Local SEO: Show Up on Google Maps with Your Business Profile
Local SEO step by step: set up and verify your Google Business Profile, pick categories, add photos, earn reviews and keep your info consistent.
When someone types "tacos near me" or "dentist in Cancún," the first decision rarely happens on a website. It happens on the map. A handful of businesses show up there with stars, photos and a button to call or get directions. In this guide, you'll set up your Google Business Profile so you have a real shot at being on that map, and you'll understand what depends on you and what doesn't.
Local SEO works for searches with a place in mind. The star here isn't your website, it's your listing: name, address, hours, photos and reviews. That listing is called a Google Business Profile, and it's free.
Before you start: how Google decides which businesses to show
Google explains in its official help article on how to improve your local ranking that local results are based mainly on three factors:
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what the person searched for.
- Distance: how far your business is from the searcher, or from the place they mentioned.
- Prominence: how well known your business is, based on signals like reviews, mentions and links on other sites.
The same page puts it plainly: you can't request or pay for a better local ranking on Google. You don't control distance (you're not moving your storefront). What you do control is relevance and a good part of prominence. That's what the steps below are for.
What to have on hand:
- A Google account that belongs to the business, not the personal account of an employee who could leave tomorrow.
- Your business's real name, exactly as it appears on your storefront sign.
- Exact address, phone number, hours and website, if you have one.
- Real photos of the space, the product and the team at work.
Step by step: setting up your Business Profile
1. Claim or create your profile, and verify it
Search for your business on Google Maps. There may already be a listing, created by a customer or generated automatically. If it exists, claim it; if not, create it. Google walks through both paths in add or claim your Business Profile.
Next comes verification, which is how you prove to Google that you really represent the business. The method available depends on your type of business, and Google shows it to you on screen. Be patient: until you verify, your control over the listing is limited.
Common mistake: creating a new profile when one already existed. You end up with two listings that split your reviews and confuse customers. Google asks for one profile per business.
2. Use your real name, with no filler words
The guidelines for representing your business on Google ask that your name match the one on your storefront, your website and your paperwork. Adding promotional phrases, cities or services that aren't part of the name isn't allowed.
An example: picture a sandwich shop called "Tortas Doña Mago." Listing it as "Tortas Doña Mago Best Tortas Downtown Cancún Home Delivery" may look clever, but it breaks the guidelines and puts the listing at risk. The name is "Tortas Doña Mago." Everything else belongs in categories, description and services.
Common mistake: thinking that stuffing keywords into the name is SEO. It's one of the fastest ways to get your profile suspended.
3. Choose your categories with precision
Your primary category is one of the decisions that weighs most on relevance. Pick the most specific one that describes what you do: "Seafood restaurant" says more than "Restaurant." The guidelines ask you to use as few categories as possible to describe your core business.
Then add secondary categories only if you truly offer them. A useful test: "If someone searches for exactly this and walks in, will they leave happy?" If the answer is no, drop that category.
Common mistake: adding categories just in case. A boutique hotel that lists "Spa," "Restaurant," "Bar" and "Event venue" without running them as such confuses Google and disappoints whoever shows up.
4. Fill in every field as if it were your front counter
Google recommends keeping your information complete and up to date: address, hours (including special holiday hours), category and attributes like parking or Wi-Fi. Think of each field as a question someone would ask you over the phone:
- Hours: are you open on November 1 and 2 (Day of the Dead)? What about Christmas? Use special hours.
- Services or products: write them in your customer's words, not your internal catalog's.
- Description: two or three clear sentences on what you do, who it's for and what sets you apart. No links, no promotions.
- Attributes: whether you take cards, have wheelchair access or serve customers in English. All of it helps people decide.
You can edit all of this from your profile by following Google's help on how to edit your Business Profile.
Common mistake: leaving outdated hours. Few things erode trust faster than arriving at a closed door when Google said you were open.
5. Upload photos that answer questions
Photos are your listing's storefront window. In its ranking guide, Google suggests adding photos and videos that show what you offer and tell your business's story.
Build your first batch around what customers want to know before they come:
- The exterior, as it looks from the street, so they recognize you when they arrive.
- The interior, in natural light, so they know what atmosphere to expect.
- Your signature product, up close: the steam rising from the broth, the texture of the dough, the finish on the piece.
- Your team at work, with their permission, so customers know who will be taking care of them.
- Practical details: the parking, the entrance, the terrace.
You don't need a professional shoot to get started. You need honest, sharp, well-lit photos. Also check Google's help on how to manage photos and videos on your profile.
