How to optimise your Google Business profile step by step

How to optimise your Google Business profile step by step

When someone searches for your business — or for what your business does in your area — your Google Business profile is often the first thing they see. Before your website. Before your social media. Before any marketing you've invested in.

And yet most small businesses have a profile that's either incomplete, outdated, or set up once and forgotten. Here's how to fix that.

Step 1: Claim and verify your profile

Go to business.google.com, search for your business and follow the verification process. Google will typically send a verification code by postcard, phone or email. If your business is already listed but unclaimed, do it — anyone could theoretically edit it.

Step 2: Complete every field — without exception

• Business name: exactly as it appears on your official documentation. No keyword stuffing.

• Category: your primary category is the most important field. Choose the most specific one that accurately describes your main business.

• Address or service area: precise address for physical locations, service area for service businesses.

• Phone and website: use a local number where possible. Link to your main site or a dedicated local landing page.

• Hours: accurate and updated — including holiday hours. Nothing frustrates a potential client more than arriving when you're closed.

• Description: 750 characters. Use natural language, include your main keywords, focus on what clients care about.

Step 3: Add photos — properly

• Cover photo: professional, on-brand, representative of your actual business.

• Logo: upload as profile photo so your brand is immediately recognisable.

• Interior and exterior photos: for physical locations, people want to know what to expect before they arrive.

• Team photos: for service businesses, photos of real people doing the work build trust in a way stock imagery never does.

• Work or product photos: before-and-after, completed projects, products in context.

Step 4: Set up your services or products

Most businesses skip this. The Services section lets you list exactly what you offer, with descriptions. This helps Google match your profile to specific searches — and helps potential clients understand your offering before they visit your website.

Write service descriptions that speak to what the client gets: 'A clear diagnosis of what's working in your marketing and what isn't — with an action plan to fix it' converts better than 'Marketing audit.'

Step 5: Actively manage your reviews

Getting reviews

The most effective method: ask directly. After a positive interaction, send a direct link to your Google review page. Most happy clients will do it — they just don't think to unless asked.

Responding to reviews

Respond to every review. For positive reviews: a genuine, specific thank-you. For negative reviews: acknowledge, don't argue, offer to resolve offline. How you respond to a bad review often matters more to prospective clients than the bad review itself.

Step 6: Use Google Posts

Google Posts are short updates that appear directly on your profile in search results. Post at least once a week. Posts with a specific offer or call to action perform better than general updates. They expire after seven days, so keep them fresh.

Step 7: Monitor and answer the Q&A section

The Q&A section is publicly editable — anyone can add a question and anyone can answer. Monitor it and answer yourself. Proactively add questions and answers for things people most commonly ask: opening hours, pricing, what to expect. This reduces friction and saves your team time.

Step 8: Keep it updated

A Google Business profile isn't set-and-forget. Regular attention — updated hours, new photos, fresh posts, responses to new reviews — signals an active, engaged business. Google rewards it. And so do the people who find you.

Need help setting up or optimising your Google Business profile? That's one of our Quick Wins services ⬇️