Google Business Profile: how to create and optimise it step by step

A Google Business Profile is the free business listing that Google shows in Maps and the search results, with your address, opening hours, reviews and contact buttons. In short: create a Google account, register your business, pick the right category, verify your location and fill in your profile completely. In this article you will read how to create a Google Business Profile, how to optimise it and how to measure whether it actually delivers enquiries.

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What is a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile (known until 2021 as Google My Business) is a free Google tool that lets you manage how your company appears in Google Search and Google Maps. When someone searches for a product or service you offer, your profile can show up with your location, opening hours, reviews, photos and more.

Think of it as your digital business card on Google, but with buttons to call you, visit your website or plan a route. For SEO, the profile is a cornerstone of your local visibility: it is often the first thing a prospect sees of you before they ever click through to your website.

Why is a Google Business Profile important for B2B?

Many B2B service providers assume a business profile is something for restaurants and hairdressers. Yet business customers also search regionally for a supplier or partner, and that is where your profile helps decide whether you make the shortlist. The benefits at a glance:

• More visibility: your business becomes findable in Search and Maps when people look for what you do.
• Stronger local SEO: a fully completed profile increases your chances of appearing in the local results and the map block (the Map Pack), the prime position for nearby customers. That lines up with Google’s guidelines for managing your business profile on accurate, complete business information.
• More trust: a complete profile with genuine reviews and correct details radiates credibility.
• Direct contact: from your profile, prospects can call, visit your website or send a message.
• Insights: Google shows you how people find you and what actions they take.

The best part: it costs nothing. See your profile as a free way to advertise your business, so you can aim your budget at the channels that really move you forward. If you want a broader understanding of how regional visibility works, also read our guide on local SEO.

How do you create a Google Business Profile?

Setting up a profile is not rocket science, but the details determine the result. Work through these steps calmly.

Step 1: sign up

You need a Google account. If you do not have one yet, create one first. Then go to Google Business Profile, log in and choose “Create profile”. Enter the name of your business. If you get a message saying someone has already verified your business, request ownership of the profile.

Step 2: fill in your business details

Start with your business category. It is crucial: it determines which searches Google considers you relevant for. So choose carefully and keep it up to date.

Next, indicate whether you have a physical location that customers visit. If so, enter your address or place a marker on the map. If not, specify your service area, based on the cities, postcodes or regions you serve. You can add up to 20 service areas. A rule of thumb: keep your working area within roughly two hours’ drive, unless your business model justifies a wider reach.

Then add a phone number and your website URL. If you have multiple locations, use a dedicated number or page link per location instead of one central call centre number. The more accurate your details, the better Google matches you to the right searches.

Step 3: verify your business

To confirm authenticity, Google asks for verification. First check all your details once more, because you do not want to go through the process again over a typo. Google decides which verification method you get, depending on your business type and region: that could be a video of your location, a code by phone or email, or a postcard with a code that you then enter. If you need a bit more time, choose “Verify later”.

How do you optimise your Google Business Profile?

Creating it is the beginning; optimising it makes the difference. While you wait for verification, you can already flesh out your profile.

• Services and products: list what you offer, so you show up on the right searches.
• Opening hours: fill them in correctly. Google reminds you to adjust them around public holidays.
• Business description: write a clear description that customers see in Search and Maps.
• Photos and videos: give prospects a look behind the scenes. Nothing yet? No problem, add it later.
• Messages: only turn on messaging if you can reply in time.

Afterwards, check the preview of your listing for mistakes. Then update your profile regularly: a fresh profile helps both your customers and your visibility. Filling in your profile works best alongside strong landing pages and solid internal structure on your site, see our guide on on-page SEO.

How do you use your profile to engage customers?

A business profile is not a static listing but a living channel. According to Google, these are the main ways to interact:

• Reply to reviews: both positive and negative. A thoughtful reply to an unhappy customer sometimes even turns them into an advocate.
• Answer questions: users can ask questions directly on your profile. A quick, accurate answer also helps everyone who reads along later.
• Publish Google posts: share updates, news or offers.
• Add photos and videos: fresh imagery on a regular basis makes you more appealing.
• Use messaging: answer direct messages promptly for personal service.

For B2B, what counts most is that visible, honest interaction builds trust with prospects who are still hesitating between you and a competitor. Reviews are worth their weight in gold here, and they also strengthen the signals around experience and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) that Google weighs up. Ask satisfied customers for them actively.

How do you measure whether your profile really delivers?

Google Business Profile has built-in statistics. According to Google, you can see among other things:

• Searches: which terms people use to find you.
• Customer actions: whether they visited your website, called or requested directions.
• Entry point: whether customers came in via Search or via Maps.
• Reviews: the number and quality of your ratings.
• Messages and bookings: how many people contact you or book an appointment via your profile.

This is where our rule of thumb comes in: steer on numbers that mean a customer, not on vanity figures. Hundreds of views without calls or enquiries do not move you forward. So look mainly at customer actions and enquiries, and adjust your profile accordingly. If you want this channel to really pay off, connect it to a well-considered SEO strategy instead of letting it run on its own.

And let us be honest: a business profile is not equally valuable for everyone. If you sell purely nationally or internationally without any regional tie, local optimisation delivers less and your energy is better spent elsewhere. For most Belgian B2B service providers with a location or a working area, however, the profile is one of the cheapest ways to attract purchase-ready traffic.

Frequently asked questions about Google Business Profile

Is a Google Business Profile free? Yes. Creating and managing it is completely free. Google does offer paid services such as Google Ads to give you extra visibility, but the core (creating a listing, adding details and interacting with customers) costs nothing.

How do I find my Google Business Profile again? Type your business name into Google Search or Maps. If you created and verified your profile correctly, it appears in the results. You can also log in to your account to manage your profile. After verification, it can take a while before it shows up in the search results.

Can I have multiple business profiles? Yes. If you have multiple businesses or locations, you create a separate profile for each. Every profile does have to be verified individually.

How often should I update my profile? Keep your core information such as opening hours, address and services always up to date. On top of that, publish a post or a new photo every few weeks and reply to reviews regularly to keep your profile fresh and trustworthy.

Need help with your local visibility?

Setting up a Google Business Profile is something you can do yourself, but really making it pay off in B2B enquiries takes the right choices and follow-up. We are a small team that moves fast, steers on customers and revenue instead of vanity numbers, and tells you honestly when something is not worth the effort. No webshop stories, just growth for service providers.

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