Google Business Profile: The Complete Guide for Canadian Small Businesses

When someone in Montreal searches “plumber near me” or “best brunch in Verdun”, the first thing they usually see is not a website. It is a map with three businesses, their stars, their hours and a “Call” button. Those listings come from Google Business Profile, a free tool that, for many local businesses, drives more calls and visits than any other online channel. Yet plenty of Canadian small businesses have an unclaimed, incomplete or outdated profile, and leave those customers to competitors.

This guide walks you through setting up and optimizing a Google Business Profile in Canada, step by step: creation, verification, categories, service areas, photos, posts, reviews, NAP consistency, bilingual tips for Quebec and how to track your results. The information reflects Google’s Help Centre guidelines as of October 2026; Google updates its features and policies often, so check the current guidelines when in doubt.

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps. It can display your name, address or service area, phone number, website, hours, photos, reviews, products, services and posts. It is managed directly from Google Search or Google Maps, or from business.google.com.

It is available to businesses that make in-person contact with customers during their stated hours, either at a physical location (a storefront) or by travelling to customers (a service-area business). Purely online businesses with no in-person contact, virtual offices and P.O. boxes are not eligible.

Step 1: Create or claim your profile

1. Sign in with a Google account you will keep long term. Ideally use a business account, not a personal account belonging to an employee who may leave.
2. Search for your business on Google Maps. If a listing already exists, claim it rather than creating a duplicate.
3. If not, add your business: enter your name, choose a primary category, then add your address or service area, phone number and website.

Business name rules: use your real-world name exactly as it appears on your storefront, website and stationery. Do not add keywords, cities, slogans or phone numbers. “Smith Plumbing” is fine; “Smith Plumbing Best Emergency Plumber Montreal” breaks Google’s guidelines and can get your profile suspended.

Step 2: Verify your business

Your profile only appears publicly with all its information, including photos, once it is verified. Google decides which verification methods are available for your business, and you cannot choose freely. Depending on your business type and history, options may include:

• Phone or text message: a code sent to your business number.
• Email: a code sent to an address you can access.
• Video recording: a short, continuous video showing your location, signage or equipment, and proof that you manage the business.
• Live video call: a call with a Google support representative during business hours.
• Postcard: a code mailed to your address, which usually arrives within 14 days.

Reviews can take up to five business days after you complete the steps. While a postcard is in transit, avoid editing your name, address or category, or the code may stop working. Never share a verification code with anyone, including an agency; add your agency as a manager instead.

Step 3: Choose your categories carefully

Your primary category is one of the most important choices you make on your profile. Pick the most specific option that describes what your business is, for example “Dentist” or “Italian restaurant” rather than a generic term. You can add a few additional categories for real departments or services, but Google advises keeping them limited. Adding or changing categories may trigger a new verification.

Step 4: Storefront or service-area business?

If customers come to you, show your address. If you travel to customers, such as contractors, cleaners, mobile groomers or electricians, you are a service-area business:

• Remove your address from the profile if you do not serve customers there, for example a home office.
• Add up to 20 service areas, defined by cities, postal codes or regions, such as Montreal, Laval, Longueuil and Brossard. You cannot use a radius.
• Keep the overall area within about two hours’ driving time from your base, unless your business genuinely serves farther.
• If you both welcome customers and travel to them, you can show both an address and service areas.

Step 5: Complete every section

• Phone: a local number that reaches your location directly, not a call centre.
• Website: link to your website, or to the specific location page if you have several locations.
• Hours: regular hours, plus special hours for holidays such as Canada Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and Christmas.
• Description: a clear, natural summary of what you do and who you serve, without links or keyword stuffing.
• Services and products: list your main services, with short descriptions and, where relevant, prices.
• Attributes: accessibility, payment options, online appointments and other relevant options.

Step 6: Photos and videos

Photos help customers recognize your storefront and judge your work. According to Google’s guidelines, photos should be JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, with a recommended resolution of 720 x 720 pixels (minimum 250 x 250). Videos can be up to 30 seconds long and up to 75 MB, in 720p or higher.

Upload a logo, a cover photo, exterior shots (so people find your door), interior shots, your team at work, and real examples of your products or projects. Avoid stock photos and heavy filters; Google wants images that reflect reality. Add fresh photos regularly.

