Fill your Google Business Profile the right way
Start with these five steps to get your business profile working for you instead of against you.
Your Google Business Profile is a direct line to customers searching for what you do. But fill it in wrong and Google can suspend it or bury it in search results. The order matters. Start with the foundation—your business name, address, phone, and hours—then move to the details that help customers understand what sets you apart.
The five things to do first
1. Get your business name exactly right
Use the name customers see on your storefront, your website, your business cards, and your invoices. Nothing more, nothing less. Do not add your address, your service area, your category, or legal terms like LLC or Inc. If your sign says "Shelly's Coffee," that is what you enter. If your sign says "Shelly's Coffee, LLC" because that is literally what appears on your storefront and your business cards, you can include the LLC—but you must be ready to prove it with photos or documents.
Do not use special characters like % or $ or @ unless they actually appear on your real-world signage. Do not repeat your name in multiple languages or scripts, even if your storefront does. Google will reject it and may suspend your profile.
2. Enter your actual address or service area, not a mailbox
If you have a location customers visit, use that address. If you travel to customers—a roofer, a plumber, a fence company—you can list your office or central location as a service-area business. That address must be staffed during your stated hours and able to receive customers. You cannot use a P.O. box or a remote mailbox.
If you are a service-area business, you have the option to hide your address from customers so they see only your service area. For some businesses—those selling alcohol, cannabis, or weapons—a service-area profile without a storefront is not allowed.
If you have multiple locations with separate staff and separate service areas, you can create one profile for each location. Your service area should not extend more than about two hours of driving time from your base, though some businesses may justify larger areas.
3. List your actual business hours
Enter the hours customers can reach you or visit you. If your hours change by season, use your current seasonal hours. You can add special hours for holidays or events. If your business operates only by appointment or has wildly different hours for different services, do not list hours at all. If you have departments, each department gets its own profile with its own hours.
4. Pick the right category
Choose categories that describe what your business fundamentally is, not every service you provide or feature you offer. A salon is a salon. It does not need to also list "haircut provider" or "nail salon" unless those are truly what your business is. When you pick a specific category, Google automatically includes related general categories behind the scenes. Start with the most specific category that fits your business and stop there.
5. Write a business description that explains what you do
Use this field to tell customers what services or products you offer and what makes your business different. Be honest. Focus on what is relevant to your customers. Do not include your address, hours, or category here—those go in their own fields. Do not pad the description with information that has no connection to your business.
What to watch out for
Google rejects content that includes personal information, government IDs, financial details, or private contact information that is not your own business contact. You can list your business phone, email, and social media handles. You cannot ask customers to provide personal information in reviews or Q&A.
If Google rejects something you posted, it will tell you why. Read that reason carefully. Common rejections happen when people try to sneak keywords or addresses into the business name, or when they describe services the business does not actually offer.
The practical order
Start with your business name. Get that locked in first because everything else depends on it. Then add your address or service area and your hours. Then pick your category. Then write your description. This order ensures you have the foundation in place before you add the details. Once those five pieces are solid, your profile is far less likely to be rejected or suspended, and customers are far more likely to find you.
Sources
- Edit your Business Profile - Google Business Profile Help
They did the reporting. The writing and the opinions here are ours.
Questions people ask about this
Can I put my address in my business name?
No. Your address goes in the address field. Your business name should be only the name customers know you by. Adding your address, service area, or category to your name will get your profile rejected or suspended.
What if my business name has special characters or LLC in it?
Only if those characters or terms actually appear on your storefront, business cards, website, or invoices. You must be able to prove it with photos or documents. Otherwise, leave them out.
Can I use a P.O. box for my business address?
No. Use your actual storefront address or, if you are a service-area business, your staffed office location. P.O. boxes and remote mailboxes are not allowed.
What if my business has different hours for different services?
Do not list hours at all if they vary significantly. Businesses that operate by appointment or offer services with different schedules should leave the hours field blank.
Should I list every service my business offers as a category?
No. Pick the most specific category that describes what your business fundamentally is, not everything it offers or has. Google will add related categories automatically.
Can I ask customers to provide their phone number in a review?
No. You cannot solicit personal information from customers in reviews, Q&A, or anywhere else on your profile. You can provide your own business contact information.
This piece is about Edit your Business Profile, published by Google Business Profile Help. Go read the original; the opinions here are ours and the reporting is theirs.
