Google Business Profile Guide: Set Up, Fix and Grow It
Every guide we have written on Google Business Profile, in the order an owner needs them: set up and verify, fill every field, fix what breaks, and keep the profile matched to the rest of the web.
A Google Business Profile is a record Google cross-checks
A Google Business Profile is the free listing Google shows for your business in Search and Maps: name, address or service area, phone, hours, category, photos, reviews. Our take: treat it as the master record, not as a marketing page. Google can update a profile from other sources it trusts (that is what suggested edits are), so a profile that disagrees with your website, your map listings and your directory citations is a profile that keeps changing under you. Most of the fixes in this hub start outside Google.
The guides below are grouped the way the work happens: setting the profile up, filling each field, fixing problems, and reviews. Our free NAP checker shows what the open web currently says about your business before you start.
Set up a Google Business Profile in the right order
- Check eligibility before anything else, so you do not build a profile Google will later remove.
- Add your business to Google: search for an existing listing first, then create or claim the profile.
- Verify it by the method Google offers you, and see what to do when video is the only option.
- Learn where to manage it and add a manager rather than sharing your login.
- Pick the primary category (our free category finder searches the full list).
- Point the website field at one canonical URL you own (what replaced Google Business Profile websites), and make sure Google can find the site itself (add your website to Google).
- Write the description, then add services and products and attributes.
- Add photos at the right image sizes, then start posts.
- Measure with Performance insights and UTM tags, and work through the full optimization checklist. For what actually moves the map pack, read the map pack ranking factors.
Fix a Google Business Profile problem
What owners ask about Google Business Profile
From our own Google Search Console, the 90 days from August to early November 2026: the profile questions searchers brought to our guides most often, and where each is answered. The numbers are impressions of our pages for that exact query, a measure of demand we can see, not of total search volume.
| Query | Impressions | Answered in |
|---|---|---|
| google my business post image size | 105 | Image sizes |
| google business profile photo size | 41 | Image sizes |
| gmb attributes | 37 | Attributes |
| google business profile services | 27 | Products and services |
| google business profile picture size | 24 | Image sizes |
| how to verify gmb listing without postcard | 15 | Verification |
The pattern is practical: owners ask about sizes, fields and verification far more than about ranking theory. AI assistants read the same guides: in one October 2026 week, Bing's AI Performance report showed Copilot and its partners citing our wrong map pin guide 18 times.
Free Google Business Profile tools
- GBP category finder: search the Google Business Profile category list before you pick a primary category.
- Google review link generator: the direct link that opens the review box, built from your Place ID.
- Google review QR code generator: the same link as a printable QR code.
- Local business schema generator: LocalBusiness JSON-LD for your website that matches the profile.
- Service area map generator: plan the named areas you will enter for a service area business.
- Google Place ID finder: the Place ID, CID and review link from your Google Maps link.
- Business description generator: a description under 750 characters, checked against Google's rules for the field.
- Review response generator: replies for positive, mixed and negative reviews that answer the actual point.
- NAP checker: what the open web says about your name, address and phone.
Google Business Profile terms, defined
Each term below has a short definition in our glossary, written for owners rather than developers.
Where your profile ends and your citations begin
Customers also find you through Apple Maps, Bing Places and Yelp, and AI assistants pull business facts from all of them. Keep every one of those listings identical to the profile, character for character. Citation Builder does not post to or edit your Google Business Profile: it builds and verifies the local citations that should match it, ranked for your country and industry.
Guides in this series
Add Your Website to Google: Search Console, Step by Step
Add your website to Google: how Google finds a new site, verifying it in Search Console, submitting a sitemap, requesting indexing and checking the result.
Read →Google Business Profile for Realtors: Agent vs Brokerage
Google business profile for realtors: when an agent gets their own profile, what to do from a home office, which categories fit, and the duplicate traps.
Read →Google Business Profile Website: What Replaced It
Google business profile website guide: what happened to the free sites Google shut down, what the website field does now, and how to add or change the link.
Read →Manage Google Business Profile: Sign In, Find, Add Managers
Manage Google Business Profile: how to sign in and find it on Search and Maps, add or remove managers, owner vs manager roles, and avoid getting locked out.
Read →Change Business Hours on Google, Apple Maps and More
Change business hours on Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp and Facebook: the steps, regular vs special hours vs temporary closure, timing and what order to update.
Read →Verify Google Business Profile: Every Method, Step by Step
Verify Google Business Profile by phone, text, email, video, live call, postcard or instantly: who gets which method, timing, and what to do when it is stuck.
