# Optimise your Google Business Profile | BrandHoop

Quelle: https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/

Improve your Google Business Profile: check contact details, services and opening hours, then confirm each change is visible to customers.

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- Optimise your Google Business Profile: key steps for your business

[ SEO](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/seo/)Updated 17 October 2026

# Optimise your Google Business Profile: key steps for your business

Reading time: about 5 minutes for the main text. Use templates and details as needed.

[Full version with templates, calculations and further checks](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/full/)

A potential customer finds your business on Google Maps and wants to renovate their bathroom. They need to know whether you take on this work in their area. Then they need a way to reach you. For a small trades business, keeping the profile up to date therefore starts with the services you actually offer and a working way to get in touch.

To begin, one specific error that you can check on your mobile phone is enough. After correcting it, check what customers see. Saving a change does not yet prove it has been published. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen) Google reviews edited details before they go live. [[4]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617?hl=de-DE)

**Your plan for this guide**

- [Test your contact details as a customer would](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#core-kundenansicht)

- [Check that the profile reflects your business](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#core-betriebsangaben)

- [Make your services easy to understand](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#core-angebot)

- [Check the change customers can see](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#core-veroeffentlichung)

- [Record the next correction](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#core-arbeitsliste)

- [Distinguish clicks from real enquiries](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#core-ergebnisse)

## Test your contact details as a customer would

Open your listing on your mobile phone. The call button should dial the right number. Listen to the recorded message too: does it still give outdated information about when you can be reached? The website link should open a working page for your business that describes your current services. Note the discrepancy you find and the correct information. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

It is worth making a test call all the way through to the business. The number shown alone tells you little about whether the extension or call forwarding still works correctly. An outdated recorded message can also prompt a potential customer to call at the wrong time. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

To edit the profile, you need the Google Account linked to it. In Search, select ‘Edit profile’, change the details and then select ‘Save’. The features available may vary by interface and operating system. [[4]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617?hl=de-DE)

If you do not have access, resolve the permissions first. A second listing for the same business does not solve the problem. If you move premises, update the existing profile too. [[5]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/12756178?hl=de) If you do not yet have a listing, start with the [guide to creating a Business Profile](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/create-google-business-profile/).

Before making major changes, record the current details. Record where the correct information comes from too: the owner might confirm the current services, while the office confirms when customers can get in touch. The date will help you find the saved correction later and trace its status. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

## Check that the profile reflects your business

Your business name should match the name you use outside Google, such as on your business sign. Include additional place names or services only if they are actually part of that name. The phone number and website must lead to the relevant business or location. [[6]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=de)

The primary category describes your type of business. From Google’s existing list, choose the category that matches your core business as closely as possible. A few suitable additional categories can cover other areas. Google may require reverification after a change. [[7]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7249669) List individual types of work under services, if this feature is available for your category. [[8]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9455399)

An older guide cannot replace the options available in your profile today. Under ‘Edit services’, add descriptions or prices as extra information. Prices and phone numbers must not be included in the name of a custom service. [[8]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9455399)

Your service area covers the places where you actually take on jobs. If you do not receive customers at your business address, it should not be shown publicly in the profile. [[3]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=de-US) There are further conditions for premises that customers can visit. The [detailed section on addresses and service areas](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/full/#standort-und-gebiet) also covers businesses that receive customers and travel to them.

Working somewhere does not make it a branch of your business. Merely renting a postal address without actually operating there is not enough either. Google requires permanent signage for premises that customers can visit. If you receive customers there and also travel to them, staff must be available to receive them during the stated business hours. [[6]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=de)

The hours must also reflect when you actually receive customers. Google does not provide for regular opening hours for businesses that work exclusively by appointment. [[6]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=de) Before public holidays and business holidays, it helps to [check opening hours and exceptions](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/full/#oeffnungszeiten); longer closures need a different entry from short exceptions. [[9]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6303076?hl=de-de)

Working hours on a building site tell customers nothing about whether someone is available to receive them at your own premises. If you have regular hours, your website and recorded phone message should give the same information as the profile. A holiday notice supplements the appropriate entry in the opening hours section. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

## Make your services easy to understand

Our fictional bathroom renovation business works in the Vienna area and selected surrounding municipalities. It plans bathrooms, replaces sanitary fittings and renovates existing showers. It does not offer a round-the-clock emergency service. Its service list therefore sticks to the work it actually takes on. The description can also explain that the scope is agreed at a scheduled site visit. [[a]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-beispiele)

If other trades are involved in a job, the business explains its own part. This helps a potential customer understand the scope of the service offered. New types of work are added only when the business actually takes them on. Any qualifications or promises of a complete service must also be accurate. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Apply this thinking to your own business: a customer should be able to understand what work you take on and how the initial discussion begins. The description may contain no more than 750 characters; website addresses and HTML code are not allowed. [[4]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617?hl=de-DE) Special promotions and price advertising do not belong in this field either. [[6]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=de) A [complete fictional sample description](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/full/#beschreibung) shows one possible wording, which must match your own services before you use it.

