The Google Business Profile setup checklist
Your Google Business Profile is, for most local businesses, the most valuable piece of online real estate you own — more important than your website for getting found on Maps. Yet most profiles are barely half-finished. Here’s how to set yours up the way Google rewards.
The essentials
- Claim and verify the profile (you can’t rank without verification).
- Set the correct primary category — the most important field on the whole profile.
- Add all relevant secondary categories.
- Enter your exact name, address and phone — and match them everywhere else online.
- Set accurate opening hours (including public holidays).
The fields most businesses skip
- Services and products — list them out with short descriptions.
- Attributes — tick everything that applies (wheelchair access, free quotes, etc.).
- Business description — a clear, keyword-aware paragraph that reads naturally.
- Service area — define the suburbs you actually serve across South East Queensland.
- Photos — real, well-lit images of your work, team and premises.
The ongoing habits
Setup is once; ranking is ongoing. Google rewards active profiles, so build these habits (or have them managed for you):
- Post updates or offers regularly.
- Ask happy customers for reviews — and reply to every one.
- Answer questions in the Q&A section.
- Keep information accurate whenever anything changes.
Why it matters
A complete, active profile is the foundation everything else builds on — it’s what makes Google Maps SEO and local SEO actually work. Get it right and you’re already ahead of most competitors in your suburb.
Want the full version? Grab our Brisbane Local SEO Checklist, or book a free audit and we’ll review your profile for you.