How to set up a Google Business Profile that brings local enquiries

Claim one profile and verify it properly

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that can show your business in Google Search and Maps when someone nearby looks for what you do. You qualify if you have a place customers can visit, or if you travel to serve them. There should be only one profile for each business or location, because duplicates confuse how your details appear and can be suspended. Start by finding and claiming any existing listing for your business rather than creating a second one.

Verifying the profile tells Google that you are authorised to represent the business, which makes it more likely to appear in results. Google chooses the verification method for you, and you cannot pick it: it may be a phone or text code, an email, a live video call, a short video recording or a posted code. A postcard usually arrives within about two weeks, and Google says a verification review can take up to five business days. Plan for that wait before you rely on the listing for enquiries.

Complete every field a searcher would ask about

Google decides which searches you are relevant for partly by how completely you describe the business. Relevance is how well your profile matches what someone typed, so an empty listing competes for far fewer searches than a complete one. Fill in your address or service area, opening hours, phone number, website, primary category, the services you offer and a plain description of the work. Add the attributes that apply, such as wheelchair access or on-site parking, because people search using those details too.

Treat the profile as the answer to the questions a customer asks before they call. If your hours change for a public holiday, update them, because a wrong closing time can send someone to a competitor. Keep the phone number and website exactly as they appear elsewhere so the details stay consistent. None of this guarantees a position, but a thorough profile gives Google more accurate ways to match you to the right local searches.

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Get the name and categories right

Your business name on the profile must be the real-world name you trade under, and nothing more. Google's guidelines do not allow extra words such as a location, a phone number, opening hours or a list of services bolted onto the name to catch searches. A listing like 'Regal Pizzeria Open 24 Hours' breaks the rules and can be suspended. Adding keywords to the name does not buy a better ranking, and it puts the whole profile at risk.

Categories are where you tell Google what the business actually is. Choose a specific primary category that completes the sentence 'this business is a', rather than 'this business has a', then add the smallest set of extra categories that genuinely apply. A plumber should choose plumber, not a long list of loosely related trades. Categories are one of the clearest signals of relevance, so getting the primary one right matters more than filling every box.

If you travel to customers, set a service area

If you go to the customer rather than the other way around, set the profile up as a service-area business. Keep a single profile, and define the suburbs or regions you actually serve. Do not invent addresses or list a virtual office you do not staff, because a physical address on the profile is meant to be a place customers can visit.

When you run the business from home, Google's guidelines say to hide the address so it is not shown publicly, while still setting your service area. This keeps your home private and still lets you appear for searches in the places you cover. Set the areas honestly, because listing regions you cannot reach only produces enquiries you have to turn away.

Earn reviews honestly and reply to them

Reviews feed into prominence, which is Google's sense of how well known a business is, and both the number of reviews and the rating play a part. Replying to reviews shows customers you value their feedback, and thoughtful replies help a profile stand out. Make asking for a review a normal part of finishing a job, so genuine feedback builds up steadily rather than in occasional bursts.

Australian Consumer Law sets clear limits on how you handle reviews. The ACCC says it is unlawful to create fake or misleading reviews, or to arrange for others to write them, including staff, family or anyone paid without disclosing the connection. If you offer an incentive, it must apply whether the review is positive or negative, and you must disclose that it was incentivised. Do not suppress or delete genuine negative reviews; reply to them honestly instead, because removing real feedback can itself mislead customers.

Keep it accurate and measure the enquiries

There is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking, whatever a cold caller promises. Prominence builds over time from a complete, accurate profile, genuine reviews, real photos of your work and links to your site. Distance is decided by where the searcher is, which you cannot control, so put your effort into relevance and prominence, the parts you can influence.

Once the profile is live, measure what it produces rather than guessing. The profile reports calls, requests for directions, website clicks and messages, and you can connect those to the enquiries your team actually receives. Read them alongside the rest of your search performance so you can see whether local search is bringing the work you want, and keep the details accurate as the business changes.

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