Common mistake: using stock images or renders that don't look like the place. Customers notice the moment they walk in, and that disappointment often turns into a review.
6. Ask everyone for reviews, and reply to all of them
Reviews count toward prominence and, above all, toward the decision of the person comparing options. Google lets you create a link or QR code to ask for reviews from your profile, and suggests sharing it on receipts, in thank-you emails, at the end of a chat conversation or printed in your space.
A simple message to ask on WhatsApp, which you can adapt:
Thanks for coming in today. If you enjoyed it, it would mean a lot if you left us a review on Google. Here's the link.
Two rules for asking the right way:
- Don't offer anything in return. Google considers discounts or gifts for a review to be fake engagement, and prohibits them in its tips for getting more reviews.
- Don't ask only the customers who left happy. Ask everyone equally: filtering who you ask distorts your image and keeps you from learning what needs fixing.
And reply to every review, good or bad. For a good one, say thanks with something specific ("so glad you loved the pescado a la talla"). For a bad one, acknowledge it, explain without arguing and offer a way to make it right. That reply is read by the customer who doesn't know you yet, not just the one who complained. If you get a lot of them, BDB has a tool for answering reviews and messages with AI built for restaurants.
Common mistake: answering criticism defensively. An irritated reply weighs more than the original review.
7. Keep your details identical everywhere
Your name, address and phone number should be exactly the same on your Business Profile, your website, your social media, the directories you appear in and any booking or delivery platforms. If one place says "Av. Tulum" and another "Avenida Tulum SM 4," or one number is the landline and another the owner's cell, you're sending Google and your customers mixed signals.
Do this exercise once:
- Look up your business on Google, on Maps and on the apps you use (social media, directories, booking).
- Write down in a spreadsheet how your name, address, phone number and hours appear on each one.
- Pick the official version and correct all the others to match.
- Keep that spreadsheet. It's your reference every time you list the business somewhere new.
Your website counts too: give it a contact page with the same details, a map and your hours. If you don't have a site, or yours is out of date, our web packages are designed for businesses that need a solid, fast foundation.
Common mistake: changing your phone number or address and updating only Instagram. Google keeps showing the old info, and customers call a number nobody answers.
8. Keep the profile alive
A profile isn't something you set up once and forget. Add new photos when the menu or the season changes, post updates when you have something to say, and check now and then whether anyone has suggested edits to your information, because any user can propose them.
A realistic routine: a quick weekly check to reply to reviews, and a fuller monthly pass for photos, hours and services. If you also advertise on social media, make sure the ad and the profile tell the same story. Our guide to Meta ads for local businesses shows you how to think about that consistency.
Common mistake: abandoning the profile after verification. Unanswered questions and unreplied reviews say "nobody's home."
Final local SEO checklist
- Profile claimed and verified, only one per business.
- Real name, matching your storefront, with no added keywords.
- Specific primary category, and secondary ones only if they apply.
- Complete address, phone number and hours, including special holiday hours.
- Clear description, services written in your customer's words and attributes filled in.
- Real photos of the exterior, interior, product and team.
- Review link or QR code, no incentives, shared with everyone.
- Every review answered, calmly and with specifics.
- Name, address and phone number identical across your website, social media and directories.
- Weekly and monthly maintenance routine.
Once your listing is in order
With these steps, your Business Profile is ready to compete on everything you actually control. The next level isn't in the listing anymore, it's around it: photos that feel like your brand, a fast website that backs up what the profile says and customer service that answers on time. If you'd like us to look at your case, reach out through our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay Google to rank higher on Google Maps?
No. Google states in its official help that you can't request or pay for a better local ranking. For organic results, what counts is your business's relevance, distance and prominence.
What if my business has no storefront and I go to my customers?
You can still have a Business Profile as a service-area business. In that case, Google asks you to hide your address and set the areas you serve. Don't list your home address as if it were a storefront open to the public if customers don't visit you there.
Is it OK to offer a discount in exchange for a review?
No. Google considers incentives for reviews to be fake engagement, and its policies prohibit them. The right way is to ask every customer equally, with no strings attached, and make the link easy to find.
How often should I update my Business Profile?
Every time something real changes: hours, phone number, services, season or a holiday. It also pays to check in regularly to add new photos, reply to reviews and make sure no one has suggested incorrect edits.
Sources
- How to improve your local ranking on Google
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Add or claim your Business Profile
- Verify your business on Google
- Edit your Business Profile
- Manage photos and videos on your Business Profile
- Create a link or QR code to ask for reviews
- Tips to get more reviews
