Optimizing your Google Business Profile: 20 practical tips

For businesses with a storefront, practice or service area, local search is one of the most important sources of new customers. Those at the top of the Google map get the calls, direction requests and visits. At the same time, Google uses Business Profile data in AI Overviews and AI Mode.

In this article, we lay out 20 steps to bring your profile up to date as of October 2026. We cover which features Google has discontinued, what’s new and what a well-maintained profile means for AI search.

Your Business Profile is your strongest local lever

Three reasons to make your profile a high priority:

1. Many views come from searches for a service. Someone searching for “bakery near me” doesn't know you yet. Your profile should clearly name the services customers in your region search for.
2. Map results appear at the very top for local searches. The first listings there capture a large share of attention.
3. A well-maintained profile builds trust. Recent reviews, photos and opening hours show that the business is active and reliable.

Tip 1: Verify your profile before optimizing anything else

Without verification, you have no control over your profile. According to Google, verification also increases your chances of appearing in search results.

Google automatically determines which methods you’re offered based on business type, region and opening hours: phone or text message, email, video recording, live video call or postcard. Google recommends video verification when it’s available. The video should show three things:

• The location: street signs, neighboring businesses or the surroundings.
• The business: products, equipment with your brand logo, promotional material or tools.
• Your authorization: employee-only areas such as the register, kitchen or storeroom, or you unlocking the premises, but no confidential business documents.

Practical tips for recording:

• Check beforehand that your connection is stable all the way to the front door.
• Film in a single take: exterior with street sign, business sign, unlocking the door, interior work area.
• Use an email address on your company domain.
• If the status stays on “Pending” for a long time, contact Google support.

Tip 2: Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere

NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Google cross-checks this information against other sources on the web. Inconsistencies weaken trust in your data, both in classic search and in AI answers.

• Name: Use your actual business name, without added search terms such as “Dentist Berlin | Best Practice.” That violates the guidelines and can get your profile suspended.
• Address: Exactly as it appears on your website and in the commercial register, down to writing “Straße” or “Str.”
• Phone: A number with a local area code signals a local presence.

If you want to track calls from your profile, enter the tracking number as your primary number and your regular number as an additional number. That keeps both measurement and consistency intact.

Tip 3: Choose your primary category as precisely as possible

Your category determines which searches Google considers your profile for in the first place. That makes it one of the most important fields.

• Make your primary category as specific as possible, such as “divorce lawyer” rather than “lawyer.”
• Add secondary categories for your other services. A gas station is often also a bistro, car wash and convenience store.

Check which categories your three strongest competitors use, then match them or specialize further.

Tip 4: Use the description for your value proposition

The description allows 750 characters, and the opening matters most. A proven structure: the customer’s problem, your solution, what sets you apart, the next step.

Weak example: “We are a painting company in Cologne and do interior and exterior work.”

Stronger example: “Need your facade finished before winter? Our painting company in Cologne-Ehrenfeld handles interior and facade work with a dedicated contact person and guaranteed dates. Call us for a quote.”

Write clearly and specifically, describing your actual services without filler. Google can also use this kind of information in AI answers.

Tip 5: Add every relevant attribute

Attributes such as “wheelchair accessible,” “Wi-Fi,” “card payment” or “parking” work like filters. If someone asks a voice assistant for a café with Wi-Fi and your attribute is missing, they won’t find you.

Review the list of attributes regularly, say once a quarter. Google keeps adding new options.

Tip 6: Schedule posts in advance

Since late 2025, you can schedule posts in advance and publish them to multiple locations at once.

• Timeliness: Regular posts show that your company is active.
• Types: Use offers with start and end dates, events and updates.
• Images: Use your own photos, not stock images.
• Cadence: One post per week has proven effective. Scheduling lets you build up a backlog.

Tip 7: Showcase your products and services in your profile

You can display products and services directly in your profile, with an image, price and link to your website. Mobile users see your offering before they even visit your site.

Create entries for your key services or bestselling products and link directly to the relevant subpage, not your homepage. That shortens the path to an inquiry or purchase.

Tip 8: Answer the most common customer questions in your profile data

Google is overhauling the “Questions and answers” section and shut down the related API in November 2025. Answers to typical customer questions therefore belong in the areas you control: description, attributes, services, products and the linked pages of your website.

Collect the ten most common questions from calls, emails and consultations. Check that each one is clearly answered in your profile or on your website. Google can use this information in AI answers too.

Tip 9: Actively ask satisfied customers for reviews

Reviews are one of the strongest reasons people click on a profile. According to Google, the number and rating of reviews also feed into prominence, one of the three local ranking factors.

• After a purchase or job, ask for a review by email; in your store, use a QR code.
• Ask your most loyal regulars in person.

Warning: Fake reviews, including those from friends and family, violate the guidelines and can get your profile suspended.

Tip 10: Respond to every review

Google explicitly recommends responding to reviews. Replying to positive reviews strengthens loyalty. Replying to negative ones shows future customers how you handle criticism.

For negative reviews, this structure works well: thank them for the feedback, apologize, explain the facts without making excuses, and offer a personal conversation. That turns criticism into proof of your service.

