Overview
Google Business Profile is a service that allows merchants to manage their business location information across Google Search, Google Maps, and other Google properties. Rather than a product catalogue feed in the traditional sense, a Google Business Profile feed transmits details about your physical or service-based business location to Google, ensuring accurate and consistent information appears whenever customers search for your business.
Merchants use Google Business Profile feeds to control how their store locations appear in search results, maintain up-to-date hours and contact information, and improve local search visibility. Unlike product feeds that list individual items for sale, this feed focuses on business identity, location data, and operational details that affect local search rankings and customer trust.
Core Location and Identity Fields
The foundation of any Google Business Profile feed rests on accurate location and identity information.
title is the official name of your business as it should appear in Google Search and Maps. This field directly influences search visibility for branded queries. Inconsistencies between your title and how customers know your business can reduce click-through rates and cause approval delays. Use your registered business name or the name customers recognise.
store_code is your internal identifier for the location. This field helps you track which physical store or service area a profile represents in your own systems. It does not appear publicly but is essential when you manage multiple locations and need to correlate feed data with your back-end records.
storefront_address_address_lines contains the street address of your business. This is a critical field for local search ranking. Incomplete or incorrectly formatted addresses reduce the likelihood that customers find your location on Google Maps and can cause the profile to be flagged for verification issues.
storefront_address_locality is the city or town. Combined with the postal code and administrative area, it forms the geographic anchor for your profile. Missing or misspelled locality data can prevent the profile from appearing in location-based searches.
storefront_address_administrative_area refers to the state, province, or region. In the UK context, this might be a county or region name. Google uses this field to validate address completeness and to ensure the profile appears in regional search filters.
storefront_address_postal_code is the postcode or ZIP code. This field is essential for address validation and for ensuring your profile appears in location searches within a specific postal area. Incorrect postal codes are a common reason for profile suspension or demotion in local search results.
storefront_address_region_code is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (for example, GB for the United Kingdom). This field clarifies the country context and helps Google correctly interpret other address fields.
latitude and longitude are the precise geographic coordinates of your business. Accurate coordinates improve map placement and ensure your location appears at the correct position in Google Maps. If you provide coordinates that conflict with your address, Google may reject the profile or flag it for manual review. Use coordinates accurate to at least four decimal places.
Contact and Communication Fields
Contact information directly affects customer ability to reach your business and influences trust signals in search results.
primary_phone is your main business telephone number. This is the number customers will call when they click the phone button in your profile. Ensure the number is active, correctly formatted, and monitored during business hours. A disconnected or incorrect primary phone number is grounds for profile suspension.
additional_phones allows you to list alternative contact numbers, such as a customer service line or a department-specific extension. While optional, additional phone numbers improve customer experience and can increase engagement with your profile.
website_uri is the full URL of your business website or landing page. This field must be a valid, publicly accessible URL. A missing or broken website link reduces profile quality and can negatively affect local search rankings. Ensure the URL is current and relevant to the business location.
Hours of Operation
Accurate hours information prevents customer frustration and supports local search ranking.
regular_hours defines your standard operating hours for each day of the week. The format typically specifies open and close times for Monday through Sunday. If your hours vary by day, each day must have its own entry. Incorrect or missing regular hours are a frequent cause of negative customer reviews and can result in profile demotion in search results.
special_hours covers temporary variations, such as extended hours during holidays or early closures on specific dates. Use this field to inform customers of changes without modifying your regular schedule.
more_hours is an optional field that can reference additional hours information or links to more detailed schedules. This is useful if your business has complex operating patterns or multiple service types with different schedules.
open_info provides a simple indicator of current status: open, closed, or opening soon. This field helps customers understand at a glance whether your business is currently operating.
Business Classification and Categorisation
Proper categorisation ensures your profile appears in relevant searches and attracts qualified customers.
primary_category is the main business category that describes what your business does. Google provides a fixed list of categories (for example, 'Restaurant', 'Plumber', 'Retail Store'). Choosing an accurate primary category is crucial because it determines which searches trigger your profile to appear. A mismatched category can result in low visibility or profile rejection.
additional_categories allows you to specify up to nine secondary categories that further describe your business. If your business operates across multiple service areas or product types, secondary categories help Google understand the full scope of what you offer and can improve visibility across related searches.
