Google Business Profile 101: How to get more clicks and customers

How Google Surfaces Local Businesses (in 60 seconds)

Google ranks local businesses using three core signals.

• Relevance: Your profile must clearly match what the searcher wants.
• Distance: Google prioritises businesses closest to the searcher.
• Prominence: Strong reviews, activity, and brand awareness help you rise.

Having a good grasp of these signals gives you the roadmap you need for successful optimisation.

Google Business Profile 101: How to get more clicks and customers

What is Google Business Profile (Formerly Google My Business)?

Businesses looking to attract new customers used to rely on local word-of-mouth and traditional marketing strategies. While flashy storefronts and old-school mailers may have once enticed customers to purchase products and services, modern customers have now shifted their attention to your business’s digital presence and online reputation.

When your customers want to find local proprietors to do business with, they turn to search engines first—and nearly 90 percent of all search engine traffic goes through Google. Every day, Google’s “spiders” are crawling the web looking for the most relevant businesses to display at the top of their results page. Since the first three listings of a Google search get 60 percent of the clicks, earning a top spot on the first page of Google’s search results almost guarantees a swarm of new business. As the main starting point for millions of customers around the world, it’s more important than ever that business owners play ball with the all-powerful search engine.

But how does a business ensure Google positions its listing in this most profitable real estate? One of the leading factors is a handy tool called Google Business Profile. When someone in your area searches for a local service, such as “pizza in Melbourne , VIC,” Google quickly weighs all of the information it knows about those search terms—and voila! A perfectly curated list of businesses meeting those requirements appears on the customer’s screen.

Customers can quickly check out photos, see business hours, view each parlor’s star ratings, read reviews, and ultimately decide if that’s where they’ll order their Friday evening pizza. Google Business Profiles are a powerful way to increase your search engine visibility and reach new customers looking for businesses just like yours.

A well-optimised Google Business Profile also boosts the reputation of your business by leveraging the power of online reviews. Almost as important as a cosy slot in Google’s top three search results are the quantity and quality of customer reviews. Since 84 percent of people trust online reviews just as much as the word of a friend, a listing packed with 5-star ratings and glowing feedback is one of the cornerstones of a solid search engine strategy.

The takeaway? An optimised web presence on popular platforms like Google Business Profile is the digital equivalent of a well-dressed storefront, encouraging customers to come in and learn more about your products. Similarly, a business without a search engine strategy is the equivalent of a dark, seemingly boarded up shop—deterring business and warding off new customers.

This guide outlines everything you need to know about Google Business Profile—and how you can harness its unparalleled strength to generate more website traffic, bolster your reputation, and kick off a new day of explosive growth in your business.

How to Claim Your Google Business Profile (If it Already Exists)

You no longer need a separate management dashboard. Google lets you claim, edit, and maintain your Business Profile directly within Search, which keeps everything in one familiar place.

• Start by searching your exact business name on Google. If the listing already exists, you should see a prompt to manage or claim it to confirm Google has recognised your business.
• Select Edit profile and review every field for better accuracy. Update your business name, category, address, phone number, website, and service area so they match up to your real-world details and marketing materials.
• Request verification once your information is correct. Google will list some available options such as phone, email, or postcard, depending on your business type and history. Make sure to follow the instructions closely to avoid any unwanted setbacks.
• Some businesses may be asked to complete a short video verification or use live support. This is just another way that Google confirms ownership and prevents fraudulent listings, Be prepared to show signage, equipment, or your location.
• After Google approves your verification, management becomes ongoing and simple. You can update hours, add photos, respond to reviews, publish posts, and track performance all from from Search or Maps.

The Anatomy of Your Profile (What to Set First)

The overview header provides a quick snapshot of your business, highlighting the details most important for potential customers. This information should be clear, concise, and most importantly; accurate. Here are the necessary components of your overview header.

