Google Business Profile basics for a service business
The profile fields that matter, the ones that are often wrong, how messaging and bookings links work, and a monthly routine that keeps the profile accurate.
Frontiva · · 3 min read
A Google Business Profile is the listing that appears when someone searches for your business or your kind of business nearby. For a service business, the fields that matter most are your categories, hours, phone number, website, service area, and the booking or appointment link. Keep them accurate, respond to reviews, and check the profile monthly, because wrong hours on Google cost more customers than a missing blog post.
The fields that matter
Business name. Your real name, as on your signage. Adding keywords to the name is against Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
Primary category. The single most important field for which searches you appear in. Choose the most specific one that fits ("Pediatric dentist", not "Dentist", if that is what you are).
Hours, including holiday hours. Customers trust these. Wrong hours lead to wasted trips and bad reviews.
Phone number. The number you actually answer, or the one that texts back. It should match your website.
Website and booking link. Link to your booking page if you have one, so customers can book without calling.
Service area, for businesses that go to customers. List the areas you actually serve.
Services and descriptions. Plain descriptions of what you do, matching your website.
The fields that are often wrong
Holiday hours that were never set. An old phone number from before a move. A booking link to a page that no longer exists. Photos from years ago. A category chosen by whoever set up the profile in a hurry.
Messaging and reviews
Reviews on your profile affect how prominent you are in local results, according to Google's own guidance. Respond to them, especially the negative ones, calmly and specifically. Our post on responding to negative reviews covers how. Our post on review velocity and local search covers what Google actually says about reviews and ranking.
A monthly routine
- Check hours, including upcoming holidays.
- Check the phone number and booking link by using them.
- Reply to every new review.
- Add two or three recent photos.
- Read the questions people asked on the profile and answer them.
Fifteen minutes, once a month.
Frequently asked questions
Does posting updates help?
Updates can keep the profile fresh for people who see it. Google has not said they are a ranking factor; treat them as communication, not a trick.
Should each location have its own profile?
Yes, if each location serves customers in person. Each gets its own hours, phone and booking link.
Can I ask customers for Google reviews?
Yes, if you ask everyone, not only the happy ones, and offer nothing in return. See review gating and why not to.
What Frontiva does here
Frontiva's Google Business Profile integration, for review monitoring and AI-suggested replies, is not connected, so Frontiva cannot read your reviews back. What it does do is send review requests by email, carrying your Google review link for each location. And each location's public booking page is the link to put on the profile itself, so customers can book without calling.