Read →Delete Google Business Profile: 4 Actions, 1 Right Pick
Delete Google Business Profile the right way: remove yourself, mark it closed, remove it from your account, or ask Google to take it down. Pick by goal.
Read →Google Business Profile Image Sizes: What Google Says
Google Business Profile image sizes: the numbers Google documents for photos and video, the ones it never publishes for logo, cover and posts, and who guesses.
Read →Business Not Showing on Google Maps? 12 Causes and Fixes
Business not showing on Google Maps or your Google Business Profile not showing up in search? 12 causes, from verification to duplicates, and how to fix each.
Read →Closed or Moved Business: How to Fix Your Listings
How to fix listings when a business closes, moves or gets marked permanently closed by mistake: what to update or remove and how to stop old data returning.
Read →Add Your Business to Google: Free Profile, Step by Step
Add your business to Google Search and Maps for free: check for an existing listing, create your Business Profile, set address or service area, and verify.
Read →Fake Google Reviews: How to Spot, Report and Stop Them
Fake Google reviews hurt rankings and trust. How to spot them, report them to Google, handle review bombing and extortion scams, and what the FTC rule changed.
Read →Google Maps Pin in the Wrong Place? How to Fix It
How to fix a business pin in the wrong place on Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing and OpenStreetMap, why pins drift, and why a wrong pin costs calls and visits.
Read →Google Business Listing Scams: Calls and Emails to Ignore
The Google business listing scams owners get: fake verification calls, paid review removal, suspension threats and listing fees, and how to check what is real.
Read →Google Business Profile Attributes: Which Ones to Add
Google Business Profile attributes explained: factual, identity and accessibility attributes, the ones customers filter by, and how to add each one.
Read →Google Business Profile Categories: Picks for 45 Industries
How to choose Google Business Profile categories: the primary category rules, when secondary categories help, and recommended picks for 45 industries.
Read →Google Business Profile Description Examples (45 Industries)
Google Business Profile description examples for 45 industries, written to the 750-character limit and Google's rules, with a formula you can adapt in minutes.
Read →Google Business Profile Eligibility: Who Can Get Listed
Google Business Profile eligibility by business type: home-based, virtual office, co-working, PO box, seasonal and online businesses, and which address to use.
Read →Google Business Profile Insights: Read Your Performance
Google Business Profile insights, now the Performance report: what each metric means, how to read search terms for keyword ideas, and the numbers that matter.
Read →Google Business Profile Photos: Sizes, Types and Rules
Google Business Profile photos that help: the sizes and formats Google accepts, which photos to add first, what gets photos rejected, and how often to post.
Read →Google Business Profile Posts: Examples and Ideas (2026)
Google Business Profile posts that earn clicks: post types, six full examples, the rules that get posts rejected, and post ideas for 15 industries.
Read →Google Business Profile Services and Products: Setup Guide
How to add services and products to your Google Business Profile, what the booking button does, what Google retired, and how to keep it matching your site.
Read →Google Business Profile Q&A Is Gone: Optimizing for Ask Maps
Google removed Business Profile Q&A and answers questions with Ask Maps instead. What changed, what Ask Maps reads about your business, and what to update now.
Read →Google Business Profile Suggested Edits: Stop Bad Changes
Why Google keeps changing your business info through suggested edits, how to accept or reject them, and how to stop wrong data coming back from other sources.
Read →UTM Tracking for Google Business Profile: Setup Guide
How to add UTM tracking to your Google Business Profile website and booking links, read the traffic in analytics and avoid tracking mistakes that break NAP.
Read →Google Local Services Ads vs the Map Pack: How They Differ
Google Local Services Ads explained: how they differ from the map pack, who is eligible, the Google Guaranteed and Screened badges, and whether you need both.
Read →Google Maps Ranking Drop: How to Diagnose and Recover
Google Maps ranking dropped? How to diagnose it: filter or update, profile change, new competitor, NAP conflicts or reviews, and how to recover.
Read →Google Reviews Disappeared? Why and What You Can Do
Why Google reviews disappear from your profile: spam filters, policy removals, profile changes and bugs, how to tell which one it is, and what to do.
Read →Google Reviews Statistics 2026: What the Data Says
Google reviews statistics for 2026, each one sourced: how many reviews people read, how ratings and recency affect choice, and what our own NAP scans show.
Read →Holiday Hours on Google Business Profile (and Everywhere)
How to set holiday and special hours on Google Business Profile, Apple, Bing and other listings, when to publish them and why wrong hours cost customers.
Read →How to Get More Google Reviews (Without Breaking the Rules)
How to get more Google reviews in 2026: when to ask, the review link and QR code to send, templates that convert, and the policy lines that get reviews removed.