• Name, Category, and Service Area: Use your exact legal or trading name, choose the most accurate primary category before adding in secondary ones, and make sure to set a realistic service area that reflects where you actually service. Stay clear of keyword stuffing because it damages trust and can even trigger Google policy issues.
• Hours and Special Hours: Publish accurate trading hours, update temporary closures immediately, and add in your public holiday hours early so there’s no locked doors or outdated information.
• Attributes: Select only attributes that genuinely apply to your business. Prioritise impactful options such as wheelchair access, delivery, outdoor seating, free parking, women-led, or appointment required. These help customers filter results and build an extra layer of confidence.
• Products and Services: Use Products for visual cards, photos, pricing, and clicks, and use Services if you provide professional or trade offerings. Keep names and descriptions consistent with your website so people know they are in the right place.
• Photos and Videos: Upload clear interior, exterior, team, and product shots along with a strong cover photo and logo. Add new photos or short videos monthly to signal activity. Avoid stock imagery because customers want to see the real business.
• Posts: Share updates, offers, events, or helpful reminders using short, relevant captions and a clear CTA like Call, Book, or Learn more. Posting weekly or fortnightly keeps your profile active without overwhelming your audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) are an important part of your Google Business Profile. You can add up to 10 FAQs that customers can view in order to get answers to common questions. Once you have added at least one FAQ, a Questions & Answers tab will appear on your profile page where people can ask and answer questions about your business/services. You can respond to customer’s questions directly or provide helpful resources or suggestions as a response. This feature helps your customers get the information they need quickly when they look your business up online.

Google Business Profile Dashboard (What You See)

Your Google Business Profile dashboard is your main control centre. It allows you to control how Google displays your business information across the web. It’s important to familiarise yourself with the ins-and-outs of the dashboard so you can always keep your listing up-to-date and packed with interesting content that drives new business.

Home

This is the central hub of everything related to your Google Business Profile. It’s how you can keep your information updated, publish exciting posts to your listing, view analytics, or manage the administrative inner workings of your account.

Posts

Imagery, video, and text posts are the best way to directly communicate exciting news and timely promotions with local customers. A well-curated Posts section shows browsers that you’re an active, bustling business, and you can select from a variety of post types like basic updates, events, or offers. By sharing an inside look into your business, posts are a great way to boost credibility and trust.

On the Home screen of your Google Business Profile, tap “Post +.” You can then select the type of post you’re interested in creating. You have up to 1,500 characters to tell your story, but Google suggests sticking to a 150-300 character range. Images must have a minimum resolution of 400px wide by 300px tall, while the maximum upload size for a video is 100 MB. Pair your post update with a call-to-action button like “Buy,” “Learn more,” “Book Now,” or “Visit.” Posts will remain readily accessible in your Knowledge Panel for 7 days.

What’s New

Updates are like micro blog posts attached to your Google Business Profile. Have a new product or service to announce? Did your team recently receive a local award or recognition? Have just a few slots left for an upcoming training session? Here’s where you can showcase your latest news.

Offers

Offers are posts featuring an exclusive, time-sensitive promotion, discount, or sale. Offers must have a start and end date, so this is not the ideal post type for an open-ended deal.

Events

Events require a start and end date, as well as a timeframe. If you do not select a timeframe, it will display as an all-day event.

Information: Add/Edit Customer-Facing Information for your Business Profile

Looking to update information about your business? In the Info tab, you’re able to edit key information like your address, business hours of operation, phone number, website address, business description, and more. There are also a few helpful tools in the Info and Settings tabs to make sure you’re getting the most out of your Google Business Profile experience.

