When someone searches “hairdresser near me” or “dentist in Kadıköy” on their phone, the top of the results is usually a map with a handful of businesses under it. The first requirement for appearing in that list is a Google Business Profile.
What is a Google Business Profile?
It is the free listing for your business that appears in Google Search and Google Maps: your name, address, phone, opening hours, photos and customer reviews. Most customers see this listing before they ever visit your website, so it is often your first impression.
Setting it up, step by step
Google changes its screens and steps from time to time. The order below is the general flow; some steps may look different for you.
- Sign in with a Google account you will keep for the business. You can add other managers later.
- Go to business.google.com and add your business. Search first to see whether a listing already exists; if it does, claim it instead of creating a new one.
- Use your real business name. Don’t add keywords to it. That breaks Google’s guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- Choose the most specific category. The primary category strongly affects which searches you appear in.
- Add a location or a service area. If customers come to you, add your address. If you go to them, hide the address and list the districts you serve.
- Add your phone number and website, exactly as they appear on your site.
- Verify the profile. Methods vary by business: phone, email, a short video or a postcard code. Unverified profiles don’t show fully in search.
Then complete it
- Keep opening hours current, including holidays.
- Add real photos: outside, inside, your team and your work.
- Fill in services and products; that’s where customers’ search words usually live.
- Write a plain description of what you do and where.
- Reply to reviews, the negative ones too.
Four common mistakes
- Inconsistent details between the profile, your website and other platforms.
- Duplicate profiles for the same business.
- Set and forget: outdated hours, a closed branch, unanswered reviews.
- A category that is too general.
A Business Profile is the foundation of local visibility, but it works best with a website that tells the same story clearly. See What is local SEO?.