Google Business Profile checklist: help customers find you
Someone looking for a place nearby usually checks Google first. If your profile is incomplete, a customer may pick another business. Tick the list: see how ready your profile is and what the most important next step is, at a glance.
The boxes you tick are kept only in this device’s browser and are not sent to our servers. They reset if you clear browser data or use another device.
Your most important next steps
You have completed every item. Look at this list again once a month.
This percentage is not a score from Google; it shows how many items on this list you have completed.
The basics first
Google says verified businesses are more likely to appear in search results.
How do I do it?
Open your profile at business.google.com and press “Verify”. Google offers a method that fits your business, such as phone, email, a camera-based check or a postcard.
Google recommends choosing the business type accurately; it decides how you match searches.
How do I do it?
In Edit profile, start typing in the category field and Google suggests options. Make the one that describes your work most closely the main category; add extra categories if needed.
If customers can visit you, add the full address; if you go to customers, add the areas you serve.
How do I do it?
Write the address exactly as on your sign. If you travel to customers, add your service area.
Customers can call straight from the profile; a wrong or unanswered number loses them.
How do I do it?
Check the number. If you do not take calls outside opening hours, make sure the hours are right.
Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to be shown; a customer who arrives while you are closed is lost.
How do I do it?
Enter the weekly hours. Add “special hours” for holidays, and update them the moment your hours change.
Make it easy to choose you
A customer can go from the profile straight to your booking page. Google says websites linked from the profile contribute to how well known a business is.
How do I do it?
Write your booking page or website address in the “Website” field. If a “Booking” or “Reservation” link field appears for your category, add it there too; if not, the website field is enough. A business without a website can use the customer page of its booking software.
Seeing what you do and roughly what it costs lets a customer decide without calling.
How do I do it?
Add your main services in the “Services” section of the profile. If you list prices, keep them current.
In your field, for example: haircut, beard trim, hair + beard, kids’ cutcut, blow-dry, colour, manicure, skin carecheck-up, fillings, root canal, cleaningcheck-up, vaccination, neutering, yearly checkmenu, reservations, takeawayscheduled service, oil change, interior and exterior washthe main services you offer and their prices if you have them
It tells people briefly what you do, where you are and what sets you apart.
How do I do it?
Write real, plain, checkable sentences and avoid exaggerated promises.
Google says this information can help match a business to a search.
How do I do it?
In Edit profile, tick the attributes that fit. The options shown depend on your category.
Pictures
It is the first thing people see; a tidy cover builds trust.
How do I do it?
Upload a sharp, bright, landscape cover photo and your logo.
Google says photos help show your services; customers also trust a place they can see.
How do I do it?
Sharp phone photos taken in daylight are enough. Add a customer’s image only with their permission.
In your field, for example: shop front and sign, chairs, the team, your work (with the customer’s permission)inside the salon, the work area, the team, your work (with the customer’s permission)waiting room, treatment room (no patient in the picture), the teamwaiting area, exam room, the team (with the owner’s permission)the place inside and out, the dishes, the menu, servicethe workshop, the team, before-and-after of your work (with the owner’s permission)the front and sign, the inside, the team, your work or products
Reviews
Google says more reviews and good ratings can help a business stand out. A customer is more likely to leave one if a single scan opens the review screen.
How do I do it?
Make a QR code and a “Rate us” poster from your review link, print it and put it at the counter or by the mirror. Open the Google review QR tool →
Reviews only build up over time; if you never ask, most customers will not write one.
How do I do it?
Add the review link to your thank-you message after the service. Ask everyone: asking only the customers who seem happy, or giving something for a positive review, goes against Google’s policies. Open the WhatsApp message maker →
Google says positive reviews and helpful replies can help a business stand out. Future customers read your reply too.
How do I do it?
Say thank you. On a bad review, apologise and write a short, calm fix; do not share the customer’s personal details in the reply.
Keep it current
Hours, phone, services and prices change over time; out-of-date information sends customers away for nothing.
How do I do it?
Put a monthly reminder in your calendar: check the hours, phone, services and prices.
It shows the profile is alive; customers can see whether something is new.
How do I do it?
If your profile offers a way to post updates, use it; keep it short and announce only something real.
In your field, for example: free slots this weekend, a new servicea new service, free-slot noticea change in opening hours, a new servicea vaccination-season remindertoday’s menu, a special-day noticea seasonal service noticea new product or service, a change in hours
The address, phone and hours on your website, Instagram and sign should match the profile; mismatches make customers doubt.
How do I do it?
Compare the details on Google with your website, social accounts and sign; fix the differences.
This browser cannot keep your choices; the boxes reset when you close the page. “Copy the list” gives you a backup.
Source: Google’s guidance on improving your local ranking. Link: support.google.com/business/answer/7091 ↗
How to use it
- Choose your field of work; the examples change with it.
- Tick the items you have already done on your profile. The percentage and the “most important next steps” box update by themselves.
- Open “How do I do it?” on each item and finish the gaps in order. You can print the report or copy the list and send it to a colleague.
Good to know
- The percentage is not a score from Google; it shows how many items on this list you have completed.
- Google ranks local results mostly by relevance, distance and prominence; ranking cannot be requested or paid for. This list follows Google’s published local-ranking guidance and a result is not guaranteed.
- A Google Business Profile is for businesses that serve customers face to face, at the business or at the customer’s location.
- Do not buy fake reviews, do not review your own business and do not ask only the customers who seem happy; Google’s policies restrict these and reviews can be removed.
- The boxes you tick are kept only in this device’s browser and are not sent to our servers.
Frequently asked questions
Does the percentage show my Google ranking?
No. It only shows how many items on this list you have completed; it is not a score calculated by Google.
I have no profile; where do I start?
Add your business at business.google.com and verify it; then tick this list from top to bottom. Verification is the first item.
The booking link field does not appear on my profile.
That field appears depending on the business category and region. If it does not, write your booking page address in the “website” field.
Where do I find my review link?
The “Where do I find my review link?” section of our Google review QR tool shows the steps.
Will my ticks be lost?
They stay in the same browser on the same device. They reset if you clear browser data or use another device; “Copy the list” gives you a backup text.
When the work grows
If you do this every day, have a look at our software that keeps records and reminders in order (each has a free live demo with sample data):