For many local businesses, the Google Business Profile is the first thing a customer sees, before the website. Google publishes clear rules for what a profile can and cannot contain. Following them keeps your profile live and makes it easier for the right customers to find you.
This checklist sticks to what Google's guidelines actually say, with links to the pages so you can check for yourself.
1. Use your real business name, and nothing else
Google asks that your name match the name you use in the real world, such as on your storefront, website and stationery. Adding extras like taglines, phone numbers, website addresses or keywords to the name is not allowed.
If your sign says "Smith Plumbing", your profile should say "Smith Plumbing", not "Smith Plumbing | Best Emergency Plumber London".
2. Get the address or service area right
Your profile should be for your actual, real-world location. Google does not accept P.O. boxes or remote mailboxes, and virtual offices are not eligible. Keep one profile per location and avoid duplicates.
If you visit customers rather than serving them at your premises, such as a cleaner or a contractor, set a service area and hide your address if customers do not come to you.
3. Keep hours accurate
List your regular customer-facing hours, and add special hours for holidays. Seasonal businesses can mark the profile as temporarily closed in the off-season instead of leaving out-of-date hours up.
4. Choose as few categories as possible
Google's guidance is to use as few categories as possible to describe your core business. Pick what your business is, not every service it offers. Your services can be listed separately in the profile.
5. Ask for reviews the right way
You are allowed to ask customers for genuine reviews. What Google does not allow:
- Offering anything in exchange for a review, such as a discount, free product or payment
- Asking only happy customers for reviews, or discouraging negative ones
- Pressuring customers to leave a review while they are on your premises
- Reviews from people with a conflict of interest, such as employees
A simple monthly routine
Once the profile is set up correctly, a short routine keeps it current:
- Check your hours, phone number and website link
- Add a few recent photos of your work, products or premises
- Publish a post about an offer, event or update
- Reply to every new review, positive or negative
- Answer any new questions in the Q&A section
Where Andreon fits
Our Google visibility service sets your profile up against these guidelines and runs this routine every month, alongside technical SEO for your website. If you want to see where you stand first, the free Growth Audit scores your Google visibility in a few questions.
Sources
- Google: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Maps: Prohibited and restricted content (fake engagement)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026.
Related service: Google visibility