Your Google Business Profile is the single most valuable piece of free real estate a local business has — and most are half-finished. Here's the exact checklist I run through for clients. Work top to bottom; each step builds on the last.

The checklist

1. Claim and verify the listing. Search your business name on Google, claim it, and complete verification (postcard, phone, or video). Nothing else matters until this is done.

2. Set the right primary category. Be specific — "Italian Restaurant," not "Restaurant." This single field heavily shapes what you rank for.

3. Add secondary categories. Cover the other things you genuinely do, without padding.

4. Get your NAP perfect. Name, address, phone — exactly as they appear on your website. Consistency is a ranking factor.

5. Set accurate hours, including public holidays. Wrong hours frustrate customers and erode trust.

6. Write a real description. 750 characters, written for humans, naturally including what you do and where.

7. Add your services and products, with short descriptions and prices where you can.

8. Upload real photos. Exterior, interior, team, and work samples. Profiles with photos get far more clicks and calls.

9. Turn on messaging and Q&A, and seed the Q&A with the questions you're always asked.

10. Start posting weekly. Offers, updates, new work. An active profile signals to Google that you're a live, real business.

After setup: the part most people skip

A finished profile is the starting line, not the finish. The two habits that compound over time are collecting reviews and posting consistently. Build both into your week — even five minutes — and you'll pull ahead of competitors who set up once and walked away.

Want this done properly and kept up to date without you having to think about it? That's part of my local SEO service. Or if you'd rather DIY, start with my guide on how to rank higher on Google Maps.