Checklist · Local search

The Google Business Profile checklist.

How to set up, verify and keep the free Google listing that puts a Melbourne small business on the map, and how to make it match your website. General information from Google’s published guidelines, not legal advice.

Go to the checklist Web design Melbourne

Written by Rifat Hasan Rafi, founder of SIX9 Design · Last reviewed 12 October 2026

Profile and website

What the profile does, and what the website does

They are a pair. The profile gets you found; the website answers the questions the profile cannot.

Customer question	Google Business Profile	Your website
Is there one near me, open now?	Map position, hours, phone, directions	Hours again, with parking and the nearest station or tram stop
What exactly do they do, and for how much?	Short service list, a few products or prices	A section per service, packages, prices or a starting price
Can I trust them?	Review count and rating, your replies, photos	Real work, licences and registrations, team, ABN, case studies
How do I book or get a quote?	Call, message, booking link	Quote form, booking tool, the details a job needs

The checklist

Setting up and keeping a Google Business Profile

Work through these in order. Most take a few minutes; verification can take days.

Search for your business before you create anything
Google often creates an unclaimed listing from public data. Claim that one rather than making a duplicate; duplicates confuse customers and can get both suspended.
Use your real business name, nothing added
The name must match your signage, website and invoices. No suburbs, services, phone numbers or slogans, per Google’s guidelines.
Choose one accurate primary category
“Plumber”, “Café”, “Dental clinic”, “Website designer”. Add secondary categories only for things you genuinely do. The primary category decides most of the searches you appear for.
Address or service area, not both pretending
A shop, clinic or office shows its address. A business that travels to customers clears the address and sets a service area of the suburbs or regions it covers. Do not use a home address, a mailbox or a virtual office as a storefront.
Verify the profile
Google decides the method: video verification is now common, alongside phone, email or a posted code. Follow the steps in Google’s verification guide; nobody else can do it for you.
Hours, plus special hours for every public holiday
Set regular hours, then special hours for Victorian public holidays before each one. “Open” on Christmas Day when you are closed is the fastest way to earn a one-star review.
Phone, website and booking link that all work
Use the number you answer. Link the website page that matches the profile, and add your booking or quote link if you have one.
A description in plain English
Up to 750 characters: what you do, who for, where, and what makes you different. No prices that go out of date, no keyword lists, no links.
Services and products with prices where you can
List the services customers search for, in their words, with a price or starting price where your industry allows it. Keep them identical to the website.
Your own photos, added regularly
The shopfront, the team, real work, the inside of the venue. Phone photos are fine; stock photos and logos as every image are not. Add a few each month.
Ask for reviews, reply to all of them
Share your review link with every customer, never offer anything in return, and reply to every review within a few days. Google’s review guidance and content policy set the rules.
Match the website exactly
Name, phone, address or service area, hours and categories should read the same on the profile, the website footer and your contact page. Mismatches cost trust with customers and with Google.
Turn on messaging only if you will answer
Unanswered messages are worse than no messaging. The same goes for the Q&A section: answer questions, and add your own common questions with answers.
Check it monthly
Suggested edits from the public can change your hours or category without you noticing. Log in, review the information, add a post or photo, and check for new reviews.

Reviews

Reviews, honestly

Reviews move the map result more than almost anything else you control, and the rules are strict.

Ask every customer, not only the happy ones; selective asking breaks Google’s policy.
Never pay, discount or gift for a review, and never write or buy reviews. Fake reviews also breach Australian Consumer Law.
Reply to every review in a sentence or two. Thank the good ones; answer the bad ones calmly with what you will do next.
Do not set up a review kiosk or tablet at your premises; reviews must come from the customer’s own device.
Quote reviews on the website only with the customer’s permission, and never change the words.

Nobody can promise a position in the map pack, and Google does not sell map positions. Accurate details, real photos, honest reviews and a matching website give you the best chance, and results take time.

Mistakes

Common Google Business Profile mistakes

The same few problems come up on most Melbourne small-business profiles we look at.

