Most of your Google Business Profile is facts: your name, address, hours, phone number and categories. The description is different. It is the one place where you get to explain, in your own words, what you do, who you do it for and why someone should pick you. Many businesses leave it blank or fill it with a list of keywords. Both are missed opportunities.
The basic rules
Google gives you up to 750 characters for the description. A few rules are worth knowing before you start:
- No links. Your website goes in the website field, not the description.
- No offers, prices or promotions. Those belong in posts.
- No misleading or irrelevant content, and nothing that focuses on promotions instead of the business itself.
- Write about your business, not about Google or your competitors.
Descriptions that break these rules can be rejected or edited. It is not worth the risk.
What a good description includes
- What you do, in plain words. "Dental clinic offering general dentistry, root canal treatment, braces and teeth cleaning."
- Who you serve. "For families and working professionals in Sarabha Nagar and nearby areas of Ludhiana."
- What makes you different. Experience, specialisations, equipment, languages spoken, timings that suit working people.
- What happens next. "Call or book an appointment online. Walk-ins welcome on weekdays."
Put the most important information in the first 250 or so characters. On many phones, only the first part shows before the reader taps "More".
A simple template
[Business name] is a [type of business] in [area, city], offering [three or four main services]. We have been serving [who] since [year]. [One line on what makes you different: specialists, equipment, languages, timings]. [What the customer should do next].
Fill it in, then read it aloud. If it sounds like a person talking, you are on the right track. If it sounds like a list of search terms, rewrite it.
Examples for different businesses
- Salon: "A unisex salon in Model Town offering haircuts, colour, keratin and bridal makeup. Our stylists are trained in the latest techniques and we use branded products. Open seven days, with evening slots for working clients."
- Gym: "A fully equipped gym with personal training, strength and cardio zones, and separate timings for women. Free trial session for new members on request."
- Coaching centre: "Coaching for classes 9 to 12 and competitive exam preparation, with small batches, weekly tests and regular parent meetings."
- Astrologer: "Vedic astrology consultations in person and on call, covering kundli matching, career and family guidance, with consultations in Hindi, Punjabi and English."
What about keywords?
Use the words your customers use, naturally. If you are a dentist, the word "dentist" will appear on its own. You don't need to repeat "best dentist in Ludhiana" five times. Repetition makes the description harder to read and does nothing good for the customer deciding whether to call you.
The same goes for your business name. Your name on Google must match your real-world name, the one on your signboard, letterhead and documents. Adding keywords or city names to the name field breaks Google's guidelines and can lead to a suspended profile.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the description empty.
- Copying the "About us" paragraph from your website, which is often too long and too general.
- Writing only about the owner's history and nothing about the services.
- Mentioning services you no longer offer.
- Forgetting to update it when you add a new branch, service or timing.
Keep it current
Review your description every few months. Google also removed the old questions and answers section from Business Profiles, so the description, your services list and your posts now carry more of the job of answering common questions. If customers keep phoning to ask the same thing, such as parking, languages or appointment rules, that answer probably belongs in your description.
Want us to write it for you?
Writing and maintaining your description is part of every Google Business Profile management plan. Book a free profile check and we'll suggest a description written for your business and your area.