Geographic and Service Scope
These fields define where your business operates and who can access your services.
service_area specifies the geographic region or regions where you provide services. For service-based businesses (plumbers, electricians, consultants), this field indicates the areas you serve without requiring a physical storefront in each location. Accurate service area data is essential for service businesses to appear in local searches across their operating territory.
relationship_data captures hierarchical relationships between locations, such as when a specific store is part of a larger franchise or chain. This field helps Google understand multi-location business structures and can improve how profiles are grouped and displayed in search results.
Advanced Configuration and Optimisation
labels are custom tags you assign to your profile to help organise and manage your locations internally. Labels do not appear publicly but allow you to segment locations by region, performance tier, or other criteria for easier management.
ad_words_location_extensions links your Google Business Profile to your Google Ads account, allowing location data to appear in your paid search ads. This field contains the relationship identifier between your profile and your Ads account. Properly configured location extensions improve ad click-through rates and reduce wasted ad spend on customers far from your location.
profile is a longer-form text field where you can describe your business, its history, mission, or unique value proposition. This narrative content can improve profile quality and help customers understand what sets your business apart. Keep descriptions factual and focused on information that influences customer decisions.
Practical Implementation and Optimisation
When preparing your Google Business Profile feed, follow these steps to maximise visibility and approval rates.
Verify address accuracy before submission. Use Google Maps or your local postal authority to confirm that your address, postal code, and coordinates match. Inconsistencies between these fields are the most common reason for profile rejection or demotion. If you operate from a service area rather than a fixed address, configure the service_area field explicitly and ensure your address is your actual business office or registered address.
Ensure all contact information is current and monitored. Test your primary_phone number before feed submission to confirm it connects to a live person or monitored voicemail. An unresponsive phone line damages customer trust and can trigger profile suspension after complaints.
Match your primary_category precisely to Google's category list. Do not attempt to force a category that is close but not exact. If Google's standard categories do not fit your business perfectly, choose the closest match and use additional_categories to provide context. Mismatched categories reduce visibility and increase the likelihood of manual review delays.
Update hours immediately when changes occur. Use regular_hours for your permanent schedule and special_hours for temporary variations. Outdated hours are a major source of negative customer reviews and directly harm local search ranking. Set calendar reminders to update special_hours before holidays or seasonal closures.
Provide coordinates accurate to at least four decimal places. Imprecise coordinates can place your location on the wrong side of a street or in the wrong neighbourhood, confusing customers and damaging trust. Use a GPS tool or Google Maps to obtain accurate coordinates for your exact storefront entrance.
Optimise your profile description for clarity and relevance. Describe your business, key services, or unique attributes in plain language. Avoid keyword stuffing or marketing jargon. A clear, honest profile description can improve engagement and reduce bounce rates from customers who realise your business is not what they are looking for.
Link your profile to your Ads account via ad_words_location_extensions. This connection allows location data to appear in your Google Ads campaigns, increasing visibility and driving foot traffic. The integration is straightforward but must be configured correctly in both your feed and your Ads account.
Test your feed in a staging environment before full deployment. Validate that all fields are correctly formatted, that phone numbers are active, and that coordinates place your business at the correct location. Many feed management platforms allow you to preview profiles before live submission.
Monitor your profile quality score in Google Business Profile Manager. After feed deployment, review the quality score and any warnings or suggestions Google provides. Address any flagged issues promptly to maintain visibility and avoid suspension.
Summary
Google Business Profile feeds are essential for local search visibility and customer trust. Success depends on accurate, complete, and current information across location, contact, hours, and categorisation fields. The most critical fields for approval and ranking are address data (including postal code and coordinates), primary category, phone number, and hours of operation. Merchants should validate all information before submission, monitor profiles regularly for accuracy, and update hours and contact details whenever changes occur. By maintaining a high-quality profile, you increase the likelihood that customers find your business in local search results and have the information they need to visit or contact you.