The business description field on your Google Business Profile accepts up to 750 characters. It appears on your listing and is read by both Google and anyone who views your profile.
It is not a direct ranking factor in the way that categories or reviews are, but it supports your listing by reinforcing what your business does and where you work. A clear, specific description helps Google understand your profile and gives customers a reason to call.
What a good description covers
A well-written business description for a trade business covers three areas. First, your primary services. stated plainly, not as a generic opening about quality. The actual work you carry out: boiler installations, central heating repairs, bathroom fitting, emergency callouts.
Second, where you work. The towns and areas you serve. This reinforces your service area settings and gives Google additional location context from a different part of your profile.
Third, one or two specific, verifiable reasons customers choose you. Gas Safe registered. Fully insured. Family run. Available for same-day callouts. Not a string of adjectives. concrete facts.
Character limit for GBP descriptions
Characters appear in search without clicking
What to avoid
"We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality service" tells Google nothing. It applies equally to a window cleaner, a solicitor, or a dog groomer. Start with something specific to your trade.
Avoid repeating the same phrase multiple times. Writing "plumber in Rhyl, Rhyl plumber, best plumber Rhyl" reads poorly to customers and is unlikely to provide meaningful ranking benefit. Google's algorithms are designed to understand context.
Vague descriptors carry no weight either. "Trusted", "professional", and "award-winning" without supporting context are not useful. "Gas Safe registered engineer, fully insured to £1m public liability" is more useful than any generic descriptor.
Your business description is your elevator pitch to every person who finds you on Google Maps — make those 750 characters count.
A structure that works
There is no single correct approach, but this reads consistently well:
- One sentence describing your primary service and the areas you cover
- A short list of your services. three to five is enough
- One sentence on a specific trust signal or qualifier
This keeps the description focused, accurate, and useful. both to customers scanning your profile and to Google indexing it.
Lead with your primary service and location, mention what makes you different, and close with a call to action. Skip the company history.
When to update it
Your description can be changed at any time through your Google Business Profile dashboard. There is no penalty for editing it.
Update it when your services change, when you expand your area, or when it no longer accurately reflects what you do. Review it once a year as a minimum.