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How to set up a Google Business Profile in New Zealand.
Your Google Business Profile is what puts you in the map results and the panel on the right of Google. For a local business it's often worth more than the website. It's free, and you can set it up yourself in an afternoon.
Before you start
- A Google account you'll keep. Use a business account rather than a staff member's personal one, so it doesn't leave when they do.
- Your business name exactly as customers see it on your signage, invoices and website.
- A phone number and website address.
- Either a physical address customers visit, or a list of the areas you travel to.
Step by step
Go to business.google.com and search for your business first. If a profile already exists, claim it instead of making a second one. Duplicates confuse Google and split your reviews.
10 minutesYour real business name and nothing else. Adding keywords, such as “Smith Plumbing Wellington Emergency Plumber”, breaks Google's rules and is one of the most common reasons profiles get suspended.
Get it rightThe primary category matters more than anything else you fill in. Pick the most specific one that matches your main service, such as “Electrician” or “Physiotherapist”. Add a few secondary categories for other services.
Most importantIf customers come to you, add your address. If you go to them, as trades and mobile services do, hide the address and list the suburbs, towns or regions you cover instead.
Shopfront or service areaGoogle chooses the method. These days it's usually a short video showing your signage, tools, vehicle or workplace, and proof you run the business. Approval can take from a few days to a couple of weeks.
Days to weeksFill in everything
A half-finished profile ranks below a complete one. Once you're verified, add:
- Services, each with a short description in plain words.
- Opening hours, including public holidays. Wrong hours lose customers and earn bad reviews.
- Photos: your work, your premises, your team. Real photos beat stock images.
- A description of what you do and where, written for people.
- Your website link, pointing to the page that best matches the profile. A business with several locations should link each profile to its own location page.
- A booking link if you take appointments online.
Reviews
Reviews are the biggest ranking factor you control after setup, and the first thing a customer reads.
- Ask every happy customer. Copy the “ask for reviews” link from your profile and send it by text or email straight after the job.
- Reply to every review, good and bad. A calm, helpful reply to a bad review does more for you than the review does against you.
- Don't buy reviews or offer discounts for them. It's against Google's rules, and Google removes them and can restrict your profile.
Keeping it working
Update the profile whenever something changes: hours, services, phone number. Add new photos every month or two. Check it every few weeks, because anyone can suggest edits to your profile and Google sometimes accepts them without asking you.
Make sure your business name, address and phone number match exactly everywhere they appear: your website, Facebook, and directories like Yellow and Finda. Mismatches make Google less sure which details are right.
Common questions
Can I have a Google Business Profile without a shopfront?
Yes. Set it up as a service-area business, hide your address, and list the areas you cover. You do need a real address for verification, but customers won't see it.
Can I use a PO Box or a virtual office?
No. Google doesn't accept PO Boxes or mailbox addresses, or virtual offices without staff on site, and profiles using them are a common target for suspension.
How long until I show up in the map results?
A verified, complete profile usually starts appearing for searches on your business name straight away. Showing up for searches like “plumber near me” takes longer and depends on your reviews, your distance from the searcher, and how strong your competitors' profiles are.
Do you set these up?
Yes. Claiming and setting up your profile properly is part of my SEO setup, and the monthly SEO keeps it current and growing. If you're in the capital, see SEO in Wellington.