Optimize Google Business Profile: complete guide for 2026

When someone searches on Google for a hairdresser, accountant, restaurant, plumber, or web designer nearby, local results often appear prominently. For businesses that want to reach customers in their own region, a well-configured Google Business Profile can therefore be very valuable.

Misschien ken je het nog als Google Mijn Bedrijf. Die naam wordt nog steeds veel gebruikt, maar Google noemt het tegenwoordig officieel Google Bedrijfsprofiel. Alleen een profiel aanmaken is echter niet genoeg. Als belangrijke informatie ontbreekt, de verkeerde categorie is gekozen of je profiel maandenlang niet wordt bijgewerkt, haal je er waarschijnlijk veel minder uit dan mogelijk is.

In this guide, you’ll therefore learn not only how to create a Google Business Profile, but above all how to optimize Google My Business for better local visibility, a stronger first impression, and more relevant visitors to your website.

What is a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile is the business listing that can appear when someone searches for your business or a relevant local service. Depending on the type of business, the profile can display, among other things, your business name, address or service area, phone number, website, opening hours, photos, services, and reviews.

Voor fysieke bedrijven is het profiel vooral belangrijk voor zichtbaarheid in Google Maps en lokale zoekresultaten. Ook bedrijven die voornamelijk bij klanten op locatie werken, kunnen in veel gevallen een profiel gebruiken met een servicegebied in plaats van een zichtbaar bezoekadres.

Google My Business or Google Business Profile?

You’ll come across both names online. Google My Business is the older name for Google My Business. The current name is Google Business Profile.

For SEO, it makes sense to use both terms in a natural way. Some people still search for ‘optimize Google My Business’, while others search for ‘optimize Google Business Profile’. In this guide, we mean the same Google service by both terms.

Why optimize Google My Business?

A complete and up-to-date profile helps Google and potential customers better understand what your business does, where you operate, and how someone can contact you. That sounds simple, but this basic foundation is exactly where many businesses go wrong.

Local visibility isn’t about one trick. Your business’s relevance to the search query, the distance to the searcher, and the overall prominence of your company all play a role. Reviews, consistent business information, and a strong website together reinforce your local presence.

A Google Business Profile therefore works best as part of a broader local SEO strategy, not as a standalone channel.

Step 1: add or claim your Google Business Profile

First, check whether your business is already on Google. Sometimes a business listing already exists without you having created it yourself. In that case, you don’t need to create a second profile. Claim the existing profile and request ownership or management access.

If there is no profile yet, you can add a new business listing. Use the real business details and avoid duplicate profiles for the same location.

Step 2: verify your business

Verification is necessary to prove that you’re authorized to manage the business. The available verification method may differ per business. Google determines which options you’re offered.

Therefore, follow the verification steps that appear in your own account. Once verification is complete, you can manage the key details and further optimize the profile.

Step 3: use your real business name

It may seem attractive to stuff extra keywords into your business name, for example by adding place names or services after the official name. That is not a wise approach if those words are not actually part of your business name.

Use the name as customers also see it on your website, documents, and any physical location. Relevant keywords belong in your website content, services, and descriptions—not as an artificial addition to your business name.

Step 4: choose the right primary category

The primary category is one of the most important parts of your profile. Choose as specifically as possible what your business mainly does. A general category provides less context than a category that precisely matches your main activity.

You can add additional categories when they are truly relevant, but don’t try to collect as many categories as possible. Clarity is more important than quantity.

Step 5: set your location or service area correctly

Not every business welcomes customers at a store or office address. A plumber, cleaning company, or mobile service provider, for example, mainly works at customers’ locations.

If customers cannot visit your address, set a service area and do not display an address that is not used as a real customer location. If you do have a physical location where customers can go, make sure the address, pin, and opening hours are correct.

Step 6: complete your business information in full

Regularly check whether your phone number, website, address, service area, opening hours, categories and business description are still correct. If anything changes in your business, update it not only on your website but also in your Google Business Profile.

Complete information helps visitors decide more quickly whether your business matches their needs. It also prevents frustration caused by old phone numbers, incorrect opening hours or a non-existent address.

Step 7: add relevant services

The services list is often forgotten. Still, this is a good place to make clear what your business actually offers.

For a web agency, for example, these could include web design, WordPress development, online store development, website maintenance and search engine optimization. Give services clear names and write descriptions for people, not for search engines.

Step 8: add good photos and videos

A business profile without good images quickly feels incomplete. Your own photos help potential customers get a picture of your business, team, location, products or completed projects.

