Google Business Profile for SEO

How your Google Business Profile affects your local search rankings and what to do to optimize it.

Your Google Business Profile is one of the most powerful free tools available for local SEO. It's the listing that appears when someone searches for your business name, or when your business shows up in the Google Maps results.

Getting it right can dramatically improve how many people find you through local searches.

Quick summary

A complete, accurate, active Google Business Profile is the foundation of local SEO. Claim and verify your profile, fill in every field, add photos, choose the right categories, and reply to reviews. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and how well known your business is — and that there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile (previously called Google My Business) is a free service from Google that lets you manage how your business appears in Google Search and Google Maps.

When someone searches "dentist in Chicago" or "coffee shop near me," the businesses that appear in the map section at the top of results are there because of their Google Business Profiles.

Why it matters for SEO

Your Google Business Profile affects the local results — the map and business listings that Google shows for searches with a local intent, which the SEO world usually calls the local pack or map pack. Those results work separately from your website's organic SEO. A business with a modest website but an excellent profile can still do well in the local results, and a strong website on its own won't put you there.

Google names three factors behind local results:

Relevance — how well your profile matches what someone searched for
Distance — how far you are from the person searching (or from where Google thinks they are)
Prominence, which Google's page also calls popularity — how well known your business is, which it says is partly based on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have

How to optimize your profile

Claim and verify your profile. Search for your business on Google. If a profile exists but isn't claimed, use the "Claim this business" (or "Own this business") button. Then verify it. Google decides which verification methods you're offered — phone or text, email, a video recording, a live video call, or a postcard by mail — and you can't pick one yourself. Verification matters: Google says it "tells Google that you're authorized to represent the business, so it's more likely to show up in search results".

Fill in every field completely. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local search results. Complete all of these: business name, address or service area, phone number, website URL, hours (including special hours for holidays), business description, and opening date.

Choose your categories carefully. Pick the category that best matches what your business does. If you list several, the first one is your primary category, and you can add up to nine more. Google's guidance is to choose a specific category for your main business and not to use categories as keywords or to describe features.

Add high-quality photos and videos. Photos show customers what you offer. Google notes that an exterior photo helps customers recognize your business when they arrive. Add your logo, a cover photo, photos of your premises or work, and team photos. Keep them updated.

Write a strong business description. Google's limit is 750 characters, and it asks you not to include URLs or HTML. Describe what you offer, what makes you special, and how long you've been in business. Keep the focus on the business rather than promotions or prices. Don't stuff keywords.

Add your menu, services or in-store products. These editors are only available for some business types and regions, so check what your profile offers. Where they are available, they give Google more detail about what you sell.

Post updates regularly. Use the updates in your profile to share news, offers, and events. Google doesn't list posting among its local ranking factors, but posts are shown to people looking at your profile, so they're worth the few minutes they take.

Reply to reviews, and make the replies count. Google's own advice is not to send the same "thank you" to everyone, but to focus on reviews where you can share a helpful update or answer a question. Reply to negative reviews professionally and constructively. Google says positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out.

Getting more reviews

Reviews feed into prominence, one of the three factors behind local results. Google puts it simply: "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking."

To get more reviews:

Ask satisfied customers directly, in person or by email
Create a review link or QR code from your Business Profile and share it — Google's suggestion is to ask customers to visit a link or scan a code
Add a "Leave us a Google review" link to your email signature or website

Google also asks you to value all reviews, not just the good ones: "A mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy."

Never offer incentives for reviews

Google's wording is unambiguous: "Offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for customers to post reviews, change reviews, or remove negative reviews is considered fake & misleading content and is strictly prohibited." Just ask — most happy customers are willing to help.

Keeping your profile accurate

Out-of-date information frustrates customers, and Google warns that if your business information isn't accurate, your profile "might not show up for relevant searches in your area".

Update your profile whenever:

Your hours change (including special holiday hours)
You move or open a new location
Your phone number changes
You add or discontinue services

One caution: Google says that if you change your business name after your profile is verified you might have to verify it again — and if you move the business to a new address, you must verify it again.

Common questions

My business has no physical address. Can I still have a profile?

Yes. If you don't meet customers at your business address, Google lets you choose not to show it, and you set a service area instead — based on the cities, zip codes or other places you serve. This works well for tradespeople, consultants, and delivery services.

Someone else claimed my business profile by mistake. What do I do?

You request ownership from the current owner rather than going to support. For a business with a storefront, you go to business.google.com/add, enter your business name and address, pick your business from the list, then select Request Access and fill out the form. The current owner is emailed and has 3 days to respond; if they don't, you may get the option to claim the profile yourself. (Service-area businesses without a storefront have to contact Google instead.) We can help you navigate it.

Do I need a Google Business Profile if I have a good website?

Yes. Local results are built from Business Profiles, not from websites, so no amount of website SEO puts you in the map results on its own. An unverified profile for your business may already exist without you having created it, which is exactly why you want to claim and verify yours and control what it says.

I got a negative review that isn't true. Can I remove it?

If you believe a review breaks Google's content policies, you can flag it and Google will review it. There's no way to remove a review just for being negative. For honest negative reviews, even unfair ones, responding professionally is usually the best approach — Google points out that negative reviews aren't necessarily a sign of poor business practices, and that a constructive reply may even prompt the customer to update theirs.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.