One of your own photos can then answer a specific question, such as what the entrance to a showroom that customers can visit looks like. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen) Project photos have their own limits: photos of the interiors of private homes are prohibited on Google Maps and Business Profiles. This includes a bathroom in a private flat, even with consent. [[10]](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7401426?hl=en) The [detailed photo guidance](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/full/#fotos) explains further limits and distinguishes Google uploads from images on your website.

For your own website, publication rights and permissions must also be clear. AI images and catalogue photos do not prove that work has been carried out. A real project example should help visitors understand what your business did on that project. See the [guide to project examples on your website](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/project-examples-on-your-website/). [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

## Check the change customers can see

After saving, the task stays open until you have checked Google’s status and the customer view. Google’s review is part of the publication process. [[4]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617?hl=de-DE) In another fictional example, the new website address has already been saved, but customers still see the old one. The business therefore records a date for the next check. The result of this correction is confirmed only when the correct address is visible. [[a]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-beispiele)

Google shows a separate upload status for photos and videos. Media may initially be pending or not approved; ‘Live’ means it is shown to customers. A selected cover photo is not necessarily displayed first either. [[11]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6103862?hl=de)

[](https://brandhoop.at/ratgeber-materialien/A07/assets/google-profil-pruefkarte.png)

The graphic is our own checklist showing the areas of your profile. It does not show a Google interface. Your own profile shows which features you can use and what they look like. [[c]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-illustrationen)

## Record the next correction

For an unresolved error, a specific task, a person responsible and the next review date are enough. The completed checklist example illustrates this for the fictional bathroom renovation business: [[a]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-beispiele)

- **What was checked?** Phone number tested using the call button.

- **What needs correcting?** The recorded message still gives the old contact hours; update it and check the website for consistency.

- **When should it be checked again?** Call again after the correction; next routine check in one month.

- **Responsibility:** Office, with approval from the owner.

The owner decides which jobs the business takes on and which areas it serves. A named person can maintain the profile. If several people are involved, they need to agree on approval and on who checks the customer view afterwards. This also keeps any pending publication on someone’s task list. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

The [complete checklist to copy](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/full/#pruefliste) covers all eleven review areas. Monthly checks are BrandHoop’s suggestion for organising the work. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen) And Google notifications need separate attention: observe the deadline in the specific message. The [guidance on Google updates](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/full/#google-updates) explains which suggestions have a response deadline. [[14]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3480441?hl=de)

Ongoing maintenance also includes existing posts and their links. Posts let you share current updates directly in the profile. [[12]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7342169) Check whether an old holiday notice still applies. Add extra details only if they are accurate and your own profile offers them. Someone must also be available to answer incoming enquiries if you add another way to get in touch. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

## Distinguish clicks from real enquiries

For a verified profile, the ‘Performance’ section shows data on actions in the profile. The metrics available may vary. ‘Calls’ counts clicks on the call button, rather than conversations that took place. Website clicks do not prove that an enquiry was submitted. The data also covers actions from paid advertising (Google Ads), so it cannot serve as blanket evidence of results from unpaid search alone. [[15]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9918094?hl=de)

Comparable periods make the figures easier to interpret. Business holidays and advertising can affect the picture, so include the date of the change in your analysis. An increase after adding new photos does not, on its own, prove their effect. To see which enquiries fit your services, you need the records kept by your business. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen)

Record enquiries actually received separately. If their source remains unknown, label it as unknown. [[b]](https://brandhoop.at/en/ratgeber/optimise-google-business-profile/#quellenhinweis-empfehlungen) Maintaining your profile cannot guarantee a particular position in Google Maps. [[2]](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=de) Now choose one error in the customer view and follow the correction through until the right information is visible.

Sources for the previous version checked on 16 October 2026; editorially revised on 17 October 2026. Numbers link to sources; letters explain editorial examples or recommendations. Each note states what the source supports.

**[b] Practical recommendations.** The suggested processes and decision aids are editorial applications of the principles cited. Their specific effect on enquiries or jobs has not been measured here.

**[c] Editorial illustration.** The illustration explains a relationship. It is neither a real customer project example nor evidence of a measured effect.

