, customers see only the text option. Messaging might not be available for your profile. So keep another working route either way.
Before you switch messaging on, decide who answers it, in which hours, and who covers when they're away.
Keep sensitive health, legal or financial details out of casual messages. Move them to a channel the business can secure. Explain how you handle contact details in your privacy policy. Our guide to privacy policy and website terms covers what that policy should include.
Test every route a customer can take
The profile is only as good as the routes behind it. Test them on a phone, the way a customer would.
Route | Test | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
Phone | Tap call on the public profile and check the right person answers | Fix the routing, or publish the number that really rings at that location |
Website or form | Follow the link on a phone and send a labelled test enquiry | Fix the page or the delivery, then send another test |
Booking | Pick the right branch and a real slot, then check the confirmation | Fix the provider or the availability, and offer another way to book |
Messaging | Send a message and time the reply | Turn it off until it's staffed, and keep a fallback |
The form route fails more often than owners expect. Across 100 website audits from May 2023 to September 2026, we sent labelled test enquiries. About 1 in 5 sites with an enquiry form failed the test. The request didn't reach the person who answers it within one business hour. A spam folder, a wrong notification address, a stopped integration and a queue nobody owned all count.
If the website is the problem, our guide to why your website is not converting covers the fix.
Record each failure and the date you fixed it. Then the next report makes sense. These are functional checks. Fixing a broken route is worth doing, even if it doesn't promise a measurable lift.
Request and manage genuine reviews
Ask every genuine customer the same way, with no reward, no rating request and no script. The full process sits in our guide to getting more Google reviews legally. Google's Manage customer reviews page says you can share a review request link or QR code.
Hi [first name], thanks for choosing [business].
If you'd like to share your experience, you can leave a Google review here: [review link]
It's completely optional.
That suits an ordinary business. Regulated health services need more care, covered at the end of this section.
Google Maps' prohibited and restricted content policy bans offering incentives in exchange for posting any review. That includes payment, discounts or free goods or services. The policy also rules out:
discouraging negative reviews
selectively asking happy customers
requiring or pressuring people to review while they're on the premises
asking for specific content
asking staff to gather reviews that name a staff member
setting staff a review quota
So don't ask for keywords, a suburb, a technician's name or five stars. A customer who chooses to leave a review while they're in the shop isn't breaking that rule. Pressure is.
Australian law runs alongside Google's policy. But the two aren't the same. The ACCC's Online reviews for product and services guidance covers the legal side. A business can't legally create fake or misleading reviews or arrange for others to do so. The guidance also says offering incentives for positive reviews risks misleading consumers and breaching the law.
If a business offers an incentive, the ACCC says it must apply to positive and negative reviews alike. It also has to be clearly disclosed. Google's policy bans incentives for any review. So meeting the ACCC's conditions doesn't make one acceptable on Google. The ACCC also warns that suppressing or editing negative reviews can mislead.
Reply to reviews calmly and factually, never disclosing a customer's private details. You have to verify the business before you can reply. Google's review management help says replies usually take up to 10 minutes to review. Sometimes it's up to 30 days. If a reply isn't approved, you'll be asked to edit it.
An unfamiliar display name isn't evidence of a fake review. Google's help page on public profile names lets people post Maps reviews under a custom name and picture. That option is currently limited to people contributing for the first time. Judge the review on its content, and flag it only when it breaks Google's policies. Flagging doesn't guarantee removal.
Reviews on your own website are worth showing, with a limit on what they earn in search. Reviews a business controls about itself aren't eligible for review stars on LocalBusiness or Organization markup. That includes embedded third party widgets. Product pages with genuine product reviews still are. Our guide to schema markup covers the detail.
Reviews and accurate details are also reputation evidence customers can see for themselves. Google's helpful content guidance says E-E-A-T itself isn't a specific ranking factor. Our guide to E-E-A-T for small business shows how that evidence fits together.
Regulated health services need a separate check. Ahpra's Testimonials: Understand the requirements says the National Law doesn't allow testimonials to advertise a regulated health service. It defines a testimonial as a recommendation or positive statement about the clinical aspects of the service. Ahpra warns that engaging with reviews on third party websites may count as using a testimonial to advertise.
So don't republish clinical reviews in your advertising, your website and social media included. Don't run a review campaign built around treatment outcomes, either. Our guide to SEO for medical practices covers the wider advertising rules.
What changed and what is available now
Business Profile features change often. Dates also get garbled as they pass from blog to blog. Here's what Google's own pages and announcements support as at October 2026.
Four dates explain most of the confusion.
Beyond the dates, here's where each feature stands and what to do about it.
