How to Write a Google Business Profile Description That Helps You Rank
Your Google Business Profile description is 750 characters of space that Google hands you to explain what you do and where you do it, and almost nobody uses it well. Most of the profiles I look at in Carmel and Indianapolis have either left it blank or filled it with a mission statement. Both waste it. If you'd rather have the whole profile handled for you, that's what Google Business Profile optimization is for.
What your Google Business Profile description is for
Two audiences read it. Google reads it to figure out which searches you should show up for, and a customer reads it while deciding whether to call you or the business listed under you. A good description serves both at once, which is easier than it sounds, because the specifics that help Google are the same specifics that help a person decide.
One thing to know before you write a word: only the start of your description shows on your profile. The rest sits behind a More link that most people never tap. So put your main service and your location in the first sentence or two, and treat everything after that as detail for the people who want it.
The two descriptions that waste the space
The first is the blank one. If yours is empty, you've left your competitors a free advantage, and fixing it takes about twenty minutes.
The second is more common and more frustrating, because it looks like work was done. It reads: "We are a family owned business committed to quality workmanship and exceptional customer service. Our team takes pride in every job and your satisfaction is our top priority." Pleasant, and completely interchangeable with every competitor you have.
Stop writing about your reputation
You shouldn't be talking about your reputation and the quality of your work in your service descriptions. Every business can say the same thing. You should be focusing on the keywords users type into Google to find a business like yours and the geographical locations you serve.
That's the whole principle. If a sentence could appear word for word on a competitor's profile, it isn't earning its place. If it names a service someone searches for, or a town you work in, it is.
Before and after, with real examples
Here's what the change looks like in practice. The first version in each pair is the kind of thing I find on profiles. The second is what I would replace it with.
| Business | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber, Carmel | We offer expert plumbing services with over 20 years of experience and a commitment to quality. | Plumbing services in Carmel and the surrounding Hamilton County area, including clogged drain repairs, water heater repair and replacement, sump pump repair and replacement, pipe leak repairs, and 24 hour emergency plumbing. |
| Hair salon, Indianapolis | A full service salon dedicated to making every client look and feel their best. | Hair salon in Indianapolis offering balayage, highlights, color correction, root touch ups, toning, glossing treatments, cuts and blowouts. Serving Broad Ripple, Fountain Square and downtown Indianapolis. |
The second version of each is longer, plainer and less flattering, and it's the one that gets found. It names services people search for and places people search from. The first version names nothing.
Use all 750 characters Google gives you
Google gives you 750 and most businesses use fewer than 100. The goal isn't to pad it out. The goal is to be specific enough that the space fills up on its own, which happens quickly once you start listing the individual services inside each service and the places you actually cover.
How to write yours in five steps
Search your own service in an incognito window
From the area you work in, read what the businesses ranking above you say about themselves. You're looking for the words they chose, not their tone.
Write down your four ingredients
Your main service, the specific services inside it, the towns and neighborhoods you cover, and anything genuinely unusual about how you work.
Draft it as plain sentences
Service first, specifics second, location third. Don't write an introduction and don't write a conclusion.
Fill the space
Get yourself to between 400 and 600 characters, then see whether one more real detail takes you closer to 750.
Read it aloud, then publish
If a sentence sounds like a brochure, cut it. Then paste it in and save.
If you want to use AI to help with the draft, give it the four ingredients from step two and tell it to avoid reputation language. Treat what comes back as a first draft, not a finished description, and check that every service and place it names is one you really offer.
Location is not optional for a Carmel business
A description that never names a place is working with one hand tied. Google is deciding, among other things, whether you're a sensible result for someone searching nearby, and your own description is the clearest statement you can make about where you work.
Name the town, and name the neighborhoods or nearby places if they matter. This is the same reasoning behind showing up for near me searches, which is won largely by saying plainly and often where you work.
Review it every quarter
Services change, coverage areas grow, and a description written two years ago usually describes a business that has already moved on. Put fifteen minutes in the calendar every quarter to read it again, alongside your services section, which follows the same rules and gives you a lot more room.
The bottom line
Name what you do. Name where you do it. Use the words customers type, not the words a brochure would use. Fill the space. Read it aloud before you publish. That's the entire method, and it takes one afternoon to apply to a profile that has been sitting half empty for years. Whether you work in Carmel, Indianapolis or anywhere in between, it is the one part of the profile written in sentences, and it is worth the afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good description for a business profile?
One that names your main service, the specific services inside it, and the places you work, in plain language, using the words customers actually search. A good test: if a competitor could paste your description onto their own profile without changing a word, it isn't doing anything for you.
How do I add a business description to my Google Business Profile?
Search your business name while signed in, or go to business.google.com, then click Edit profile. The description sits under the About or Business information section. Paste yours in and save. Changes usually appear within a few days.
Where can I see Google Business Profile description examples?
The two rewritten examples in this post are the pattern to copy. For your own industry, search your main service in an incognito window and read the descriptions of the businesses ranking above you. You're looking at the words they chose, not whether they sound impressive.
How long should a Google Business Profile description be?
The limit is 750 characters and most businesses use fewer than 100. Aim for 400 to 600 as a floor, and use the full 750 if you have real detail to add. Don't pad it to hit the number.