Labels

Labels are an easy internal way to organise multiple locations into groups. You can give each location a unique identifier that can group locations regionally or by any other tag deemed necessary by your company. That way, you can

Add Photos or Other Multimedia to your listings

Use the Photos section to create a vibrant ecosystem of imagery within your Google Business Profile. Publish welcoming photos of your staff, delicious snaps of mouth-watering menu options, interior shots of your location, and different approach angles so customers know what to expect if they’re driving or walking for a visit. For every photo you share, you’ll be able to check out its total number of views so you know what type performs best for your audience.
Bear in mind that your Knowledge Panel may populate with user-generated photos, so you want to use the Photo tab to monitor any newly posted images. Although you cannot remove these photos, you can flag a photo for review if you feel it is inaccurate or inappropriate.
Since images in your posts section are square, a 1:1 ratio is best. Ideally, Google suggests you use JPG or PNG files that are 720 px tall by 720 px wide. Click the Photos tab to add them to your listing.

Cover Photo

Your cover photo is a photo that showcases the best of your business. Bear in mind adding a cover photo does not guarantee top placement, and may sometimes rotate out for images deemed more popular. To add one, click Photos in the left-hand menu. In the Overview section, you can select a logo photo or a cover photo. The recommended size for a cover photo is 1080 px wide by 608 px tall.
Icon/Logo
Your icon or logo serves as your avatar. When you publish new posts or respond to customer reviews, this image will populate beside your remarks. Similar to other photos within your listing, these display as square images, so Google recommends images you use images that are 720 px wide by 720 px tall.

Videos

Your listing can also include other multimedia like videos. It’s estimated that one minute of video is equivalent to 1.8 million words of text, so videos are a quick way to highlight the fun and exciting aspects of your business. Google Business Profile videos can be up to 30 seconds long and 100 MB in size. Using short “sizzle reel,” videos are a great way to show your business in action to potential customers. Show customers a behind-the-scenes peek at how you do business, introduce them to your team, or use videos as a portfolio to showcase renovation projects or cake making. Easily upload videos via the Photos tab, and select the type of multimedia you’d like to add.

Bookings

For certain businesses, Google provides the opportunity to manage bookings from your Google Business Profile dashboard. Google integrates with many popular reservation platforms, making it easy to link your current system with your Google Business Profile. You can manage your integrations in the Bookings tab.

Services

In the Info tab, there is a powerful feature for service-based businesses, appropriately called Services. Perfect for businesses like lawyers, music instructors, or pest control specialists, this tool allows you to add a brief summary of your offerings. You can create a category of services, like “Guitar Lessons” and add various products or tiers like “30-Minute Instructional Session” and “1-Hour Instructional Session.” Paired with each service, you can provide pricing and a 1,000 character description.

Users

In the User tab, you can invite fellow employees to become administrators of your listing. There are three types of administrative roles available: Owner, Manager, and Site Manager. An Owner has full control, including the ability to remove business profiles and manage the capabilities of other users. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Site Manager is a smaller role primarily for publishing posts and editing main information. Before assigning new roles, familiarise yourself with each of their corresponding functionalities.

More Tools in Google Business Profile dashboard

There are even more tools available in the Google Business Profile dashboard, packed with many features to supercharge your search engine visibility strategy. The tools below make it easy to work alongside agencies who might manage some components of your digital ad plan.

Locations

Locations are easy ways for

Prominence is the third-largest factor influencing local SEO. This measures how important or interesting your business appears to be. How do search engines determine interest level? A listing that is a bustling hub of fresh posts, recent promotions, and upcoming events signal importance to search engines. Similarly, a wealth of beaming 5-star reviews tells Google that it’s a flourishing business that provides a stellar experience to local guests.

Watch Demo

Is your business behind the 8-ball when it comes to establishing a strong web presence? Many small business owners view website design and launch as a daunting, expensive process. But, your website is one of the most powerful ways to connect with potential customers. To arm small business owners with the tools they need to build a strong web presence, Google Business Profile offers complimentary website design tools. You can easily create a well-designed, mobile-ready website for free.

Review Links

Studies show that the average customer reads 10 reviews before deciding they can trust a business. Not only does a trove of high-quality testimonials bring more customers to your site or store, but it’s an important factor when it comes to determining search engine rank. It’s important to take a proactive approach when it comes to collecting positive feedback from satisfied customers.