Tip 11: Show your business with your own photos and videos

According to Google, photos and videos help showcase what you offer. Show your exterior so people can find you, plus your team, your work and your premises.

Short videos of around 30 seconds are enough, such as a walk through your store or a quick welcome. Plan new footage once a month. Fresh visuals signal to customers and Google that your profile is actively maintained.

Tip 12: Update your contact options now that chat is gone

Google discontinued the Business Profile chat feature on July 31, 2024. The “Follow” feature with welcome offers is gone too. Guides that still recommend either are out of date.

• Add a messenger: Where Google offers it, you can add a WhatsApp number as a contact option.
• Contact via your website: Link to a page with a contact form or appointment booking.
• Phone: An easy-to-reach number with a local area code matters more than ever.
• Opening hours: Keep them accurate, including holidays, and make sure you’re reachable during those hours.

Tip 13: Let customers book directly from your profile

If you take appointments or table reservations, a “Book” button via “Reserve with Google” is worth adding. Google partners with numerous booking providers for this.

Customers book right in the Google interface, without detouring through your website. Some providers charge a fee per booking. Do the math to make sure the additional bookings cover the cost profitably.

Tip 14: Analyze your profile’s performance data

The Performance section shows how users find your profile and what they do there. Pay particular attention to:

• Search terms: What are you being found for, and are key services missing from your profile or description?
• Platform and device: Mobile views often come from people who are already on the go.
• Interactions: Compare website clicks, calls and direction requests. Lots of direction requests but few calls may point to a reachability problem.

Tip 15: Keep your profile up to date

A profile that’s optimized once and then forgotten loses impact. Google favors current, reliable data.

A proven routine: Log in every two weeks, upload a new photo, respond to open reviews and confirm holiday hours well in advance. Scheduled posts keep the profile active even during quiet weeks.

Tip 16: List your business in relevant directories

Google trusts your profile more when your name, address and phone number appear identically elsewhere on the web. These listings are called citations.

List your business in directories such as Das Örtliche and Gelbe Seiten and, depending on your industry, on Tripadvisor, local city portals and association sites. Check existing listings for inconsistencies. An outdated, incorrect listing does more harm than a missing one.

Tip 17: Follow Google’s guidelines to the letter

Violations can get your profile suspended, and reinstatement often takes weeks. Avoid:

• virtual offices or mailbox addresses as your location,
• fake reviews, including from friends and family,
• added search terms in your business name,
• multiple profiles for the same location.

Tip 18: Manage multiple locations centrally, with local content

If you have multiple locations, use bulk upload and location groups.

• Don’t just copy descriptions; highlight what’s unique locally, such as “Our Westend branch …”
• Every location needs its own photos and its own reviews.
• Posts can now be scheduled and published centrally across multiple locations.

Tip 19: Make your profile a data source for AI search

In its July 2026 guide to AI search, Google explicitly names the Business Profile as a way to get your services and products into AI answers in Search. Beyond that, standard SEO rules apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode.

• Complete every field. Every empty field is information that could be missing from an answer.
• Write factually. Specific services and clear sentences are easier to process than promotional copy.
• Use LocalBusiness markup on your website. It helps Google connect your website and profile.
• Stay consistent. Conflicting data across the web undermines trust in your information.
• Keep collecting reviews. Answers to questions such as “Which restaurant in Munich is good?” draw on reviews.

Learn more on our page about visibility in AI search.

Tip 20: Monitor your local competitors regularly

Your ranking is always relative to your competitors. If you stand still while others optimize, you lose ground.

• Monthly: Search for your key services plus your location and note who ranks at the top of the map. Screenshots make it easier to compare over time.
• Categories: Check whether competitors have added new categories.
• Reviews: Track the number and average rating of your competitors’ reviews.
• Activity: If a competitor suddenly becomes much more active, that’s your signal to step up too.

Also set up Google Alerts for the names of your three strongest local competitors. That shows you where they’re getting press coverage and reveals opportunities for your own mentions.

How Google evaluates your profile for local rankings

According to Google, local results are determined mainly by three factors:

1. Relevance: How well does your profile match the search? Complete, detailed information helps Google make the match. Your levers are categories, description, services and reviews.
2. Distance: How far is your business from the searcher? You have little control over this, but strong relevance and prominence can partly make up for greater distance.
3. Prominence: How well known is your business? This includes the number and rating of reviews, links to your website and mentions across the web.

According to Google, you can’t buy a better local ranking. It only comes from working on these three factors. Our local SEO page shows how we approach it.

A roadmap for implementing the tips step by step

• Today: Check your verification status, align your name, address and phone number, and update your contact options now that chat is gone.
• This week: Complete your categories, attributes and description, add your first three products or services, personally ask five loyal regulars for a review, and schedule your first post for next week.
• Monthly: Upload new photos, analyze performance data, check competitors, review directory listings and look for new attributes.
• Ongoing: one scheduled post per week; check and respond to new reviews daily.

Conclusion: A well-maintained profile wins you local customers and mentions in AI search

A complete, up-to-date Business Profile is the foundation for local visibility, mentions in AI answers and direct contact with customers. Maintaining it is ongoing work, not a one-off task.

If you consistently implement these 20 tips, you’ll gain an edge over competitors who only update their profile now and then.