How to create a Google Business Profile

Get these ready before you start

• A Google account that belongs to the business, not a staff member's personal one
• Your exact trading name as it appears on signage and receipts
• Your address, or the suburbs and towns you travel to
• The phone number and WhatsApp number you answer during the day
• Ten or more photos on your phone: outside, inside, team, finished work
• Your opening hours, including Saturday and public holidays

Choosing your main category

The main category is the single most important field. Google uses it to decide which searches you appear in, so pick the one that describes what you mainly do, not everything you could do. A business listed as Hair salon will appear for salon searches; the same business listed as Beauty supply store will not.

Add secondary categories for real extra services afterwards. You can change categories later, but rankings usually take a few weeks to settle again, so it is worth getting right first time.

Address or service area?

If customers come to you, give the address and pin the marker on the actual entrance. If you travel to customers — plumbers, electricians, mobile hairdressers, cleaners — hide the address and list the areas you serve instead. Listing a home address you do not want visitors at is a common regret.

Writing the description

You have 750 characters. Write for a person deciding whether to call you, not for a search engine. Say what you do, who you do it for, where you work, and what makes dealing with you easy — same-day quotes, weekend appointments, delivery, EcoCash accepted.

Avoid repeating your keywords, listing prices that change often, and any claim you cannot back up.

Finish the profile the same day

• Upload your logo and a cover photo
• Add services or products with short descriptions
• Turn on messaging only if you will reply within a few hours
• Add your website link — even a simple one-page site
• Submit verification immediately rather than saving it for later

What to do in week one

Post an update about something real: a job you completed, a new service, your holiday hours. Ask three recent customers for a review. Check that your phone number connects and that your pin takes a stranger to the right gate.