A Google Business Profile is the box with a business's name, map pin, photos, hours, phone number and reviews that appears on Google Maps and in Google Search. It is free, it works even without a website, and for a nearby customer it is often the first thing they see. Setting up and maintaining profiles is a simple, valuable service for shops, guest houses, clinics, schools and churches, and it appears in both Google's free Skillshop training and the DMP cohort.
Setting up a profile
You can create a profile from Google Maps or Google's Business Profile pages. The main fields are:
- Business name. The real name the business uses on its signboard. Do not stuff extra keywords into it, such as "Best Cheap Tailor Tamale". That breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- Category. The main type of business, such as "Tailor" or "Guest house". Choose the most accurate one.
- Location or service area. A shop customers visit gets an exact map pin. A business that travels to customers, like a plumber, can show a service area instead of a home address.
- Hours. Including special hours for holidays.
- Phone number and website or social link. A WhatsApp number works if that is how the business takes orders.
- Photos. The outside so people can recognise it, the inside, products and staff (with permission).
Google then asks the owner to verify that they really run the business. The methods vary by country and change over time, so follow the steps Google shows.