When someone searches "bakery near me" or "mechanic Fushë Kosovë", the first result they see often isn't a website. It's the map, with three businesses, their stars and a button to call. Those listings come from Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
The profile is free. You don't need a website to open one, although the two work better together. Here's how to do it properly.
1. Creating and verifying it
Go to business.google.com with the Google account you'll use for the business (ideally not the personal account of an employee who might leave). Search for your business name; if a profile already exists, you can claim it.
Google asks for verification to confirm the business is yours. The options vary by country and type of business: a phone call, SMS, email, a short video or a postcard. Follow whichever you're offered; without verification the profile won't show properly.
2. Category: the most important choice
The primary category tells Google which searches you're relevant for. Pick the most specific one that describes you: "Dental clinic" beats "Clinic", "Seafood restaurant" beats "Restaurant". You can add secondary categories too, but only ones that are genuinely part of your work.
3. Name, address, phone: identical everywhere
Write the business name as it really is, without stuffing keywords in ("Best Dentist Durrës" can get the profile suspended). The address and number should be identical to those on your website, Facebook, Instagram and everywhere else. Small mismatches confuse Google about which information is correct.
If you work at the customer's location (plumbing, cleaning, photography) and have no premises the public visits, you can hide the address and set the areas you serve instead.
4. Opening hours, including special days
A customer who arrives at a locked door because Google said "open" doesn't come back. Update your hours for holidays and closures. Google lets you set special hours for specific dates.
5. Photos: real ones, not stock
The entrance from outside (so people recognise it when they arrive), the interior, the team, products, finished work. Real photos taken on a phone in good light are more convincing than images bought online. Add new ones from time to time. If you sell products, our guide to product photos on a phone helps here too.
6. Description and services
The description has room for a few sentences. Write what you do, for whom and where, in plain language. Add services or products one by one, with a price if it's clear. If you have customers who speak other languages, mention that you speak them.
7. Reviews: ask for them and reply
Reviews are probably the part that influences customers most. Most happy customers don't leave one because they forget, not because they don't want to. Ask them directly, using the direct link Google gives you in the profile ("Get more reviews"), right after you've finished the job.
- Reply to every review, including the good ones, briefly and by name.
- Reply to negative reviews calmly, without arguing, and offer a solution. Future customers read your reply more than the complaint.
- Never buy or write fake reviews. Google removes them and can penalise the profile, and customers spot them faster than you'd think.
8. Keep it alive
The profile has posts (offers, news, events) and a Q&A section. One post a month and quick answers to questions show the business is active. Also check suggested edits from others: anyone can propose a change to your profile to Google.
The profile and the website work together
The profile brings clicks; the website turns them into trust. Link your website from the profile, and use the same name, address and phone on the website. If you want to go further with local rankings, see our SEO service.
Want help with your profile or local SEO?
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