Google Business Profile makes the process painless by offering a quick one-click link you can distribute to your customer base. In your dashboard, click “Get more reviews.” Google will generate a link that you can copy and paste. Here are just a few strategies you can use to promote your reviews link on your Google Business Profile.

Email Your Review Link in a Thank You Email

Do you send thank you emails after each visit or purchase? Update your automated email script with your Google Business Profile review link. In just a couple of clicks, customers can submit shining 5-star testimonials that will steadily improve your search ranking.

Share on Social Media

Once a month, share a reminder for your fans and followers to rave about their latest experience with you. Whether you prefer Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, encourage customers to share positive feedback and photos from their most recent visit.

Use a Platform Like Podium

Requesting reviews one-by-one can be a drain on your current resources. By partnering with a platform like Podium, you can automate the process by sending out immediate post-purchase review requests. Even better, Podium offers a variety of drag-and-drop templates and pre-written wording so you can rack up reviews effortlessly.

Communication Benefits

Google Business Profile also provides a host of exciting ways to connect with customers. While businesses used to rely on incoming phone calls and walk-ins to schedule appointments or answer customer service questions, these methods are dwindling in popularity. Customers are no longer willing to wait days for a reply—they demand convenience. Google Business Profile offers two free tools to enable your business to push to the forefront of this important trend.

Messaging

One of the least used apps on smartphones is, believe it or not, the actual phone app. In one surprising study, less than 50 percent of smartphone users reported using their phone to make a call over the previous seven days. While outbound calls rapidly decrease in number, text messaging is on a wild rise. In fact, people are sending 7700% more text messages than they were ten years ago.

So why are companies still reliant on technologies customers no longer use? Google Business Profile makes it easier than ever for you to kick outdated technology to the curb. Using the Messaging capability within the Google Business Profile app, you can easily add a “Message” button to your mobile listing. This allows customers to communicate with you via text message in just one click. Instead of sending customers to cumbersome Contact Us pages or on a search through customer service phone numbers, they can reach out to your business right in the window they found it in.

Booking Services and Appointments

Customers are also unwilling to wait for days or weeks to schedule appointments. They want to see what time blocks are available and easily make a booking without adding extra steps to their to-do list. Using the Bookings tool, you can link your preferred scheduling provider with your Google Business Profile to accept on-demand appointments with ease.

Respond to reviews

Responding to reviews is a great way to boost your credibility and show customers that you care about the service they receive. You should respond to positive, neutral, and negative reviews. Be sure to address the customer by name, thank them for their feedback, and then respond in an appropriate manner depending on the content of their review.

Management Benefits

Juggling the needs of multiple locations puts significant strain on a small business team. One of the top management benefits of Google Business Profile is a large suite of tools for managing multiple locations. Using robust batching tools, you can create listings for different neighbourhoods and make sweeping, cross-location updates with the click of a button.

Make it Easy for Customers to Review You

Create your official Google review link inside your Business Profile.

• Share it in email signatures, text messages, and digital receipts.
• Respond to every review to show care and encourage more feedback.
• Never offer incentives. Google policies require genuine, voluntary reviews.

Audit and Improve (Quick Final Checklist)

Weekly: Check for Google edits, new reviews, and Q&A activity. Reply promptly and correct any inaccurate information.

Monthly: Post an update, then add three to five new photos or videos. Make sure to also review categories, attributes, and contact details for accuracy.

Quarterly: Refresh your services or products and update hours for seasonal changes or peak periods. Remember to check over performance insights and adjust strategy.

Google Business Profile FAQs

• What is the difference between Google Business Profile and Google My Business?

Google Business Profile is the new name for what was formerly known as Google My Business.

• Is a Business Profile on Google free?

Yes, creating a Google Business Profile is totally free.