What Is a Google Business Profile and Do I Need One?

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business in Google Maps and in the panel on the right of the search results when someone searches for your name. Yes, you need one, even if you work from home or only ever visit customers at their place. For most small businesses in Perth it brings in more local phone calls and enquiries than the website does.

What it actually is

When you search for a plumber or an accountant near you, Google shows a map with a short list of businesses before any ordinary website results. Each of those entries is a Google Business Profile. It holds your name, address or service area, phone number, opening hours, photos, reviews and a short description. Google often builds a rough one automatically, but until you claim it, it is thin, often wrong, and open to anyone who wants to suggest a change.

Do I need one if I have no shopfront?

Yes. Google has a setting for what it calls a service area business, which means you visit customers rather than them visiting you. You tell Google the suburbs or regions you cover and tick the option to hide your address. Your home address never appears publicly, but you still show up when someone nearby searches for what you do. Tradies, mobile services and consultants all fit this category.

What to fill in

The parts that matter most are these.

1. Categories. Pick the primary category that best describes what you do, then add a few secondary ones. This is the biggest factor in which searches you appear for.
2. Hours. Keep them accurate and add special hours for public holidays.
3. Services or products. List each service as a separate item with a short description. Google matches these to searches.
4. Photos. Add your logo, a cover image, and a dozen real photos of your work and your team. Listings with photos get far more clicks.
5. Description. Up to 750 characters in plain language saying who you help and what you do.

Verification

Before the profile goes live, Google needs proof that you really run the business. The most common method is a short video walked through the business showing signage, equipment or vehicle branding. Some businesses are offered a postcard with a code instead. Either way, keep the account sign in details somewhere safe, because the profile belongs to whichever Google account verified it.

Why it often beats the website

The profile appears above the normal results, shows your phone number and a directions button, and carries your star rating. Someone searching on their phone can call you without ever opening a website. Your website still matters, but the profile is usually the first point of contact.

Keeping it maintained

A profile is not a set and forget job. Reply to every review, good or bad. Answer any questions that appear in the Q and A section before a stranger does. Post a short update every few weeks with a photo. A profile that is kept alive ranks better and looks like a business that is still trading.

What to do next

Claim the profile, fill it in completely and get it verified. If you would rather we handle it and tie it into the rest of your local presence, that is part of our local SEO service and it works alongside your website and SEO.

Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. The listing is free. You only pay if you choose to run Google advertising on top of it, which is separate.

Can I have a profile without a website?
Yes. Many businesses start with the profile alone. A website helps you convert the enquiries, but the profile works on its own.

Someone else already set up a profile for my business. What now?
Search for your business in Google and use the option to request ownership. Google contacts the current owner and transfers it if they do not respond.

If this is happening in your business and you would like it sorted, call DM1 on (08) 6202 6012 or send us a message. We look after IT, Microsoft 365, websites and domain names for Perth small businesses.