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When someone in Kiel searches for an electrician, a tax adviser or an IT service provider, they usually see a map with three listings first. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business. This article shows you how to set up your profile according to Google's current guidelines and which mistakes to avoid.
Why the profile matters for local businesses
Local SEO covers everything that helps a business appear in searches with a regional angle, such as "tax adviser Kiel" or "bike repair near me". Google Business Profile is the central tool for this. It appears in Google Maps and in the local map pack within search results.
Google names three factors for local ranking: relevance (how well the profile matches the search), distance (how far the business is from the searcher) and prominence (how well known the business is, based partly on links and reviews). Google also makes clear that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Step 1: Enter the correct name
The name on your profile must match the name your business uses in the real world: on your sign, website and stationery. Extra terms are not allowed. According to Google, these include:
- Marketing slogans
- Descriptions of services or products
- Location details that are not part of the name
- Opening hours, phone numbers or URLs
A listing such as "Müller Elektrotechnik – Electrician Kiel 24h Emergency" therefore breaks the guidelines if the business is actually just called "Müller Elektrotechnik". Keyword stuffing like this can get your profile suspended. Legal suffixes such as GmbH are only allowed, according to Google, if they are demonstrably used in your real-world branding.
Step 2: Choose an address or a service area
Google distinguishes between three types of business:
| Business type | Example | Address on profile | Service area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storefront or office with customer visits | Practice, café, law firm | shown | optional |
| Service-area business | Tradespeople, mobile care, cleaning services | hidden | required |
| Hybrid | Workshop with walk-in customers and on-site jobs | shown | can be added |
The address must be a real location. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not eligible. Co-working spaces are allowed only with clear signage and your own staff receiving customers there during business hours.
If you travel to your customers, define a service area, for example Kiel, Rendsburg-Eckernförde and Plön. Google advises that the area should generally not extend beyond about two hours' driving time from your base.
Step 3: Pick categories carefully
Your category is one of the most important relevance factors. Google recommends choosing as few categories as possible and making each as specific as possible. The category should describe what your business is, not everything it offers. A painting company chooses "Painter", not additionally "Wallpaper" or "Exterior paint".
List your individual services under Services or Products instead. When choosing, look at which categories comparable businesses in your area use.
Step 4: Complete verification
Only after verification, meaning confirmation that you genuinely represent the business, will your profile be fully displayed and editable. Google decides which method is available, based on business type, region and publicly available information. Possible methods include (as of November 2026):
- Video recording: you show your location, equipment and proof that you manage the business.
- Live video call with Google support
- Phone or text message with a verification code
- Postcard with a five-digit code sent to your business address
Google's review can take up to five business days, occasionally longer. Do not change your name, address or category during verification, as this can delay the process.
Step 5: Complete your profile
Google recommends complete and accurate information, including:
- Opening hours, including special hours on public holidays
- Phone number and website link, ideally to a relevant subpage
- A factual business description
- Services with short explanations
- Up-to-date photos of your team, premises, vehicles or work
Make sure your name, address and phone number (known as NAP) match exactly what appears on your website and in business directories. Inconsistencies make it harder for Google to match the information to your business.
Step 6: Ask for reviews the right way
Reviews influence both prominence in Google's ranking and the decisions of potential customers. Google explicitly allows you to ask customers for genuine reviews. According to its policies, the following are not allowed:
- Incentives such as discounts, vouchers or gifts in exchange for reviews
- Asking only satisfied customers for reviews or discouraging negative ones
- Reviews from employees, former employees or anyone with a conflict of interest
- Pressuring customers to leave a review on site or dictating specific content
Respond to reviews, including critical ones. A factual reply shows other readers that you take feedback seriously. Google explicitly lists replying to reviews as a way to improve local ranking.
Checklist for your Business Profile
- Name exactly as used in the real world, no additions
- Address shown only if customers visit, otherwise define a service area
- One specific primary category, few additional categories
- Verification completed
- Opening hours, phone number and website maintained
- Services and photos added
- NAP details aligned with website and directories
- Process in place for genuine review requests and replies
- Profile reviewed for accuracy once a quarter
Your profile and your website work together
A Business Profile does not replace a good website. Google also considers how well your website reflects your location and services. A dedicated page with your address, service area and service descriptions, plus LocalBusiness structured data, strengthens the link between profile and website.
Local visibility with Simplify Data
As an IT service provider based in Kiel, we help businesses in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg get found locally. In our SEO audits we review your Business Profile, website and local signals together and give you concrete recommendations. SEO audit for your business