A Google Business Profile, formerly called Google My Business, is the free listing that puts your business on Google Search and Google Maps, with your phone number, location, hours, photos and reviews. To rank higher, verify it, fill in every field, choose the right primary category, collect recent reviews and reply to all of them, and keep your details identical everywhere online. You cannot buy a better position: Google says "there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google" (Google Business Profile Help).
How do you set up a Google Business Profile?
- Search for your business first. Go to Google Business Profile Manager and check whether a listing already exists. If it does, claim it rather than creating a duplicate.
- Use your real business name. Enter it exactly as customers see it on your signage and trade licence, without extra keywords or locations.
- Choose your primary category. Pick the one that best describes your main service, for example "Dentist" or "Real estate agency". You can add more categories later.
- Add your location or service area. If customers visit you, add your full address. If you visit them, such as home services, set a service area and hide the address.
- Add your phone number and website. Use the same number and web address that appear on your website and other listings.
- Verify the profile. Google chooses the verification method, which is often a short video showing your premises, signage and proof of management. An unverified profile will not perform.
How does Google rank businesses on Google Maps?
Google uses three factors (Google Business Profile Help):
| Factor | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | How well your profile matches what someone searched for | Choose the right categories and fill in services, products and your description |
| Distance | How far you are from the person searching | Use your correct address or service area; you cannot change where customers are |
| Prominence | How well known your business is | Earn reviews, links and mentions from other websites |
How to rank higher on Google Maps: nine steps
- Verify your profile so Google knows you are authorised to manage it.
- Pick the right primary category. It tells Google what your business is and which searches to match it to. Add secondary categories only for services you genuinely offer.
- Fill in every field. Hours, special hours for Ramadan, Eid and public holidays, attributes such as parking or women-only areas, services, products and a clear description.
- Keep your details identical everywhere. Your name, address and phone number should match exactly on your website, social profiles and directories.
- Get reviews steadily, not in bursts. Recency matters to customers: in BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 74 per cent of consumers looked for reviews from the last three months, and 31 per cent would only use businesses rated 4.5 stars or higher (PinMeTo, reporting BrightLocal).
- Reply to every review. In the same survey, 80 per cent were more likely to use a business that replies to all its reviews, and half were put off by generic, templated replies. Write a real reply each time.
- Add real photos and videos. Show your premises, team, products and work. Update them regularly rather than once at launch.
- Post updates and offers. Posts show customers you are active and give them a reason to call now.
- Link to a strong page on your website. Point the profile to the most relevant page, such as a location or service page, not just your homepage.
Mistakes that hurt your ranking
- Adding keywords to your business name. "Bright Smile Dental | Best Dentist Dubai" breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
- Leaving old or duplicate listings. If you have moved, update the address and remove or merge any old listing so Google and customers are not confused.
- Using different phone numbers in different places. Inconsistent details weaken trust with Google and AI tools.
- Buying or incentivising reviews. Fake or paid reviews break Google's policies and can lead to reviews being removed or the profile being restricted.
- Ignoring negative reviews. A calm, helpful reply shows future customers how you handle problems.
Does your Google Business Profile affect AI search?
Yes. Google advises businesses to keep their Business Profile information current as part of appearing in its AI features (Google Search Central). Your profile, reviews and consistent business details are also among the signals AI tools use to decide which local businesses to recommend.
How to measure your Google Business Profile results
The Performance section of your profile shows how customers find and contact you. Track these every month:
- Calls from your profile
- Direction requests
- Website clicks
- Searches that showed your profile, and the words people used
- Reviews: how many new ones and your average rating