Feature | Status in October 2026 | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Legacy chat and call history | Ended 31 July 2024 | Use the current messaging options, or another route |
Text and WhatsApp | For claimed, verified profiles in select regions | Check your own profile and keep a fallback |
Post controls | Scheduling, repeats and posting to several profiles are documented | Use them where your account shows them, with an end date on repeats |
AI descriptions | Select regions and languages | Treat a suggestion as a draft and check every fact |
Questions and answers API | Discontinued 3 November 2025 | Tools that relied on it can't use it any more |
Questions and answers on the profile | The edit help still lists it for select categories and regions | Answer what your dashboard shows, and keep the website's answers current |
Ask Maps | Announced for Australia in English on 7 August 2026 | Keep the facts it can draw on accurate. Nobody controls the answer |
Custom reviewer names | Documented, with limits on who can use them | Judge a review by its content, not the name |
Review rules and reply moderation | Current help covers solicitation rules and reply review times | Follow them as written, with no assumed start date |
The questions and answers change needs care. Google's deprecation schedule for the Business Profile APIs covers the API side. The questions and answers API ended on 3 November 2025. That date is about API access for third party tools, not what customers see.
The edit help still describes the feature for select categories and regions. So check what your own dashboard shows, rather than assuming it's everywhere or nowhere.
Ask Maps, built by bringing Gemini together with Maps, is the bigger shift. Google Australia's Ask Maps announcement of 7 August 2026 calls it Maps' biggest transformation in over a decade. The post says it's rolling out in Australia in English. It says nothing about how businesses appear in Ask Maps. You control the material it draws on, not the answer itself.
Google's page on AI features and your website covers AI Overviews and AI Mode. It says there are no additional requirements, special schema or AI text files needed to appear. It does list checking that Business Profile information is up to date as still worthwhile.
Your website is a source you control too. Put the durable answers there:
access
parking
booking
how you price
where you travel
what you don't do
Our guide to service page SEO covers the pages that carry them. Our guide to getting cited in Google AI search covers what you can and can't influence there. Any structured data has to match what the page shows. None of it guarantees a recommendation.
Treat each platform change as something to check, not a ranking update. Keep your own dated log of what changed on the profile and when.
Measure useful outcomes
The performance report counts views and taps. Customers are a different count. So read the definitions before you read the trend.
Google's help page on Business Profile performance defines each metric. Performance data is available only for verified profiles. Only the metrics that apply to your business appear.
Metric | What it counts, and what it doesn't |
|---|---|
Views | Unique visitors on Search and Maps. A person counts once a day, and a limited number of times across devices and platforms |
Searches | The terms people used to find the profile. Updated at the start of each month, and can take up to 5 days to show |
Calls | Taps on the call button. Not connected calls, answered calls or new customers |
Directions | Requests for directions, adjusted for repeat taps, cancellations and spam. Not arrivals |
Website clicks | Clicks on the website link. Not the same as analytics sessions or form enquiries |
Bookings and other actions | Only the metrics that apply to your profile, each with its own definition. Bookings need a booking provider |
Two details catch people out. Performance data includes views, searches and actions from both organic results and Google Ads. That means the report isn't a measure of free organic performance. And *** in a downloaded spreadsheet can mean the profile isn't enabled for downloads, the same page says.
Connect profile activity to real enquiries
Keep a deduplicated record of enquiries and bookings, with a written rule for what counts as qualified. Then tag the website link on the profile with campaign parameters. That lets analytics tell profile visits apart from other search traffic.
Google Analytics' URL builders page says utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign should always be used. It also says parameter values are case sensitive. So pick one spelling and stick to it.
Keep personal details out of the URL. Check that redirects and booking systems keep the tags. Even then, a tagged visit only counts people who clicked through to the website. It doesn't count the ones who called or came in. Our guide to GA4 for small business covers the reporting side.
An example month
Here's an example, not client data.
Call button clicks rose from 120 to 150, an increase of 25%. Over the same two months, deduplicated qualified enquiries went from 48 to 47, a fall of about 2.1%. The enquiries were counted the same way both times.
More taps on the call button didn't mean more customers. Before calling it growth, check:
who answered those calls
whether the same people tapped more than once
whether ads were running
what the enquiries were worth
Don't add calls, website clicks and directions together and call the total leads. One person can do all three. Judge the profile on completed bookings and sales, and on what they contribute. Our guide to how to measure SEO ROI explains how.
Keep your baselines. Note real changes on the dates they happened. That might be a new phone system or the start of an ad campaign. A dip with a dated cause is a lot easier to read than a dip with a theory.
We'll check who controls your Business Profile and whether the details customers see are right. We'll also check whether calls and enquiries reach someone. Then we'll tell you what we'd fix first.