Where possible, use up-to-date and authentic visuals. A restaurant shows dishes and the interior, a contractor showcases projects, and a web agency can, for example, use photos of the team, the workplace or relevant project images.

Stock photos can be supportive, but they build less trust than real images of your business.

Step 9: collect genuine Google reviews

Reviews play a major role in how potential customers assess your business. Therefore, ask satisfied customers in a normal way to share their experience.

Make the process easy with a direct review link. Then respond to both positive and negative reviews. A short, personal reply shows that you actively engage with customers.

Avoid bought reviews, rewards for positive reviews, and other artificial methods. They can damage trust and create unnecessary risks.

Step 10: use Google Posts when you have something relevant to share

Through your Google Business Profile you can publish updates, for example about a new service, an event, a temporary promotion, or important company news.

Use Posts mainly when you genuinely have something useful to say. Don’t see them as a magical SEO trick, but as extra information for people who are already viewing your profile.

Step 11: link your profile to a strong website

Your Google Business Profile may be the first introduction, but for bigger decisions a potential customer usually wants more information. That’s where your website comes in.

Make sure the website you link clearly explains what you do, who you work for, which region you operate in, and how someone can get in touch. Relevant service pages and strong local content help your profile and website reinforce each other.

For Moonbeetle, this means that an article about Google Business Profile can logically link through to pages about SEO, web design, website maintenance, and other relevant services.

Step 12: measure how customers find your profile

A verified profile gives you insight into how people interact with your business listing. Depending on the type of profile, you can view things like search terms, profile views, direction requests, phone calls, and website clicks.

Use that data to make decisions. Are you often found for a service that’s barely mentioned on your website? Then that’s a signal to flesh out that service better. Getting lots of profile views but few website clicks? Then review your offering, photos, and call-to-action.

Common mistakes in Google Business Profile optimization

Most issues don’t come from complex SEO, but from small things that never get updated. An incorrect category, outdated opening hours, an old phone number, or an incomplete profile can immediately worsen the experience for potential customers.

Another common mistake is creating a second profile while a business listing already exists. So always check first whether your business is already on Google.

Keyword stuffing in the business name, irrelevant service areas, and unrealistic business information also work against you rather than for you.

Optimizing your Google Business Profile isn’t a one-time task

After creating your profile, you’re not done. Businesses change: you add new services, new photos, different opening hours, and new reviews. Your website changes too.

Therefore, regularly check whether your profile still matches reality. The goal isn’t to change something every day. The goal is that someone who finds your business today sees reliable, up-to-date information.

Optimizing Google My Business for local SEO

If you want to become more visible locally, look beyond just your Google Business Profile. A good local SEO strategy combines a strong profile with relevant website content, clear service pages, technical SEO, local relevance, and reliable business listings.

This way, you not only build a nice listing in Google Maps, but a complete online presence that helps visitors actually become customers.

When should you outsource Google Business Profile optimization?

You can easily create and maintain a basic profile yourself. Professional help becomes more interesting when you manage multiple locations, have verification issues, want to improve local rankings, or want to combine Google Business Profile with a broader SEO strategy.

At Moonbeetle, we look at the full picture: website, technical SEO, local visibility, content, and Google Business Profile should support each other. Being visible alone is nice. Being visible and convincing visitors to get in touch is ultimately much more valuable.

Frequently asked questions about Google Business Profile

Is Google Business Profile free?

Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. You can use paid Google Ads alongside your profile, but that is not necessary to manage the profile itself.

How do I create a Google Business Profile?

First check whether your business already exists in Google Search or Google Maps. If there is no profile yet, add the business. If a listing already exists, claim it and follow the verification steps.

How can I optimize Google My Business?

Start with accurate business information, a suitable primary category, the correct address or service area, relevant services, up-to-date photos, and genuine customer reviews. Then keep the profile updated regularly.

Can I have a Google Business Profile without a physical storefront?

Yes, for many service businesses that is possible. If customers are not received at your address, you can set a service area and keep the address hidden.

How do I manage my Google Business Profile?

Sign in with the Google account that is the owner or manager of the profile. From there you can manage business information, categories, services, photos, reviews, and other components.

Can I rank higher in Google Maps by paying?

An advertising campaign can provide paid visibility, but you can’t buy organic local rankings directly. For organic visibility, relevance, location, trustworthiness, and a strong online presence are important.

What should I do if my Google Business Profile isn’t visible?

First check whether the profile is verified, whether the business details are correct, and whether the business is eligible for a Business Profile. Also see whether there are any warnings, suspensions, or ownership issues in the account.