Why your Business Profile matters
For most local searches, such as "roofer Milton Keynes" or "hairdresser near me", Google shows a map with three businesses above the normal results. On a phone, that map pack is often all people see before they call someone. Your Google Business Profile is what decides whether you're in it.
Google weighs three things when choosing who to show: how relevant you are to the search, how close you are to the person searching, and how prominent your business is. You can't move your location, but almost everything else on this list improves relevance and prominence.
1. Get the setup right: storefront or service area
If customers visit you, such as a shop, salon or café, show your address. If you travel to customers or work remotely, set your profile up as a service-area business: hide your address and list the areas you serve instead, for example Milton Keynes, Bletchley, Newport Pagnell and Stony Stratford.
Don't use a virtual office or a mail-forwarding address to get a pin in central Milton Keynes. That's against Google's guidelines and is a common reason for suspensions.
2. Choose the right primary category
Your primary category is one of the strongest relevance signals on your profile. Pick the one that best describes your main service, for example "Electrician" rather than "Contractor". Then add a few secondary categories for other genuine services. Look at the categories used by competitors ranking in the top three for ideas.
3. Use your real business name
Enter your business name exactly as it appears on your signage, website and paperwork. Adding extra keywords, such as "Smith Plumbing – Boiler Repairs Milton Keynes", breaks Google's guidelines. It might give a short-term boost, but it can lead to suspension or a competitor suggesting an edit.
4. Write a useful description
You have 750 characters. Use them to say what you do, who you do it for and where, in plain language. Mention your main services and the areas you cover naturally. Don't stuff in keywords or include links and offers, which aren't allowed in the description.
5. Fill in every section
- Phone number, matching your website exactly
- Website link, the same address your site uses
- Opening hours, including holiday hours
- Services, with short descriptions where you can
- Products, if you sell them
- Attributes, such as payment options or accessibility
Google regularly shows a "profile strength" prompt. It's worth working through until there's nothing left to complete.
6. Add real photos, and keep adding them
Upload a logo, a cover photo and real photos of your work, team, van or premises. Before-and-after shots work well for trades. Avoid stock photos. Adding a few new photos every month shows Google the profile is active.
7. Post updates regularly
Google posts let you share news, offers, recent jobs and seasonal tips directly on your profile. A short post each week, with a photo, keeps the profile fresh and gives customers more reasons to call. Mentioning the area naturally, for example a job in Wolverton or Kents Hill, helps too.
8. Build a steady flow of reviews
Reviews are one of the biggest factors in the map pack. Send customers your direct review link after every job and reply to every review you get. Our guide on how to get Google reviews walks through it step by step.
9. Keep your details consistent everywhere
Google cross-checks your business name, phone number and website against other sites. Make sure they match on your website, Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yell and any other directories you're listed on. Old numbers or names left on other sites can hold you back.
10. Link your website and profile both ways
Add your website to your Business Profile, and link back to your profile from your website, for example in your contact section or your site's structured data. This helps Google, and AI tools that read the web, connect the two as the same business.
11. Protect your profile
Anyone can suggest edits to a public profile, and Google sometimes applies them automatically. Check your profile regularly for changes you didn't make. Avoid changing your business name, address or category repeatedly, as big changes can trigger re-verification.
A note on new profiles
New profiles take time to settle. In the first few weeks you may see your profile fully while customers struggle to find it, and AI search tools can take even longer to catch up. That's normal. Keep completing the profile, posting and collecting reviews, and visibility usually follows. Our guide on how long local SEO takes explains the timeline.
Want it handled for you?
Full Google Maps and Business Profile management is included in our £350 a month package for Milton Keynes businesses, alongside your website, local SEO and social media.