Google Business Profile for NZ small businesses: a practical checklist

Your Google Business Profile is the panel that shows your business on Google Search and Maps: your hours, phone number, photos and reviews. Adding or claiming one costs nothing, and Google says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results. This checklist works through a profile in the order we would do it.

How Google decides who shows up

Google names three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Distance is how far you are from the person searching, and you cannot change it. Relevance is how well your profile matches what they searched for, which is why complete details matter. Prominence is how well known your business is, and Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help. Google is also clear that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

1. Claim and verify the profile

• Search for your business on Google Maps first. A profile may already exist, and if it is unverified you can claim it.
• If someone else already manages it, such as a former staff member or a previous web designer, request ownership from them instead of starting again.
• Verify it. Depending on your business, Google may offer phone or text, email, a video recording, a live video call or a postcard. Google picks which methods you are offered, and you may need more than one.
• Allow time. Google says verification reviews can take up to 5 business days.
• You need a verified profile to edit your business details, so do this before anything else.

2. Get the basics exactly right

• Name: your real business name, as it appears on your signage, website and invoices. Google does not allow taglines, phone numbers or web addresses in the name.
• Address: a real physical location. Google does not accept PO boxes or virtual offices.
• Service area: if you travel to customers, hide your address and list the areas you serve instead. You can add up to 20, and Google says the overall area should be no more than about two hours of driving from where you are based.
• Phone: a direct local number where you can, rather than a central call centre. You can list up to three.
• Website: your own site, with the full address including https://.
• Description: up to 750 characters on what you offer, what makes you different and how long you have been in business. No links.

Google reviews changes before they go live, so an edit may not show straight away.

3. Choose categories carefully

Your primary category should be the most specific one that describes what your business is. Google's own example is choosing "Nail salon" over "Salon". Add as few extra categories as you need, and do not add one for every service you offer: services have their own section. Changing a category can mean verifying the business again, so it pays to get it right first time.

4. Hours, holidays and closures

• Regular hours: the hours customers can visit or call.
• Special hours: for short changes of up to 6 days in a row, such as Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Matariki or Christmas Day. Your regular hours stay as they are.
• Temporarily closed: Google says to use this instead if you close for 7 days or more, such as a two-week shutdown over summer.
• More hours: for parts of the business that keep different times, such as delivery or pick-up.

5. Photos

• Add a logo, a cover photo and real photos of your work, your premises and your team.
• Use JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB. Google recommends 720 by 720 pixels, with 250 by 250 as the minimum.
• Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and represent reality, without heavy filters or editing.
• New photos can take 24 to 48 hours to appear.

6. Services

Add the services you offer, either from the suggestions Google shows for your category or as your own. Each one can have a description and a price. Keep prices and phone numbers out of the service name itself, because Google rejects custom services that include them.

7. Reviews

• Ask: send happy customers your review link, or show them the QR code from your profile.
• Never pay for them: Google prohibits offering discounts, freebies or anything else in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing one.
• Reply: keep it short, personal and polite. Replies are public, so write for the next customer reading as well.
• Bad reviews: acknowledge the problem, apologise where it is warranted, and offer to sort out the detail by phone or email.

8. Posts

Posts let you share updates, offers and events on your profile. Posts older than six months are archived unless you set a date range, so a short post every few weeks keeps the profile looking current. Leave phone numbers out of the post text: Google may reject a post with a number it cannot confirm belongs to you.

9. Keep your details the same everywhere

People in marketing call this NAP consistency: your name, address and phone number match everywhere they appear. Google's guidelines ask for the business name you use consistently on your storefront, website and stationery. Check your website, Facebook page and any directory listings against your profile, and when you move or change numbers, update them all on the same day so customers never find an old one.

If you would rather hand it over

Most of this is an afternoon of careful work, and you can do it yourself. If you would rather not, we offer Google Business Profile optimisation for $299. It is a one-off piece of work, not a retainer, and the profile stays in your own Google account. No GST is added: Blank Software Limited is not registered for GST.