Google Business Profile (GBP — formerly Google My Business) is the most valuable free marketing tool an Irish small business has. It powers the Map Pack at the top of local searches, feeds Apple Maps and Bing, and surfaces in voice search. Done right, it can outperform a paid Google Ads budget. Here's the 2026 setup.
Step 1: Create or claim your profile
Go to business.google.com and sign in with the email you want to control the profile from (use a business email, not a personal Gmail). Search for your business — if it already exists (Google often auto-creates profiles), claim it. Otherwise create it.
Step 2: Verification — the Irish quirk
Verification is the step that trips people up. For most Irish businesses Google still mails a verification postcard with a 5-digit code — allow 1–2 weeks. Sometimes Google offers video verification (you record a short walk-through of your premises) which is faster. Choose video if it appears.
Step 3: Categories
Pick one primary category that's as specific as possible ("Italian restaurant" beats "restaurant"). Then add up to 9 secondary categories that genuinely apply. Categories are the strongest ranking signal in the profile — get them right.
Step 4: Services and products
Fill in the Services section in detail. Each service can have a description — write 1–2 sentences each. This is content Google reads and matches against searches.
Step 5: Photos
- Logo and cover photo — branded, high quality.
- Exterior — recognisable from the street.
- Interior — bright, current.
- Team — real people, not stock photos.
- Products or work — at least 10 examples.
Profiles with 10+ photos consistently outrank profiles with fewer. Add a new photo or two every month.
Step 6: Opening hours (and special hours)
Set normal hours, then add special hours for every Irish bank holiday — Easter Monday, June bank holiday, August bank holiday, October bank holiday, St Patrick's Day, Stephen's Day. Customers see them in search results; wrong hours kill trust fast.
Step 7: Posts
Post weekly. Updates, offers, new products, behind-the-scenes. Posts expire after 7 days, but the activity signal compounds. A profile that's posted every week for 3 months outranks an inactive profile every time.
Step 8: Q&A
Customers can ask questions on your profile and anyone can answer. Check the Q&A tab weekly and answer questions yourself — leaving it to random strangers is a bad idea.
Step 9: Reviews — request them properly
In your GBP dashboard, get the short review link (it's under "Get more reviews"). Send it to customers via email or text after every job. Reply to every review, positive and negative, within a few days.
What to skip
- The "Description" field — Google barely uses it for ranking.
- Booking integrations unless you use a supported partner.
- Multiple profiles for one location — gets you suspended.
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