Suspensions and changes to the business
Not every problem is a suspension. Each one has its own route. Work out which one you have before you act.
Problem | What you see | Route |
|---|---|---|
Edit not live | The change is pending or doesn't appear | Check it against the guidelines, then edit again or contact support |
Verification needed | A Get verified prompt, or a request to verify after an edit | Use the method Google offers |
Someone else owns it | Another account controls the verified profile | Request ownership |
Duplicate | Two profiles for one business | Use Google's duplicate profile help, and don't add another |
Suspended profile | A notice that the profile is suspended or disabled | Fix the cause, then appeal through the appeals tool |
Restricted Google Account | Every profile you manage is suspended | Appeal the account first, then the profile |
Google's Fix suspended or disabled profiles says Google may suspend or disable profiles that don't follow its guidelines. In the appeals tool you can add optional evidence, such as:
a business registration
a business licence
tax certificates
utility bills
The business name and address on them should match the profile. If the Google Account itself is restricted, appeal that on your My accounts page first.
Appeals can only be submitted once. So get the evidence together before you submit. If the appeal is denied, Google may be able to do an additional review. That review can use evidence you didn't send the first time.
The page is blunt about one thing: do not create a new Business Profile for the same business. Nobody can promise a reinstatement date. Slowly editing a profile that breaks the rules doesn't make it acceptable.
Relocation, rebranding, sale and closure
Real changes to the business need the profile to change with them. Check eligibility, ownership and every connected destination before you edit. Keep a dated log with screenshots of the public profile. Then confirm what customers see afterwards.
Business change | What to do |
|---|---|
Relocation | Update the address on the existing profile and verify again, which Google requires after a move. Then check the pin, website, directories and any linked ads |
Rebranding | Check the rebranding criteria in Google's guidelines. A name change that doesn't meet them counts as a new business, and you must mark the existing profile as closed |
Business sale | The previous owner adds the new owner, then transfers primary ownership. Check access, connected services and who is now responsible |
Temporary closure | Closed for more than 7 days, for the off season or indefinitely: mark it temporarily closed. For 7 days or less, set special hours |
Permanent closure | Mark it permanently closed. Removing your access doesn't remove the listing |
Google's Mark your business as closed page says the profile then shows as Temporarily closed or Permanently closed. It adds that a permanently closed business may still appear for people who search for it. Removing the profile from your account is a different thing. Google's Remove a Business Profile from your Google Account page covers that. It says the business might still show on Search and Maps afterwards.
After any material change, test the contact and booking routes again and check linked location assets. If Google or a user changes a detail incorrectly, correct it in the profile and note the date.
Multiple locations and Google Ads
Two or more real locations need a system, or the profiles drift apart. Start with one register that every branch is checked against.
Internal code: [a stable code for the branch]
Business Profile ID: [from the profile]
Address or service area: [the eligible address, or the areas served from a hidden base]
Owner and local contact: [the primary owner, and the person at the branch]
Website page: [the branch's own page]
Hours: [regular, special and more hours]
Verification state: [verified, pending or needs action]
Last checked: [date and person]
Google's business groups help page compares a group to a shared folder for your profiles. Once you have 2 or more profiles, you can create one. Anyone added to a group can access all current and future profiles in it. That's why Google suggests keeping each group to one business or brand.
Standardise the brand facts that are true everywhere. Protect the ones that differ. One easy mistake is a bulk edit that overwrites one branch's:
special hours
phone number
services
booking link
menu
Bulk management and bulk verification are different things. Google's Verify Business Profiles in bulk page sets the conditions. You need 10 or more profiles from the same business. Service area businesses don't qualify. Nor do agencies with more than one business in one account.
Duplicate, suspended or disabled profiles don't count towards the 10. Uploading a spreadsheet doesn't send a verification request, either. Never create locations to reach the minimum.
Practitioners and departments have their own rules in the representation guidelines. A practitioner can have a profile when they're in a public facing role. They also have to be contactable directly at the verified location during stated hours. Support staff shouldn't have one. Nor should a practitioner have several to cover their specialisations.
A solo practitioner in a branded practice shares one profile, named with the brand and then the practitioner. A public facing department that operates as a distinct entity should have its own profile. Such departments usually have their own entrance. Each of those profiles should have a different name and its own categories.
Linking the profile to Google Ads
Location assets let ads show details from a linked profile, like your address, a map and the distance. Google's About location assets page says a link request goes to the profile's email address for approval. The data comes directly from Google Maps and Business Profile. Updates can take up to a day to reach linked Google Ads accounts. Locations marked temporarily or permanently closed stop showing in ads.