Keywords in the business name
“Joe’s Plumbing Melbourne Emergency 24/7” is not a business name. It is the most common cause of a suspended profile.
Wrong or missing public holiday hours
Customers drive to a closed shop and leave a review about it.
A home address shown as a shopfront
Against the guidelines, and it sends people to your front door.
Different details on the website
A different phone number or old address on the site makes Google and customers doubt both.
No replies to reviews
A profile with a dozen unanswered reviews looks unattended. Replies are public and they are read.
Paying a stranger to “optimise” it
Most calls and emails about your profile are sales pitches. Everything on this checklist is free and takes an hour.

Sources

Where this checklist comes from

Google publishes its rules. These are the pages this checklist is based on.

Sources

Google — guidelines for representing your business on Google · checked 12 October 2026
Google — verify your Business Profile · checked 12 October 2026
Google — get reviews on Google and the review content policy · checked 12 October 2026
Google — prohibited and restricted content for Business Profile reviews · checked 12 October 2026
Google — set your business hours, including special hours for public holidays · checked 12 October 2026
ABN Lookup — check an ABN · checked 12 October 2026

We build websites to match the profile: the same name, hours, service areas and prices on both. The profile itself stays yours; we never ask for your Google login. See web design in Melbourne.

Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?

No. Creating, verifying and managing a Business Profile is free. Anyone who phones offering to “claim” or “rank” your profile for a fee is a third party, not Google, and cannot guarantee a map position.

Can I add “Melbourne” or my services to my business name on Google?

Not unless they are part of your real-world name. Google’s guidelines say the name must match the name used consistently on your signage, website and stationery. Adding suburbs, services or slogans, such as “Best Plumber Melbourne”, breaks the guidelines and can lead to the profile being suspended.

I work from home. Do I need to show my address?

No. If you visit customers rather than serving them at your premises, set the profile up as a service-area business: clear the address and list the suburbs or regions you cover. The same rule applies to mobile trades, cleaners, personal trainers who travel and most consultants.

Can I ask customers for reviews?

Yes. Google says you can ask customers to leave a review and can share your review link. You cannot offer money, discounts or gifts in exchange, ask only happy customers (selectively soliciting), write reviews for your own business, or post reviews from a device at your premises. Reply to every review, including the bad ones, in plain English.

How often should I update the profile?

Check it monthly, and always before a public holiday: set special hours so Google does not show you as open on Christmas Day or Good Friday. Add a few new photos and a post when something changes, such as a new service, a price change or a seasonal offer.

Which category should a Melbourne web design studio or any small business choose?

Pick the single primary category that best describes your main business, such as “Website designer”, “Plumber”, “Café” or “Dental clinic”, then add secondary categories only for services you genuinely offer. Categories drive which searches the profile appears for, so a wrong primary category costs more than a missing secondary one.

Do I still need a website if the profile is set up well?

A profile has limited room for your services, areas, prices and proof. The website is where people land after the map result, and the two should match exactly: name, phone, address or service area, hours and categories. SIX9 Design builds websites to match a profile for A$169, A$299 or A$449 once; the profile itself is yours to set up and manage, and we never ask for your Google login.

Keep exploring

Web design MelbourneWebsites built to match your profile, with suburb guides Tradie website checklistService areas, licences, quote forms and the profile pairing for trades Restaurant website checklistHours that match Google, text menus and bookings Small business website checklistThe basics every small business site needs Website accessibility checklistThe Disability Discrimination Act, WCAG 2.2 AA and twelve checks How to write a service pageThe structure that turns a visit into an enquiry Domain and hosting guide.com.au, who owns it, DNS, email and hosting How to ask for Google reviewsThe process, the templates and the rules Melbourne suburb guidesWhat businesses in each suburb need from a website

Get started

Found on the map.
Chosen on the website.

Tell us what your business does and the suburbs you serve. We confirm the pages, scope and total in writing before any work starts.

Web design Melbourne