How to edit your Google Business Profile

How do you edit your Google Business Profile?

Sign in to the Google Account that manages your profile first. If you are not sure what the profile covers, our guide to what a Google Business Profile is explains it. If you have no profile yet, start with getting your business on Google, then come back here.

These are the steps on Google's help page for editing your Business Profile. On a computer, using Google Search:

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Edit profile.
3. Make your changes.
4. Select Save.

On a phone, in the Google Maps app:

1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. At the bottom right, tap Business.
3. Tap Edit profile.
4. Make your changes, then tap Save.

Some businesses have to verify their profile before they can change anything. Google also reviews your changes before they appear on the live profile, so an edit is not always instant.

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How do you change your business name and category?

Use the name on your real sign. Google asks you to enter the business name exactly as it appears on your signage, stationery and other branding. If you change the name after the profile is verified, you might need to verify the business again.

Categories tell Google what kind of business you are. The category in the first field is your primary category, and you can choose up to nine more. Google says not to use categories just as keywords or to describe features of the business.

• Pick the primary category that best describes the main thing you do.
• Add extra categories only for work you really offer.
• If you run several locations, they must all share the same primary category.

An address change works the same way as a name change. If you move after the profile is verified, Google says you must verify the business again.

How do you change your opening hours and holiday hours?

Go to Edit profile, then Hours. In the 'Business hours' section, next to 'Hours', select Edit and choose Open with main hours. Tick each day you open, set the times with the drop-downs, then select Save. If you close for lunch, create two entries for the same day with different times.

For bank holidays and other short changes, set special hours rather than changing your normal week. Google's page on setting special hours says they cover holidays, special events and other exceptional circumstances, for closures of up to six days in a row.

1. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
2. In the 'Opening hours' section, next to 'Special hours', select Edit.
3. Pick a suggested date, or select Add a date.
4. To open, untick the 'Closed' box and set the times. To close, make sure 'Closed' is ticked.
5. Select Save.

Google suggests confirming your hours for official holidays even when they match your normal hours. That way customers are not left guessing over a bank holiday weekend.

How do you update your phone number and website?

Both sit in Edit profile, under the contact details. As well as your main business number, you can enter up to two more. They can be mobile or landline numbers, but not fax. If you do not want a number on show, go to More, Business Profile settings, then Advanced settings, and turn on Don't show under 'Phone number'.

For the website, enter the full address, including https://. Google also says to make sure Googlebot is not blocked on your site. A link that breaks, or points at an old site, sends ready customers away.

The description field sits in the same place. Keep it under 750 characters, and do not put web links or HTML code in it.

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How do you add photos and services?

Photos help people recognise you. Google says an exterior photo helps customers recognise your business when they visit. Your photos and videos only show on Google after the profile is verified.

To add them on a computer, open Google Search or Maps, search for your business name and town, then select Photos and Add photos. You can also add a cover photo or a logo. Google's guidance on files:

• Format: JPEG (JPG) or Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image files.
• Size: between 10 kilobytes (KB) and 5 megabytes (MB).
• Recommended resolution: 720 pixels tall by 720 pixels wide, with 250 pixels as the minimum.
• Videos: up to 30 seconds long.

Services are available for businesses in certain categories, such as service businesses. Select Edit services, choose the services you offer and save. For something not on the list, select Add more services, then Add custom service. Google rejects custom services that break its rules, so keep prices and phone numbers out of service names. You can give each service its own price and description instead.

Why is your edit under review or not approved?

Google reviews edits to a verified profile to check they follow its guidelines. Google's page on what happens to your Business Profile edits says most reviews take up to 10 minutes, but some can take up to 30 days. Each edit has one of three statuses:

• Accepted: the new detail shows on your profile.
• Pending: the edit is still under review.
• Not approved: Google could not confirm the change was accurate.

If an edit is not approved, check it against your signage and your website. You might be able to appeal a rejected change to your business information. If Google gets reports that your details are wrong, it may update the profile itself. When that happens, you get a notification and an alert in the Edit profile section.

A profile that is not verified can still change some details, such as the name, category, address, hours, phone number and website.

What are suggested edits from the public?

Anyone can suggest a change to a public business listing. Google also gathers details from other places, such as user reports and licensed content. On your profile, details changed by Google are shown in blue.

Google's page on Google updates to your Business Profile explains what to do:

• If a suggestion needs your review, you may get an email or a notification.
• You then have four days to accept or reject it.
• If you do not respond in time, Google may publish the change if other public information, such as your website, supports it.
• Google may apply some suggestions without asking you, when the change is needed to meet its policies.

That is why your website matters here. If it shows the right hours and phone number, a wrong suggestion has less to lean on. You can also suggest an edit yourself on a listing you do not own or manage.

Customer reviews sit on the same listing. Our reputation management service helps you answer reviews calmly and ask happy customers for more.

What does a typical edit look like?

Here is an illustrative case, not a real firm. Sam runs a bakery in Bristol and will shut on the Monday of a bank holiday weekend. Changing the normal hours would mean remembering to change them back.

Instead, Sam opens Edit profile, selects Hours and adds a special date with the 'Closed' box ticked. The normal week stays as it is, and the bakery shows as closed on that Monday only.

A week later, a customer suggests a new phone number. Sam gets a notification, checks it, and rejects it within the four days. The bakery's website shows the same number as the profile, so the listing stays correct.

What should you check after editing?

Give Google time to review the change, then look at the profile as a customer would. Search for your business name and town, and check that each detail reads the way you meant.

• The name matches your sign.
• The primary category describes your main work.
• Normal hours and any special hours are right.
• The phone number rings and the website link opens.
• Your website shows the same name, address, phone and hours.

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New to listings? Start with what a Google Business Profile is. If Google has suspended your profile, read what to do when a Google Business Profile is suspended. If the business has closed or moved, compare the options in how to delete or close a Google Business Profile.

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