Linking a profile doesn't configure a campaign's geography. A profile service area is a profile field, not a targeting setting. Linking guarantees neither an ad placement nor an organic Maps ranking. Ads don't buy a higher unpaid position either.
Don't connect every branch to a campaign that serves only some of them. Never publish a hidden home address to get a paid feature, either. Our guide to Google Ads assets covers which assets to run. Where ads show is in our guide to Google Ads location targeting.
The profile's performance report includes Google Ads activity. So use the Google Ads reports to separate the paid side.
Operating rhythm and first month plan
A profile stays accurate because someone checks it, not because Google rewards busywork. Give each step of the cycle a named owner.
Let events set the timing as much as the calendar. For example, you might take a weekly look at the public profile and review performance and access monthly. You'd also check immediately whenever hours, staff, contact details, availability or ownership change. That cadence is a suggestion, not a Google rule.
The triggers differ by business: a new crew member for a trade, a new practitioner for a clinic. For a restaurant, it's a public holiday. Post when there's something worth posting.
Here's the difference in an example comparison.
Neglected profile | Maintained profile |
|---|---|
An expired promotion still showing | A current offer with valid dates and working terms |
Wrong public holiday hours | Special hours set before each public holiday |
Outdated photos and a premises that's hard to recognise | Genuine, current photos customers can recognise |
Unstaffed messaging or a broken booking link | A tested contact route with a named person behind it |
Dashboard figures nobody can explain | Defined metrics, a dated change log and qualified outcomes |
If you're starting from scratch or taking a profile back, here's a sensible first month. Verification and appeals can run longer than a week. So treat these as work phases, not a promise that every profile is sorted in 30 days.
DAYS 1–7Eligibility, ownership and verification
Confirm the business qualifies, and which model fits
Find the existing profile and sort out primary ownership
Secure the Google Account and record who has access
Start the verification method Google offers
DAYS 8–14Details and contact routes
Correct the name, categories, hours, phone, website and service areas
Test every call, form, booking and message route on a phone
Fix what fails and log the date
DAYS 15–21Reviews and content
Set up a neutral review request for every genuine customer
Add genuine photos, plus products or a menu where they apply
DAYS 22–30Baseline and routine
Record a baseline of profile actions and qualified enquiries
Check the linked Google Ads, booking and website connections
Assign the weekly and monthly checks to named people
Check your local readiness
Finish with a quick check of where the profile and your local presence stand.
What we recommend at Elev8d
Start with ownership. Before we touch a category or a photo, we confirm the business holds primary ownership. It has to be in the business's own Google Account, with 2-Step Verification on. We also confirm there's a record of who has access. Whoever holds that key can undo everything else.
Then we fix the facts customers act on. Then we test every contact route on a phone, because a perfect profile that rings out is worthless. Reviews come next. Posts, products and menus come last, and only where they help customers decide.
Two situations change that order. If the profile is suspended, we fix the cause and appeal before anything else. If the business doesn't qualify, we say so and put the effort into the website instead.
We don't promise rankings or a timeline. Our guide to how long SEO takes to work explains why. We judge our local SEO work on qualified enquiries and bookings, not on views or call button clicks.
Bottom line Secure ownership, get the details right and test how customers reach you
FAQ
Can I have a Business Profile if I work from home?
Yes, if you meet customers in person. If you travel to them, set up as a service area business and hide the address. That keeps it off the profile.
If clients come to you, it's a storefront. The address shows publicly. Google also expects permanent signage and someone there to receive customers in your stated hours. Decide whether you're comfortable with your home address being public before you choose that.
Why can't I see a feature that other profiles have?
Many features depend on your region, language, category, account or verification status. Google's own pages say so for chat, AI descriptions, questions and answers and products.
Check that the profile is verified and that you're signed in as an owner or manager. Then check the feature suits your category. If it still isn't there, it probably isn't available to your profile yet. Don't change categories to get it.
Do I need an agency to manage my profile?
Not for the basics. Once the setup is right, the routine checks don't need specialist skills. Help earns its keep with ownership disputes, suspensions and several locations. It also earns its keep when the profile is one part of a wider local SEO plan.
If you hire someone, be wary of anyone who guarantees a top three position. The same goes for anyone who offers to buy reviews or wants to own the profile. Our guide to SEO red flags covers the warning signs.
Next steps
Check who owns your profile
Sign in, open the profile's settings and see who is listed as the primary owner. If it isn't an account the business controls, start the ownership request today.
Test the profile like a customer
On your phone, find the business in Maps. Then tap call, tap the website link and try a booking. Fix anything that fails, then test it again.
