Someone searching for “hairdresser near me”, “nearest dental clinic” or “breakfast in Kadıköy” often decides without clicking a single website. They look at the ratings, photos, opening hours and reviews of the businesses on the map, then call, get directions or book. The information card in front of them at that moment is your Google Business Profile. If it is incomplete, outdated or missing, they will most likely choose a competitor.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business is the free tool that lets businesses manage how they appear in Google Search and Google Maps. Google renamed it Google Business Profile, although many people still search for the old name. Today you edit your profile directly from Google Search and Maps while signed in to your business account, rather than through a separate app.
Your profile includes your business name, category, address or service area, phone number, website, opening hours, photos, products and services, posts, questions and answers, and customer reviews. In short, it is your shop window on Google.
Why It Matters for Local SEO and Maps
When ranking local results, Google broadly looks at three factors: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher) and prominence (reviews, links and overall online visibility). You cannot change distance, but relevance and prominence depend largely on how completely and actively you manage your profile.
- Visibility on Maps: Appearing in the map pack for local searches means showing up above the organic results.
- Direct conversions: Call, directions, website and booking buttons turn a searcher into a customer with one tap.
- Trust: Fresh photos and answered reviews are the strongest social proof for someone seeing your business for the first time.
- A free channel: Creating and managing a profile requires no ad budget.
The website your profile links to also supports local rankings; see our website design guide.
Step-by-Step Setup and Verification
Creating a profile takes a few minutes; what really matters is entering accurate, consistent information the first time.
- 1. Sign in: Open Google Business Profile with the Google account you will use for the business. Prefer a business-owned account over a personal one.
- 2. Search for your business: A profile may already exist. If so, request ownership; if not, create a new one.
- 3. Name and category: Enter your name exactly as it appears on your signage, without extra keywords. Choose the primary category that describes you best.
- 4. Location or service area: Add your address if you receive customers there. If you travel to customers, hide the address and list your service areas.
- 5. Contact details: Enter your phone number and website.
- 6. Verification: Google offers the methods that suit your business, such as phone, SMS, email, video recording or postcard. Video verification may ask you to show signage, the address and the interior to prove the business is yours.
Until verification is complete, edits are not fully published. Even afterwards, major changes (name, address, category) may be reviewed again by Google, so avoid changing these fields frequently.
Optimisation Checklist
A verified profile is only the beginning. Reviewing this list regularly keeps your profile more complete and current than your competitors’:
- Categories: The primary category is the most critical field. Add a few secondary categories that cover services you genuinely offer; avoid irrelevant ones.
- Opening hours: Besides regular hours, enter special hours for public holidays in advance.
- Photos: Upload real, sharp images: logo, cover, exterior, interior, team and products/services. Add new photos regularly.
- Business description: Explain naturally what you do, who you serve and what sets you apart.
- Products and services: List your services with descriptions and, where possible, prices.
- Posts: Share offers, events and announcements as posts; it shows the profile is active.
- Q&A: Monitor frequently asked questions and give accurate answers.
- Reviews and replies: Ask happy customers for reviews and write a polite, personal reply to every review, positive or negative.
- Booking and website link: Add your booking link. An online booking page such as Takvio Flow turns profile visitors directly into appointments.
Common Mistakes
- Stuffing keywords into the business name: Names like “X Hair – Best Haircut Kadıköy” violate Google’s guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- Inconsistent contact details: Using different addresses or phone numbers on your website, social media and directories weakens trust.
- Outdated opening hours: A customer who arrives while you are closed often comes back with a negative review.
- Leaving reviews unanswered: Staying silent, especially on negative reviews, suggests you are not interested in fixing problems.
- Collecting fake reviews: Incentivised or fake reviews breach policy and can lead to removed reviews and profile restrictions.
- Creating multiple profiles: Duplicate profiles for the same location reduce each other’s visibility.
How to Measure Results
Your profile’s performance section shows which searches people used to find you, whether they saw you on Search or Maps, and how many called, requested directions or clicked through to your website. Noting these figures monthly and comparing them is the simplest way to see which changes work.
- Search terms: The queries that find you show which services to highlight.
- Interactions: Track calls, direction requests, website clicks and bookings.
- UTM tags: Add UTM parameters to the website link in your profile to track this traffic separately in Google Analytics.
- Review trend: Regularly check growth in review count and your average rating.
Handling setup, verification, regular content and review management on your own can take time. With Takvio’s Google solutions service we can set up and manage your profile end to end; get in touch for details.