Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees, before your website, your ads or your reviews anywhere else. It decides whether you appear in the map pack, whether people call or visit, and how you compare with the business next door. Canadians search for “Google Business Profile” about 60,500 times a month and “Google My Business” about 33,100 times, at around US$13 to US$16 per click. This guide covers every part of the profile that affects ranking and conversions, and the rules that keep it from being suspended.
How the map pack decides who shows
Google describes local ranking as a mix of three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher or the area searched) and prominence (how well known your business is, including reviews and links). You cannot change distance, so focus on relevance and prominence.
The profile checklist
| Element | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Business name | Your real name exactly as on signage and documents, with no added keywords or cities |
| Primary category | The most specific category for your main service |
| Secondary categories | Only services you really provide |
| Address or service area | Show the address if customers visit; hide it and set service areas if you go to them |
| Hours | Accurate, with holiday hours updated ahead of each holiday |
| Services and products | Every service listed with a short, plain description |
| Description | What you do, who you serve and what makes you different, without links or promotions |
| Photos and videos | Real photos of the team, premises, vehicles and work, added monthly |
| Booking or appointment link | Goes straight to booking, not to the home page |
| Attributes | Accessibility, languages, payment options and other attributes that apply |
We manage Google Business Profiles, citations and reviews so local customers find and call you.
Rules that get profiles suspended
- Adding keywords or cities to the business name, such as “Smith Plumbing Toronto Emergency Plumber”.
- Using a virtual office or mailbox as an address.
- Creating several profiles for the same business at one location.
- Buying, incentivizing or writing fake reviews, which Google prohibits and the Competition Bureau treats as deceptive marketing.
- Showing an address for a business that does not serve customers there.
If your visibility suddenly drops, read why your Google Business Profile visibility dropped.
Reviews: the strongest lever you control
- Ask every satisfied customer, at the moment they are happiest, with a direct review link.
- Never offer a reward for a review or ask only happy customers through a filter.
- Reply to every review, positive or negative, professionally and briefly.
- In regulated professions, check your college or Law Society rules first; some prohibit soliciting reviews.
See what counts as a fake Google review and how to remove reviews that break Google’s policies.
Posts, questions and updates
- Post offers, events and updates a few times a month. Posts show activity and give searchers more reasons to choose you.
- Add common questions and clear answers, so customers find them on the profile.
- Keep products and services current when anything changes.
Support the profile from your website
- Your name, address and phone must match the profile exactly everywhere. See our local citations guide.
- Build a location page for each office or a service area page for each city you serve.
- Add LocalBusiness structured data with the same details.
- Track calls, direction requests and website clicks from the profile with UTM tags.
Multi location businesses
Each location needs its own verified profile, its own location page and its own review program. Manage them together in a business group, and keep naming consistent. Read franchise and multi location marketing.
Industry guides that build on this: law firms, clinics and home services. Want your profile managed for you? See our Google Business Profile management and local SEO services.
Frequently asked questions
How do I rank higher on Google Maps?
Improve relevance with the right categories, services and description, and build prominence with genuine reviews, photos and consistent citations.
What are Google's local ranking factors?
Google describes them as relevance, distance and prominence.
Can I add keywords to my business name?
No. Use your real business name. Adding keywords or cities can get the profile suspended.
Should service businesses show their address?
Only if customers visit. Otherwise hide the address and set service areas.
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask every satisfied customer with a direct link, at the moment they are happiest, and never offer rewards.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. Incentivized reviews break Google's policies and can be treated as deceptive marketing.
How often should I post on my Business Profile?
A few times a month, with real offers, events and updates.
Why did my profile disappear from the map pack?
Common causes include suspensions, name or address changes, new competitors and review drops.
Do multi location businesses need several profiles?
Yes, one verified profile per real location.
How do I track calls from my profile?
Use call tracking where allowed and UTM tags on the website and booking links.
