How to write your Google Business Profile description, with examples

TL;DR: Your Google Business Profile description appears in the From the business section of your profile and can be up to 750 characters. Google says to include what you offer, what makes you special, how long you have been in business and anything else helpful, and to avoid links, HTML, promotions, prices and sales. Lead with what you do and where, add two or three specific details, and end with how to book.

Key takeaways

• Your Google Business Profile description shows in the From the business section of your profile, and Google allows up to 750 characters.
• Google says to include what you offer, what makes you special, how long you have been in business and anything else helpful for customers.
• Google says not to include URLs or HTML, and to focus on the business rather than promotions, prices or sales.
• Google’s guidelines also ban misspellings, gimmicky characters, gibberish and content unrelated to the business.
• A simple structure works best: what you do and where, what makes you different, proof, practical details and how to book.

What is a Google Business Profile description?

A Google Business Profile description is the short paragraph you write about your business, shown in the From the business section of your profile on Google Search and Maps. It can be up to 750 characters. It is the one place on your profile where you describe the business in your own words.

Google’s help page on editing your Business Profile calls it a brief description of your business, and lists what to include and what to avoid. Its guidelines for representing your business add further rules. Everything in this guide comes from those two pages, checked on 15 October 2026.

Customers read the description when they are deciding whether to call, book or visit. A clear one answers the questions they have at that moment: what exactly do you do, are you any good, and is this the right place for me? If you are still setting up your profile, start with our guide to setting up a Google Business Profile.

What should a Google Business Profile description include?

Google says a good Google Business Profile description includes what you offer, what makes you special, how long you have been in business and anything else that is helpful for customers to know. In practice, that means your main services, where you work, what sets you apart, a fact that builds trust, and how to get started.

Google’s own example describes an independent ice cream shop near the town centre, a favourite with locals, serving 35 homemade flavours all year, with a pizza oven making pies every day from midday. It is specific, friendly and full of facts a customer can use, without any promotional claims.

Use the words your customers use. If people search for a boiler repair, say boiler repairs, not heating solutions. Mention the towns or areas you serve where it reads naturally. Google’s guidelines say the description should give useful information on your services and products, and can include the mission and history of your business.

What should you avoid in your description?

Google says not to include URLs or HTML, not to exceed 750 characters, and to focus on details about your business rather than promotions, prices or sales. Its guidelines also rule out low-quality, irrelevant or distracting content, such as misspellings, gimmicky characters and gibberish, and say no links of any type are allowed.

Google’s guidelines give examples of promotional content that is not allowed, such as everything on sale at half price, or a claim about the best item in town for a set price. Keep offers and prices for Business Profile posts, which are designed for them, and keep the description about the business itself.

Avoid	Why	Put it instead
Links or web addresses	Google does not allow links in the description	Your website field
Prices, sales and offers	Google says to focus on the business, not promotions	Business Profile posts
Phone numbers and emails	The profile has its own contact fields	Contact fields
Capitals, emojis and symbols	Google bans gimmicky characters	Plain sentences
Lists of keywords	Irrelevant or distracting content is not allowed	Natural sentences
Claims you cannot back up	Must be honest and relevant to customers	Specific facts

How should you structure the description?

Use a simple five-part structure: start with what you do and where, then say what makes you different, add a fact that builds trust, give one or two practical details, and finish with how to book or visit. Five short sentences usually fit comfortably within 750 characters and cover everything customers need.

1. What and where. A family-run Italian restaurant in Southsea, or Gas Safe registered plumbers covering Fareham and Gosport.
2. What makes you different. Fresh pasta made every morning, or same-day callouts for leaks.
3. Trust. Years in business, qualifications, memberships or awards you genuinely hold.
4. Practical details. Dog-friendly, step-free access, free parking, evening appointments.
5. How to start. Book online, call for a free quote, or walk in.

Put the most important information in the first sentence. Depending on the screen, customers may see only the beginning of the description before they choose to read more.

Examples of good business descriptions

These example descriptions follow Google’s rules: no links, no prices, no promotions, just clear facts. Use them as a model and replace the details with your own; never claim anything that is not true of your business.

Restaurant. Family-run Italian restaurant in the heart of Southsea, serving fresh pasta made by hand every morning and wood-fired pizza from our own oven. We have been cooking here since 2012 and are proud to be a favourite for birthdays and Sunday lunches. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are marked on every menu, and our dining room is step-free. Book a table online or call us, and walk-ins are always welcome when we have space.

Hair salon. Independent hair salon in Fareham specialising in colour, balayage and precision cuts. Our four stylists have more than 40 years of experience between them and keep up with the latest techniques through regular training. We use vegan-friendly colour products and offer free consultations and patch tests before any new colour. Late appointments are available on Thursdays. Book online any time or call the salon.

Plumber. Gas Safe registered plumbing and heating engineers covering Portsmouth, Havant and Waterlooville. We repair and service boilers, fit bathrooms and fix leaks, with same-day callouts for emergencies when we can. A family business since 2008, we give a written quote before any work starts and tidy up afterwards. Call or message us for a free quote.

Café. Independent café and bakery on Albert Road, baking bread, cakes and pastries on site every morning. We roast our coffee with a local roaster and serve breakfast and lunch every day, with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. Families, laptops and dogs are all welcome, and there is a quiet room upstairs for small meetings. Pop in or order cakes for collection by phone.

Physiotherapy clinic. Physiotherapy clinic in Havant treating back and neck pain, sports injuries and recovery after surgery. All our physiotherapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and each first appointment includes a full assessment and a plan you can follow at home. We offer early morning and evening appointments and have free parking outside. Book online or call the clinic.

