Google Business Profile checklist for takeaways

When someone searches your takeaway's name or "takeaway near me", Google shows your Business Profile: the panel with your hours, photos, reviews and buttons. It's free, and for many takeaways it sends more customers than the website itself.

Go to business.google.com and work through this list.

Get the basics exactly right

1. 1Claim and verify your listing. Google usually verifies by phone, email, video or post.
2. 2Choose the most specific category, such as "Chinese takeaway" or "Pizza takeaway", then add secondary ones like "Delivery restaurant".
3. 3Use your real business name. Don't add keywords to it ("Jade Palace Best Chinese Beccles"); Google can suspend listings for that.
4. 4Set your hours, including special hours for bank holidays and Christmas. Wrong hours are the fastest way to a bad review.
5. 5Add your phone number and address, matching what's on your website and menus exactly.

Make it easy to order

• Set your website to your ordering site.
• Add your ordering link as the order or menu link where Google offers it. Food businesses can add order links in the profile's food ordering settings.
• Choose your service options: delivery, takeaway/collection, dine-in.

Photos

Listings with photos get more clicks and calls. Add your logo, the shop front (so people can find you), the counter, and your best-selling dishes. Real photos on a clean plate beat stock photos. Add new ones every few weeks.

Reviews

• Ask happy customers for a review. The best moment is just after a good meal; a link in the order confirmation or on a card in the bag works well.
• Reply to every review, good and bad. Keep replies short and polite. For a complaint, apologise, say what you'll do, and offer to sort it out by phone.
• Never buy reviews or offer something in return for a positive one; it breaks Google's rules.

Keep it fresh

Post your offers and specials as Updates, and check the profile once a month for edits suggested by the public, which Google sometimes applies automatically.

Direct Dine venues: the Get found on Google help article shows exactly which links to copy from your dashboard.