Guide · Local visibility
Google Business Profile: set it up, verify it and keep it in shape.
Search Google for a business nearby and you often see a map with a few listings first – above the regular results. Whether your business appears there depends heavily on your Google Business Profile. This guide shows how to set it up, which details matter and how to collect reviews within the rules.
- Explained step by step
- Reviews within Google's rules
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Last updated: October 2026
What the profile is – and why it matters locally.
Your Google Business Profile (formerly “Google My Business”) is your business listing in Google Search and Google Maps: name, address or service area, phone number, opening hours, photos, reviews and a link to your website. Creating and maintaining it is free.
For local searches – “electrician Regensburg” or “bakery near me” – Google often shows a map section with a few selected businesses, known in SEO as the “local pack”. Listed businesses often get calls without anyone opening their website.
According to Google, which businesses appear depends mainly on relevance (does the profile match the search?), distance (how close is the business?) and prominence (for example through reviews and links from other websites). Distance is fixed; relevance and prominence are not. According to Google's help article on local ranking, a better position cannot be bought.
Create or claim your profile – step by step.
First check whether your business already exists on Google. A second profile for the same business creates confusion rather than visibility.
- Search: Enter your business name and town in Google Maps. You can claim an unverified listing right there. If someone else – a former employee or an agency – has already verified it, request ownership through Google.
- Create: If there is no listing yet, start at business.google.com/add with your name, primary category, address or service area, phone number and website. Use a Google account that belongs to the business.
- Verify: Google decides which method you are offered – for example phone, text message, email, a recorded video or a live video call. A video usually shows the location, equipment and proof of access – a sign, tools, keys. According to Google, the review takes up to five business days, rarely longer.
- Complete: According to Google, verified profiles are more likely to appear in results, and only then can you reply to reviews.
Important: you should be the owner of the profile yourself. Add service providers – Southframe included – as users you can remove at any time. The official steps are in Google's help article on creating and claiming a profile.
The details that really matter.
Name: Exactly as your business is called on the door and on your website. Additions like “Huber Painters – cheap & fast in Regensburg” break Google's guidelines and can lead to suspension.
Primary category: It describes what your business is, not everything it offers. Choose the most specific one that fits – “roofing contractor” rather than “construction company”. Google advises using as few additional categories as necessary.
Services and description: Use your customers' words – “window replacement” rather than “building component installation”. The description says in a few sentences what you do, for whom and where.
Address or service area: If customers visit you, show the address. If you travel to them, remove the address and set a service area of towns, postcodes or regions: up to 20 areas, no radius, no further than about two hours' drive from your base. Both can be combined. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not allowed.
Opening hours: Regular hours plus special hours for public holidays and vacations. If you work by appointment only, Google says to leave them out.
Photos: Real pictures instead of stock photos – outside, inside, team, finished work.
Website link: Your own website showing the same details; for multiple locations, the relevant location page. It should load quickly and work on mobile – people coming from Google Maps are often on the move.
NAP consistency: the same data everywhere.
NAP stands for name, address, phone. These should be identical everywhere: in your profile, legal notice and contact page, in directories, on social media and on invoices.
Google compiles business information from several sources. If the details contradict each other – an old address in a directory, a different number on Facebook, “Ltd” sometimes included, sometimes not – the listings are harder to attribute to your business. And customers may end up calling an outdated number.
- Decide on one official spelling, based on the business name in your legal notice
- Give a number that reaches you directly – Google recommends local numbers over central call centres
- Keep all listings in one list so none is forgotten after a move
- Report duplicate or outdated profiles to Google
Local visibility does not end with the profile: your website and listings have to match it. How Southframe approaches this is on the SEO & GEO page. The free website check shows whether your website has the basics in place.
Reviews: ask fairly, reply calmly.
According to Google, the number and rating of reviews count towards prominence – and customers often use them to choose between similar providers.
Asking: Ask all customers for a review, not just the happy ones. Google provides a link and a QR code for this – suitable for a follow-up email, an invoice or the counter. Ask soon after the job is done.
Google's policies prohibit, among other things:
- bought reviews
- incentives such as discounts or vouchers in exchange for a review
- reviews by employees or others with a conflict of interest
- asking only satisfied customers or discouraging negative reviews
- pressuring customers to leave a review on your premises
Google removes such reviews, and violations can lead to further action against the profile.
Replying: Reply to reviews, including short ones. With criticism: stay factual, say thank you, offer a solution. Don't mention customer data – the reply is public, and the GDPR applies here too. If a review breaks the policies, for example with insults, you can report it; Google decides whether it is removed.
Posts, upkeep and common mistakes.
With posts you publish news, offers or events directly in your profile, with text, a photo or a video – company holidays or a new service, for example. This shows people that the business is active.
Check your profile regularly: Google and other users can suggest changes. Once a quarter is often enough – check the details, add photos, enter holiday hours. Common mistakes:
- search terms or place names in the business name
- a primary category that is too general
- a visible private address even though no customers come there
- outdated opening hours on public holidays
- duplicate profiles after a move or name change
- a profile in an agency's account that you cannot access
- unanswered criticism
Frequently asked questions.
Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. Creating, verifying and maintaining it is free. Ads via Google Ads are a separate product – according to Google, a better position in the unpaid local results cannot be bought.
I travel to my customers – does my address have to appear in the profile?
No. If you don't receive customers at your address, remove it and set a service area instead. Google usually still asks for the address for verification, but it is not shown publicly.
How long does verification take?
It depends on the method Google offers. Phone, text or email are usually quick; if Google reviews a video, it can take up to five business days, rarely longer.
Am I allowed to ask customers for a review?
Yes. Ask all customers, offer nothing in return and don't influence the content or the star rating. Asking only satisfied customers breaks Google's policies.
Does a Business Profile replace my own website?
No. The profile lives on Google's platform, which Google controls. Your website belongs to you, explains your services in detail and is where your profile links to. The two complement each other.
Want to be found more easily in your region?
Tell me briefly where your business stands – I'll review your website and Business Profile together and give you an honest assessment in a personal conversation.
