Google Business Profile for Restaurants: Get Found on Google Maps

Why it matters: when someone searches “dinner near me” or “best laksa in Katong”, the map results come from Google Business Profiles. A complete, accurate profile linked to a good website is one of the most useful free things a restaurant can do.

1. Claim and verify your profile

Search for your restaurant on Google Maps. If a listing exists, choose the option to claim it; if not, add your business. Google then verifies that you are the owner. The method depends on your business and can include a short video of your premises, a phone call or text, an email, a live call or a postcard.

Add a second manager, such as a partner or trusted staff member, so you're never locked out.

2. Get the basics exactly right

• Primary category: choose the one that best describes your main offering, such as “Japanese restaurant” or “Coffee shop”, then add a few relevant extra categories.
• Name, address and phone: use the same details as on your website, signage and delivery apps. Place the map pin at your actual entrance.
• Website: link to your own website, not your Instagram, so people land on your menu and booking button.
• Description: you have up to 750 characters. Say what you serve, where, and what makes you different, in plain words.

3. Add your menu, booking and ordering links

Food businesses can add a menu link, and in many cases menu sections, dishes, prices and menu photos directly. Add your reservation link so people can book from Maps, and your ordering links if you do delivery or pickup. Point the menu link at the menu page on your website, which you can keep up to date in one place. Read why that page should be text rather than a PDF.

4. Keep your hours honest

Set regular hours, then add special hours for public holidays, private events and temporary closures before they happen. You can also set separate hours for services such as delivery or pickup. Wrong hours are one of the most common complaints in restaurant reviews.

5. Add good photos, and keep adding them

Upload a logo and cover photo, then photos of your storefront and entrance (so people recognise it), the interior, your most popular dishes and drinks, and any private dining space. Customers will add their own photos too, so adding fresh, well-lit ones of your own keeps your profile looking its best.

6. Ask for reviews, and reply to them

Share your review link with happy guests, for example on a small card with the bill or in a follow-up message. Reply to reviews as the owner, thanking people for good ones and answering criticism calmly and briefly. Future diners read your replies as much as the reviews.

7. Post updates and watch the numbers

Posts let you announce a new menu, a festive set or an event, with a button such as Book or Order. Your profile's performance data shows the searches people used to find you, calls, direction requests and website clicks, which tells you what is working.

Make your website match

Google compares your profile with your website. Use the same name, address, phone and hours on both, add structured data for your restaurant and menu to your site, and make sure the site loads quickly on a phone. Every website I build includes this setup, and I tidy up your Google Business Profile at launch. See restaurant website design.

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