Setting up, editing, verifying and keeping a Google Business Profile: where to click, what the rules say, what to do when something breaks.
Yes. Google’s page on posts says that if you want to schedule your post to publish at a later time, you turn on “Schedule this post” and select the date and time you want it to publish, and a “Repeats” menu can put it on a weekly, monthly or custom cycle.
A Business Profile usually stops showing up for one of four reasons: it is not verified yet, it has been suspended, it is marked closed, or it is live and not being shown for the search you tried. Which one it is can be read off the profile itself, and each has a different fix.
To change a category, open your Business Profile, select “Edit profile”, then next to “Business category” select “Edit”, type the category in the “Primary category” box and pick it from the list Google offers, then select “Save”. Google warns that if you add or edit a category, you might be asked to verify your business again.
To change your hours, open your Business Profile, select “Edit profile”, then “Hours”, then “Edit” next to “Hours”, then “Open with main hours”, set each day and select “Save”. For a holiday or a single odd week, leave those hours alone and set “Special hours” instead, and for anything longer than a week use “Temporarily closed”.
There is no keywords field on a Google Business Profile. The words people type belong in your categories first, then in your services, your description, your posts and your products, and never in the business name, where Google says extra information is not permitted and can get the profile suspended.
You edit a Google Business Profile from the profile itself: go to your Business Profile, select “Edit profile”, change what you need and select “Save”. Google says you must sign in with the account linked to the profile, and that it reviews changes before they go live.
Yes, you can change a business name on Google: go to your Business Profile, select “Edit profile”, change the business name and select “Save”. Google says the name has to be the one on your real world signage and branding, and that if you change it after your profile was verified you might need to verify the business again.
You change a business address on Google inside the profile itself: go to your Business Profile, select “Edit profile” and then “Location”, then next to “Business location” select “Edit”, enter the new address and select “Save”. Google’s help page adds one line that catches owners out: if you move after your profile was verified, you must verify the business again.
You cannot create a Google Business Profile with no address at all: Google asks for one during setup and verification. What you can do, if you visit customers instead of receiving them, is set a service area and turn off “Show business address to customers”, so the profile shows the area you cover instead of your door.
Optimising a Google Business Profile means filling in every field Google offers, keeping it accurate and keeping it fed: the right primary category, real hours, real photos, answered reviews. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.