The complete Google Business Profile checklist for 2026, field by field

Google's own help pages put numbers on it. With a complete profile on Search and Maps, Google says customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable, 70% more likely to visit, and 50% more likely to consider buying.

Customers say the same thing in independent research. BrightLocal asked 1,227 consumers in 2026 what they looked at while choosing a local business:

When asked for their top reasons in the final choice, "clear and complete information" came first, named by 32%. Almost everything on this list lives in your Business Profile.

Your profile name should match your real-world name, as it appears on your signage, letterhead and registration. Google does not allow taglines, phone numbers, locations or service keywords that are not part of that name.

• Right: "Shree Balaji Opticals"
• Wrong: "Shree Balaji Opticals | Best Eye Test & Spectacles Shop in Pali"

The temptation is real, because keywords in names correlate with higher rankings. But extra words can be removed if reported and, under Google's guidelines, can lead to suspension. Our suspension guide explains what happens next.

Your primary category is the single strongest factor in Whitespark's 2026 expert survey of local rankings. Choose the most specific category that describes your core business: "Pediatric dentist" rather than "Dentist" if that is what you are, "Saree store" rather than "Clothing store" if that is your main trade.

Then add a few secondary categories for other things you genuinely do. Google asks you to "use as few categories as possible" and not to use categories "solely as keywords". Look at the top three competitors for your main search to see which categories they use, then choose only what is true for you.

• If customers visit you, show your full address, matching your signage and documents, with the correct PIN code. Then check the map pin and drag it to your actual entrance.
• If you travel to customers (plumbers, cleaners, home tutors, caterers), hide your address and add the areas you serve. Google asks service-area businesses to hide their address.
• If you do both, show your address and add service areas.

Not allowed: P.O. boxes, mailboxes, and virtual offices that are not staffed during business hours.

Hours climbed from 85th to 21st place in Whitespark's ranking survey between 2023 and 2026, and "open at the time of search" is a top-five factor. Wrong hours also cost you customers who arrive to a closed shutter.

Regular hours: set your normal opening times for every day, including lunch breaks if you close.

Special hours: set these in advance for festivals and holidays. On a computer, Google's steps are:

1. 1Open your Business Profile and choose Edit profile.
2. 2Go to Hours, then Special hours, and click the edit icon.
3. 3Choose a suggested holiday or add a custom date.
4. 4Enter your hours for that date, or keep Closed checked.
5. 5Save.

A few rules from Google: special hours only show if your main hours are set to "Open with main hours"; use special hours for closures of up to six days in a row, and "temporarily closed" for longer; and hours past midnight must be split into two entries.

Preparing for the festive season? Our Diwali Google profile checklist covers this step by step.

"Keywords in GBP services" jumped from 110th to 35th in the 2026 expert survey, one of the biggest rises in the whole report. Most small businesses still leave this section half empty.

Services:

• Select every predefined service Google suggests that you actually offer.
• Add custom services in the words customers use: "Gold jewellery exchange", "Kids' eye test", "Same-day AC repair".
• Add a short description and a price or "from" price where you can.

Products (for shops and restaurants):

• Add your main product groups with a photo, a name, a short description and a price range.
• Retailers in eligible countries can also connect their stock, as Google's help pages describe.

These fields help Google match you to specific searches, and they give AI assistants concrete facts to repeat.

Photos were one of the things consumers looked at in BrightLocal's research, and 16% had rejected a business because it had no photos.

Google's technical requirements are simple: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, ideally 720 × 720 pixels or larger, in focus, well lit, and without heavy filters. Videos can be up to 30 seconds and 75 MB, at 720p or higher.

A useful starter set:

1. 1Logo and a cover photo that shows your business at its best.
2. 2Exterior from the street, in daylight, with the signboard readable, so people recognise you on arrival.
3. 3Interior: the shop floor, waiting area or dining room.
4. 4Your products or work: the actual pieces, dishes or finished jobs.
5. 5Your team at work, with their permission.

Then add a few new photos every month. Google says new photos can take 24 to 48 hours to appear. Our free GMB ONE audit includes an AI-assisted review of your public photos that says what each one shows and which useful shots are missing.

Description: Google asks for something "real, personal and engaging". In two or three short sentences, say what you do, for whom, where, and what makes you different. Do not paste a list of keywords or links.

Attributes: tick the details that are true, such as wheelchair accessibility, parking, payment options, women-led, appointment required or online services. These answer common questions before anyone calls.

Opening date: add the year you opened. It is a small, honest trust signal.

A profile is not finished once it is filled in. In BrightLocal's 2026 decision research, 16% of consumers rejected a business because the listing looked abandoned or unclaimed, and 21% because its reviews were out of date.

A simple monthly routine keeps your profile active:

• Week 1: post an update, offer or event, with a real photo.
• Every week: ask customers for reviews and reply to every new one. See our Google reviews guide.
• Week 3: add three or four new photos.
• End of month: check hours, upcoming holidays, services and prices, and review any suggested edits from Google or the public.

Google has also been changing parts of the profile. The questions and answers feature has been scaled back since Google discontinued its Q&A API in November 2025, and new AI tools such as Ask Maps answer customer questions from your profile information and reviews. That makes accurate, complete fields even more important. Read more in how AI is changing local search.