Business Profile Checklist: 20 Things Customers Look For

A complete business profile answers a customer's questions before they have to ask them: what you do, where you are, when you're open, how much things cost and whether other people recommend you. This checklist lists the 20 things customers look for, grouped so you can work through them in one sitting.

It applies to any business profile, whether that's your Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places or a directory listing such as Search IT. Not every platform has every field, so fill in what's available and keep the details the same everywhere.

The essentials (name, category, contact)

These are the basics customers need first. If any of them are wrong, nothing else on your profile matters.

1. Business name. Use your real name, exactly as it appears on your sign and website. Don't add keywords or locations ("Smith Plumbing – Best Plumber Manchester"). Most platforms prohibit it, and customers find it off-putting.
2. Primary category. Pick the most specific category that describes your main business. "Vegan Restaurant" tells customers more than "Restaurant". Add secondary categories only if they're genuinely true.
3. Phone number. Use a number that is answered during your opening hours, written with the country code if your platform asks for it. If you use WhatsApp for business, add that too.
4. Website and email. Link to your own website, or to the most useful page, such as your booking or menu page. Check the link works.

Check these four items on every profile, not just the main one. An old phone number on a single directory can still send customers to a line nobody answers, and those customers rarely try again.

Location and service area

5. Full address. Include unit, floor or building numbers so customers find the right door. Check your map pin is in the right place, especially in new developments and shopping centres.
6. Service area. If you travel to customers, such as a mobile hairdresser or an electrician, list the towns or districts you cover. If you work from home and don't see customers there, most platforms let you hide your address and show a service area instead.
7. Directions and parking. A short note such as "Entrance on Mill Lane, free parking behind the building" saves phone calls and late arrivals.

Our guide to service-area businesses explains how to get found if you don't have a shopfront.

Hours and holiday hours

8. Regular opening hours for every day of the week, including split hours if you close for lunch.
9. Holiday and special hours. Update these before public holidays, local festivals and your own holidays. Customers who find you closed when your profile said "open" rarely forgive it.

If you work by appointment only, say so, rather than leaving the hours blank. Blank hours make a business look closed or abandoned.

Photos and logo

10. Logo. A clear, square version that's readable at small sizes.
11. Cover photo. One strong image that sums up your business: your shopfront, your dining room or your team at work.
12. Several real photos. Show the outside of your premises (so people recognise it), the inside, your team, and your products or finished work. Real photos are more convincing than stock images, and adding new ones regularly shows you're active.

A modern phone is enough to take good photos. Our phone-only photo guide covers light, angles and what to shoot.

Services and prices

13. A clear description. In 150–300 words, say what you do, who you help, where you work and what makes you different. Mention your main service and location naturally.
14. A list of services or products, each with a short description. Use the words customers use: "boiler repair", not "heating solutions".
15. Prices or "from" prices. Customers often search for prices. Even a range, such as "Men's haircut from £15", helps people decide to get in touch.

Services and prices are where many profiles fall short. Owners often worry that showing prices will scare people away or invite comparison. In practice, customers who can't find any price information usually assume the worst, or move on to a business that tells them. If your prices genuinely vary, explain what affects them, such as size, materials or time, and give a typical range. That sets expectations honestly and means the enquiries you do receive are from people who are ready to buy.

Health and safety, FAQs, and offers

16. Health and safety and accessibility details. Step-free access, accessible toilets, hygiene measures, child-friendly facilities or a quiet space. These can be deciding factors for many customers.
17. FAQs. Add answers to the five questions you're asked most often, such as "Do you take walk-ins?", "Do you offer home visits?" or "Which payment methods do you accept?" Every answer here is a phone call you don't have to take. A good way to find them is to ask whoever answers your phone or messages to note down every question for a week. The same few will come up again and again.
18. Offers and updates. Where your platform allows it, post news, events or a current offer. Recent posts show customers you're open and active. Remove expired offers promptly.

Reviews and replies

19. Recent, genuine reviews. Ask every satisfied customer for an honest review, with a direct link. Never buy reviews or write them yourself.
20. Replies to every review. Thank people for positive reviews and respond calmly to negative ones. Future customers read your replies as closely as the reviews themselves.

Some platforms also offer trust signals such as verification badges. On Search IT, Premium listings can earn a Verified badge after our team checks documents showing the business is genuine.

Printable checklist

Copy this list and tick each item off on every profile you manage.

• 1. Real business name, no keywords
• 2. Most specific primary category
• 3. Phone number answered in opening hours
• 4. Website and email working
• 5. Full address with unit number; map pin checked
• 6. Service area listed (if you travel to customers)
• 7. Directions and parking note
• 8. Regular hours for every day
• 9. Holiday and special hours updated
• 10. Logo uploaded
• 11. Cover photo uploaded
• 12. Real photos of premises, team and work
• 13. Description of 150–300 words
• 14. Services or products listed
• 15. Prices or "from" prices shown
• 16. Health, safety and accessibility details
• 17. Five most common questions answered
• 18. A current offer or recent update
• 19. Recent genuine reviews
• 20. Replies to every review

Set a reminder to review this list every three months. Profiles go out of date quietly: a new phone number, a changed price, a photo of a shopfront that's since been repainted. A quick check keeps everything accurate.

Search IT includes all of these fields, and a completeness meter shows what's missing as you build your listing. Add your business from $0.99.