When someone searches "plumber near me" or "nail salon Venice", the first thing they see is not your website. It is the map and the three businesses under it. Those come from Google Business Profile, the free listing with your name, hours, photos and reviews. Getting it right costs nothing but an afternoon.
First, the rules that get profiles suspended
Google is strict, and a suspended profile disappears from Maps. Its own guidelines say:
- Your name is your real name. Exactly what is on your sign and your invoices. No "Best Plumber Los Angeles 24/7" unless that is literally your sign.
- A real address only. No P.O. boxes, virtual offices or a friend's address. If customers do not come to you, hide the address and list the areas you serve instead (up to 20).
- One profile per location. A second profile for the same business is a common reason for suspension.
- Real photos. No stock photos, and no AI-made pictures pretending to be your shop or your work.
The checklist, most important first
- Claim and verify. Google often asks for a short video now: your sign, your tools, your van, the inside of the shop. Have that ready.
- Primary category. This is the biggest single choice. Search your main service and see which category the top three map results use, then pick the one that is true for you. Choose what your business is, not what it has.
- Extra categories. Add every other category that genuinely fits. Google adds new ones, so check again every few months.
- Services. Add every service Google suggests that you actually do, then add your own with plain names like "Water heater installation".
- Hours. Exact hours, plus holiday hours before every holiday. Being open when someone searches matters.
- Phone and website. Your local number, the same one that is on your website. Link to your homepage, or to the page for that location if you have several.
- Description. Up to 750 characters: who you are, what you do, where, how long you have been doing it. Contractors in California should include their license number. No prices, sales or "call now" lines; Google's rules ban those in the description.
- Attributes. Women-owned, veteran-owned, languages spoken (Spanish matters in Los Angeles), wheelchair access, payment types. Only what is true.
- Opening date. Use the oldest real date your business has been operating.
- Photos. Logo, cover, the outside from a few angles so people recognize it from the street, the inside, your team, and real work. Add new ones every month.
- Social profiles. Link your Facebook, Instagram and the rest. Google now shows recent posts from connected accounts on the profile.
- Review link. Copy it from the profile ("Ask for reviews") and start sending it to customers. Our guide to Google reviews covers how.
Check it once a month
Anyone can suggest edits to your profile, including competitors. Look for "Google updates" in your profile once a month and reject anything wrong, like a changed category or a closed-on-Sunday you never set.
Read the numbers honestly
The "calls" number in your profile counts taps on the call button, not calls that actually happened. "Directions" are requests, not visits. Use them to spot trends, and count real calls and booked jobs to judge whether it is working.
Do this today
- Search your business on Google Maps on your phone and look at it like a stranger would.
- Fix the category, hours and services first.
- Add ten real photos.