Google Business Profile: common questions
Plain-language answers to the questions small business owners ask most. Google changes its features from time to time, so its own help pages are the final word.
1. Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing a profile is free. Be wary of calls claiming you must pay Google to keep your listing. Google's help pages explain how to manage it yourself.
2. How do I claim or verify my profile?
Search for your business on Google or Maps and choose the option to claim it, or start at Google's Business Profile site. Verification methods vary (for example video, phone or mail). You do this yourself, and we never need your login.
3. I work at customers' homes. Do I have to show my address?
No. Service-area businesses can hide their address and list the areas they serve instead.
4. What can go in the description?
Up to 750 characters about your business, services, history and what makes you different. No links, and it shouldn't focus on prices, promotions or sales. See our description guide.
5. What happened to Questions & Answers?
In late 2025 Google stopped allowing new questions on profiles and began replacing the feature with an AI-powered "Ask" option. Existing questions can still be answered. Writing clear answers to common questions is still worth doing: they work on your website, in posts, and in replies.
6. Can I ask customers for reviews?
Yes, you can ask real customers to leave honest reviews. Don't pay for reviews, offer discounts for them, ask only happy customers in a way that filters out others, or write them yourself. See how to respond to reviews.
7. Will a better profile get me ranked higher?
Nobody can honestly promise rankings. A complete, accurate profile helps customers understand your business. Google decides what to show based on factors like relevance, distance and prominence.
8. What exactly does your service do?
We write the text (description, services list, posts and Q&A answers, plus website copy in the $99 package), and you paste it in. We never log in, never ask for access or passwords, and you pay only after you approve the draft.
Fictional examples
Fictional examples. Everything below is made up: every name, business, number and date is invented to illustrate the advice. It isn't from a real customer.
Here are fictional examples of customer Q&A answers we'd write for a made-up shop.
Eastside Shoe Repair (fictional): sample answers
Q: Do I need an appointment?
A: No. Just drop in during business hours. Most heel and sole repairs are ready in 2–3 days, and some small fixes are done while you wait.
Q: Do you repair work boots?
A: Yes. We resole and restitch most leather work boots, including steel-toe styles.
Q: Is there parking?
A: Yes, there's free street parking on Grand Avenue and a small lot behind the shop.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google: Q&A API discontinued (Nov 3, 2025)
How we can help
Our $49 write-up includes answers to 8 common customer questions, written for your business. Go to the order form.
Google Business Profile write-up: prices
| What you get | Price | Ready in |
|---|---|---|
| Profile write-up Business description (within Google's 750-character limit), services list with short descriptions, 4 starter posts, and answers to 8 common customer questions. Up to 2 rounds of changes. | $49 | 2 business days |
| Write-up + one-page website copy Everything above, plus text for a simple one-page website or About page: headline, about, services, service area, and contact section. | $99 | 3 business days |
We'll email you a draft; pay only after you approve it. You paste the text into your profile and website yourself. See a complete sample write-up.
An honest note: we use AI to help
We use AI writing tools to help draft your write-up. A real person reads, checks and edits every word before it reaches you.
- We never make anything up: no invented awards, years in business, licenses, reviews, customer quotes or "#1" claims. Everything comes from you, and we ask when something is unclear.
- We write to Google's published guidelines (for example, no links, prices or promotions in the description), but Google decides what appears on its own platform.
- You can ask us to delete your information at any time. See our privacy note.
What we won't do
- We will never log in to your Google account or any other account, and we never ask for manager access, passwords or verification codes. You paste the text in yourself.
- We never ask for bank or card numbers or your Social Security number.
- We don't write fake reviews, buy reviews, or suggest swapping discounts for reviews. That's against Google's policies.
- We don't promise rankings, calls or more customers. Nobody honestly can.
- We don't give legal, tax or financial advice.
Related guides: How to write your Google Business Profile description · How to respond to Google reviews · Writing an About page for a small business
Want us to write it for you?
Use the order form and tell us your business name, town, what you do, and what customers like about you. We'll email you a draft within 2 business days; pay only after you approve it.