**[a] Editorial examples.** Content labelled as a sample or fictional illustrates possible situations. It does not describe real customer cases or provide evidence of a measured effect.

Sources and context (15 sources)

- [Business Profile: definition](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2382892?hl=de) — Google

Confirms the former name Google My Business and the display of business information in Google services. Makes no claim about the success of a particular profile. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Improve your local ranking on Google](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=de) — Google

Confirms the importance of complete and accurate information, along with relevance, distance and prominence/popularity. The conclusion that rankings cannot be guaranteed throughout an area follows from these factors together; Google does not provide a complete ranking formula here. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Manage service areas for service-area and hybrid businesses](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=de-US) — Google

Confirms areas actually served, a hidden address where customers are not received, hybrid businesses, and cities/postcodes/other areas rather than a radius. No promise of the same search position throughout the area. The existing URL with its language parameter is retained and was readable in German. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Edit your Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617?hl=de-DE) — Google

Confirms editing through Search/Maps, the account required, review before changes go live, possible reverification after a name change, the description limit and feature limitations. The linked status workflow requires sign-in; an additional attempt to retrieve answer/3038311 timed out. No real profile was accessed and no actual change was checked. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Resolve duplicate profiles and ownership issues](https://support.google.com/business/answer/12756178?hl=de) — Google

Confirms how to handle an existing listing, a move and different services offered by the same business. These statements concern the same business, rather than separately eligible businesses or distinct locations. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Guidelines for representing your business on Google](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=de) — Google

Confirms the actual business name, associated contact details, location requirements, treatment of appointment-only hours, description limits and private/confidential content. Advice on image permissions is cautious editorial guidance and does not constitute complete legal advice; abbreviations in NAP details and the effect of individual photos are not assessed empirically here. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Manage your business category](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7249669) — Google

Confirms selection from an existing list, the closest possible primary category, a few additional categories, no custom-created category and possible reverification. No specific trades category is claimed to be currently available. The canonical page was read in English. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Manage your services on your Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9455399) — Google

Confirms limited availability by category, the service editor, descriptions/prices as additional details and the exclusion of prices/phone numbers from custom service names. The bathroom renovation services are a fictional example. The canonical page was read in English. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Set special hours](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6303076?hl=de-de) — Google

Confirms holiday confirmation even when hours are unchanged, special hours for closures of up to six days, and ‘temporarily closed’ for seven days or more or an indefinite closure. The review dates suggested for organising work in the article are not a Google requirement. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Privacy – Maps User Generated Content Policy](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7401426?hl=en) — Google

Confirms the prohibition on photos/videos of the interiors of private homes, other places not accessible to the public and no-photography zones. Other private places are treated separately: publication with the owner’s consent. Do not generalise this to all private property or your own business website. The relevant English paragraphs were read in full; retrieval in German failed with UnexpectedStatusCode. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Manage photos and videos in your Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6103862?hl=de) — Google

Confirms realistic photo quality, no guaranteed position for the cover photo and upload status. Selection ideas and guidance on evidence of real projects are editorial recommendations; the help page does not establish that a particular number of photos affects rankings or enquiries. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Create & manage posts on your Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7342169) — Google

Confirms current updates through posts in Search/Maps. No required posting frequency or jump in rankings is inferred from this. The canonical English help page was read; additional features restricted to certain regions are not generalised in the article. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Manage your business attributes](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9049526) — Google

Confirms additional business features and differences in which can be edited by place/country/category. No particular attribute is promised to be available for Austrian trades businesses. The canonical English help page was read. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Google updates for Business Profiles](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3480441?hl=de) — Google

Confirms external sources, limited management options and a four-day response period only for certain notified user suggestions. Automatic publication is possible if other public information supports the suggestion; Google can also make changes for policy reasons without prior review. There is no general four-day deadline for all updates. Checked: 2026-10-16.

- [Business Profile performance and insights](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9918094?hl=de) — Google

Confirms verified profiles, differences in available metrics, organic and Ads data, and definitions of views, directions, calls and website clicks. A call click does not measure a conversation; attributing real enquiries and jobs requires your own data. No causal analysis of a real business was carried out. Checked: 2026-10-16.

About the author

Ilian Mykhailets

Web projects since 2020 · more than five years of experience

We build and improve websites for trades businesses in Vienna and across Austria. Our work focuses on technical setup, content and SEO.

[Our services](https://brandhoop.at/en/leistungen/) · [How we work](https://brandhoop.at/en/arbeitsweise/)

BrandHoop · English edition for Austria · Practical guide

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