Step 7: Use posts to stay active

Posts let you share news, offers, events and updates directly on your profile. Use them for seasonal promotions, new services, events, or a recent project. Keep them short, add a good photo and a clear button (Call, Book, Learn more). Avoid adding phone numbers or email addresses in post text: Google may remove posts with unverified contact details and recommends using the “Call now” button instead.

Step 8: Reviews: what is allowed and what is not

Reviews influence both rankings and customer decisions. Google’s user-contributed content policy is strict, and violations can lead to removed reviews or restrictions on your profile.

Allowed: asking all your customers for honest reviews, sharing your review link or QR code, and replying to every review, positive or negative.

Not allowed:

• Offering discounts, gifts, money or free services in exchange for a review, or for changing or removing one.
• Asking only happy customers for reviews (selective soliciting) or discouraging negative reviews.
• Reviews from employees, owners, family members or anyone with a conflict of interest.
• Pressuring customers to leave a review on your premises.
• Setting review quotas for staff, or asking customers to include specific content such as an employee’s name.
• Buying reviews or posting fake ones.

Reply to negative reviews calmly, factually and quickly, without sharing customers’ personal information. In Quebec, that last point also matters for privacy compliance; see our Law 25 privacy checklist.

Step 9: NAP consistency

NAP stands for Name, Address and Phone number. Google cross-checks your business information across the web, so these details should be identical on your profile, your website, Facebook, Yelp, industry directories and local listings. Old suite numbers or former phone numbers create confusion for Google and customers alike. Make a list of every place your business appears and correct each one. This is a core part of our local SEO and Google Business Profile service.

Bilingual tips for Quebec businesses

• Do not duplicate your name in two languages unless that is genuinely how your business name appears in the real world. Google’s guidelines discourage repeating the name in multiple languages.
• Write a description that works for your market. Many Quebec businesses write in French first, with a short English summary, or vice versa, depending on their clientele.
• Reply to reviews in the reviewer’s language. It is good customer service and natural for local search.
• Use bilingual posts or alternate languages to reach both audiences.
• Link to a bilingual website. Your profile sends people to your site, which must respect Quebec’s language rules; see our guide to Bill 96 website requirements and our bilingual website service.
• Remember signage rules. Your storefront photos show your exterior signs, and in Quebec those signs must comply with the Charter of the French Language.

Step 10: Track your performance

In the Performance section of your profile, Google shows metrics such as profile views on Search and Maps, the search terms people used to find you, calls, website clicks, direction requests, messages and bookings where applicable. Review these monthly and look for trends:

• Which search terms bring people to your profile? Use them in your services and website content.
• Are website clicks turning into leads? Add UTM tracking to your website link to measure them in your analytics.

Quick Google Business Profile checklist

1. Profile claimed with a business-owned Google account, and verified.
2. Real-world business name, no added keywords.
3. Specific primary category, few additional categories.
4. Address or service areas set correctly.
5. Local phone, website, regular and holiday hours.
6. Description, services, products and attributes filled in.
7. Logo, cover, exterior, interior and work photos uploaded.
8. Posts published regularly.
9. Review requests sent to all customers, every review answered.
10. NAP identical everywhere online.
11. Performance reviewed every month.

Your profile works best alongside a fast, well-optimized website. Learn more in our local SEO guide for Montreal.

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Business Profile free in Canada?

Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Google Ads, including ads that appear on Maps, are a separate paid service.

Can I have a profile if I work from home?

Yes, if you serve customers in person, for example by travelling to them. Set up a service-area business and remove your home address from the profile if you do not receive customers there.

How long does verification take?

It depends on the method Google offers. Phone, email or video methods are often quicker; reviews can take up to five business days, and postcards usually arrive within 14 days.

Can I delete bad reviews?

You cannot delete reviews yourself. You can report a review that violates Google’s policies, such as spam, conflicts of interest or offensive content. For genuine negative reviews, the best approach is a calm, professional reply.

Should my profile be in French or English?

For Quebec businesses, it depends on your clientele, but French content is usually essential. Keep your real business name as-is, and use your description, posts and review replies to serve both languages.

Want a Google Business Profile that brings in calls instead of just sitting there? Loubane sets up, verifies and optimizes profiles for businesses in Montreal, across Quebec and Canada. Contact us or call or WhatsApp us at 438-933-7601.