Read →Keywords in Your Business Name on Google: The Real Risk
Adding keywords to your Google business name can lift rankings and get you suspended. What Google allows, how competitors get reported, and legal name changes.
Read →Multi-Location Google Business Profile Management
Managing Google Business Profiles for many locations: business groups, bulk verification, store codes, bulk edits and the NAP rules that keep them consistent.
Read →Multiple Businesses at the Same Address: Local SEO Rules
Two businesses at one address? What Google allows, how to keep listings from merging, suite numbers, shared phones and how citations should describe each one.
Read →Practitioner Listings on Google: Doctors, Lawyers, Agents
How practitioner listings work for doctors, lawyers, agents and advisors: when individuals get profiles, how they relate to the practice, avoiding clashes.
Read →How to Remove a Google Review: What Google Takes Down
How to remove a Google review that breaks the rules: the policy categories Google acts on, how to flag and appeal, and what to do when the review stays up.
Read →How to Report a Fake Google Business Listing
How to report fake Google business listings and spam competitors: which Google forms to use, what evidence works, what to expect and when to escalate.
Read →How to Respond to Negative Reviews: 12 Templates (2026)
How to respond to negative reviews on Google, Yelp and every listing: 12 copy-ready templates, what never to write, and when the reply matters most.
Read →How to Respond to Positive Reviews: 15 Examples
How to respond to positive reviews with replies that sound human: 15 examples by industry, what to mention, how long to write, when a thank-you is enough.
Read →How to Transfer Google Business Profile Ownership
How to transfer Google Business Profile ownership, request access to a profile someone else controls, add managers safely, and merge duplicate profiles.
Read →New Business Phone Number? How to Update Every Listing
Changed your business phone number? The order to update Google, Apple, Bing and every directory, how to keep the old number live, and how to catch stragglers.
Read →How to Verify Google Business Profile Without a Video
How to verify a Google Business Profile without a video: the methods Google offers, why it asks for video, and how to pass the video check when you must.
Read →Business Name Change: Update Google and Every Listing
How to change your business name on Google, Apple, Bing and every directory without creating duplicates, and how to keep the old name from resurfacing.
Read →How to Change Your Business Address Everywhere Online
Change your business address everywhere: Google, Apple Maps, Bing, Foursquare, directories and your site, in the order that stops the old address coming back.
Read →Google Business Profile Suspended After an Address Change
Why Google Business Profile suspensions follow address, name and category changes, how to appeal once with evidence, and how to change details without one.
Read →Service Area Business SEO: Citations Without a Storefront
Local SEO for service area businesses: build citations with a hidden address, keep NAP consistent across platforms with different rules, rank across a radius.
Read →Google Maps SEO: 8 Map Pack Ranking Factors (2026)
Google Maps SEO and map pack SEO explained: the 8 ranking factors behind Google's 3-pack in 2026, and how to rank higher on Google Maps, step by step.
Read →How to Find and Fix Duplicate Business Listings
A practical guide to spotting and resolving duplicate listings across directories so they stop splitting signals and quietly dragging down your local rankings.
Read →Google Business Profile Optimization: The 2026 Checklist
A practical 2026 checklist for Google Business Profile optimization (claim, categories, NAP, photos, reviews and Posts), plus the citations that reinforce it.
Read →Build these citations
Get the ranked citation sites for your market with our local SEO citation builder, then layer your industry on top.
FAQ
Where should I start with Google Business Profile?
Search for your business on Google Maps first, because a profile may already exist and only needs claiming. Then create or claim it, verify it, pick the primary category, and fill the description, services, hours and photos before anything else. The setup list at the top of this hub follows that order, with one guide per step.
Is Google My Business the same as Google Business Profile?
Yes. Google renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile in 2021. It is the same free listing, one profile per business that appears in Google Search and Google Maps, so guides that use either name are describing the same product.
How often should I update my Google Business Profile?
Whenever a fact changes, the same day: hours, phone, address, services or name. Between changes, add photos and posts when you have something real to show, and remember that Google archives update posts after six months unless you set dates. Then make the same change on your other listings so they keep agreeing with the profile.
Does a Google Business Profile need a website?
No. A profile can be created and verified without a website, but a site on your own domain gives Google and customers one more consistent source for your name, address, phone and services, and it gives the profile a website button that leads somewhere useful.
Can Citation Builder manage my Google Business Profile?
No. We do not post to or edit Google Business Profiles. We build and verify the directory citations, map listings and data sources that should match your profile, and the free tools listed in this hub help with the profile itself.
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