Shop. Family-run hardware shop in Emsworth, stocking tools, paint, garden supplies and hard-to-find fixings since 1987. Our staff can cut keys, mix paint to any colour and help you find the right part for the job. Local delivery is available on larger orders. Visit us on the high street, six days a week.

Each example stays well within 750 characters, leads with what and where, and ends with how to get in touch.

Does the description help your Google ranking?

Google does not say the description directly affects ranking, but it says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that relevance is how well a profile matches what someone is searching for. A clear description of your services helps people, and Google, understand what you do.

Google’s page on improving your local ranking recommends complete and accurate business information so Google can match your profile to the right searches. The description is part of that, alongside your categories, services, hours and photos. Our guide to Google Business Profile categories explains the setting that matters most for relevance.

Do not stuff the description with keywords or town names. Google’s guidelines rule out irrelevant or distracting content, and a description written for customers persuades them to call, which is the point of the profile.

How do you add or edit your description?

Open your Business Profile while signed in, select Edit profile, find the business description field, write or paste your text, and save. Google may review the change before it appears. Write and check the text in a document first, so you can count the characters and fix any typos before you paste it in.

Google’s help page also notes that some regions can use AI to help write a business description. If you use it, read the result carefully, remove anything that is not true or that reads like a sales pitch, and make sure it follows the rules above. You know your business; the description should sound like you.

Check the description after any big change, such as new services, new premises or new opening hours, so it never contradicts the rest of your profile or your website.

Writing tips for a business description that persuades

A business description persuades when it is specific. Replace general claims with facts: not friendly service but family-run since 2008, not great food but pasta made by hand every morning. Specific details are easier to believe, easier to remember and more likely to match what a customer is looking for.

A few habits help every Google Business Profile description:

• Write for one customer. Picture someone deciding between you and the business next door, and answer their questions.
• Use plain words. Short sentences, no jargon, no capitals for emphasis.
• Show, do not claim. Years in business, qualifications and real details beat adjectives.
• Mention the area naturally. The town or areas you cover, once or twice, in sentences.
• Read it aloud. If a sentence sounds like an advert, rewrite it as a fact.
• Ask a customer. Show the draft to a regular and ask what is missing.

Keep a copy of your final business description in the same document as your website copy, so the two stay consistent. When you update one, check the other. A Google Business Profile description that matches your website, your services list and your signage tells customers, and Google, the same clear story everywhere.

How is the description different from posts and services?

The description says what your business is, in a lasting way. Posts share what is happening now, such as offers, events and news. The services list sets out each thing you do in detail. Keeping each in its place makes your whole profile clearer and keeps the description inside Google’s rules.

Part of the profile	What it is for	How often to change it
Business description	What the business is and why to choose it	When the business changes
Services	Each service you offer, with short details	When you add or drop a service
Posts	Offers, events, news and updates	Every week or two
Photos	Your premises, team and work	Every month

Google’s help on Business Profile posts says posts can share announcements, offers, updates and events, which is why prices and promotions belong there rather than in the description. Our guide on how often to post on social media suggests an update every week or two.

How do you check your current description in five minutes?

Search for your business on Google, open your profile and read the description as a customer would. Does the first sentence say what you do and where? Is everything still true? Are there links, prices or capitals that break Google’s rules? If any answer is wrong, rewrite it today.

Then count the characters, compare the services it mentions with your website and services list, and check that the opening hours, area and contact details it implies match the rest of your profile. Five minutes now avoids a description that quietly contradicts everything else customers see.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistakes are writing a slogan instead of facts, starting with history instead of what you do, stuffing in keywords, adding prices or offers, pasting a website link, and leaving the description empty. Each one wastes the most persuasive space on your profile.

• A slogan instead of facts. Quality you can trust tells customers nothing; say what you do.
• History first. Lead with what and where; save the founding year for the trust sentence.
• Keyword lists. Write sentences, not a list of searches.
• Prices and offers. Use posts for these; Google says to focus on the business.
• Links and contact details. Use the website and contact fields instead.
• Leaving it empty. An empty description misses a chance to persuade.

Frequently asked questions

How long can a Google Business Profile description be?

Google says the description field must not exceed 750 characters. Most strong descriptions use four or five short sentences, putting the most important information first.

Can I put my website link in the description?

No. Google says not to include URLs or HTML in the description, and its guidelines say no links of any type are allowed. Add your website in the website field instead.

Can I mention prices or special offers?

Google says to focus on your business rather than promotions, prices or sales. Share offers in Business Profile posts, which are designed for them.

Should I include keywords in my description?

Use the words customers use for your services and area, in natural sentences. Avoid lists of keywords or town names; Google’s guidelines rule out irrelevant or distracting content.

How often should I update my description?

Whenever your services, location or opening hours change significantly, and otherwise once or twice a year. Keep it consistent with your website and the rest of your profile.

Can I write my description in more than one language?

Write it in the language most of your customers use. Google’s guidelines rule out repeating the same name in several scripts or languages for the business name; for the description, one clear version in your customers’ main language keeps it readable and within the limit.

What if Google rejects my description?

Check it against the rules: no links, no prices or offers, no gimmicky characters, nothing unrelated to the business and no more than 750 characters. Fix whatever breaks a rule, then save it again.

Want your profile written for you?

A clear Google Business Profile description, matched with the right categories, services and photos, turns more searches into calls. Our local SEO service writes and maintains your profile within Google’s guidelines, and our Show up on Google Maps page explains how we do it.

Related reading: what to do if your Google Business Profile is suspended and how to choose and size Google Business Profile photos.