Your Business Name
Your business name is the most important thing to get right — and the easiest thing to get wrong. Getting this wrong can get your listing suspended. Let's make sure yours is set up correctly.
Check Your Current Business Name
What to do
First, let's see what name is currently showing on your listing and make sure it matches your real-world business name exactly.
Step by step
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Sign in to business.google.com and go to your listing.
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Find your business name. It's displayed prominently at the top of your profile. Click on it or find the "Edit profile" or "Business information" section to see and edit it.
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Compare it to your real-world name. Look at your shopfront signage, business cards, invoices, or company registration. Your Google Business Profile name should match exactly.
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Check for anything extra. Does your Google name have any words that aren't on your real signage? Location names? Service descriptions? Keywords? These need to be removed.
What Your Business Name Should Be
What to do
Your business name should be your real-world trading name — nothing more, nothing less. Here's exactly what that means.
Step by step
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Use your real trading name. This is the name on your shop sign, the name you answer the phone with, the name on your business cards. If your sign says "Smith's Bakery", your Google name should be "Smith's Bakery".
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Don't add your location. "Smith's Bakery" not "Smith's Bakery Manchester". Your location is captured in your address field.
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Don't add keywords or services. "Smith's Bakery" not "Smith's Bakery - Wedding Cakes, Birthday Cakes, Fresh Bread". Your services go in the services section.
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Don't add taglines or marketing. "Smith's Bakery" not "Smith's Bakery - The Best Cakes in Town!". Marketing goes in your description.
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Don't add phone numbers or websites. These have their own dedicated fields.
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Use proper capitalisation. "Smith's Bakery" not "SMITH'S BAKERY" or "smith's bakery". Write it how you'd want it to appear professionally.
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Include legal identifiers only if part of your trading name. If you trade as "Smith's Bakery Ltd" on your signage, include the Ltd. If your sign just says "Smith's Bakery", leave off the Ltd.
Examples by industry
✓ "Aquaflow Plumbing Services" | ✗ "Aquaflow Plumbing Services - 24/7 Emergency Plumber Plymouth & Devon" | ✗ "Aquaflow Plumbing - Boiler Repairs, Bathroom Fitting, Leak Detection"
✓ "The Corner Café" | ✗ "The Corner Café Exeter" | ✗ "The Corner Café - Best Breakfast & Brunch in Exeter City Centre"
✓ "Riverside Dental Practice" | ✗ "Riverside Dental Practice - NHS Dentist Bristol" | ✗ "Riverside Dental - Emergency Dentist Accepting New Patients"
✓ "Harrison & Co Solicitors" | ✗ "Harrison & Co Solicitors Birmingham" | ✗ "Harrison Solicitors - Family Law, Divorce, Conveyancing Specialists"
**This is the #1 reason listings get suspended.** Google actively polices keyword-stuffed names. It might seem like adding keywords would help you rank better — and in the short term, it sometimes does. But Google catches up, suspends the listing, and you lose everything including your reviews. It's not worth the risk. Ever.
"But My Competitors Have Keywords in Their Names..."
What to do
Yes, you'll see competitors breaking this rule. Here's why you shouldn't copy them, and what you can do about it.
Step by step
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They haven't been caught yet. Google doesn't catch everyone immediately. Some spam listings survive for months or even years. But when they do get caught, they lose everything.
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They might be legitimate. Some businesses genuinely have keywords in their legal trading name. "24/7 Emergency Plumbers Ltd" might actually be registered that way. You can't always tell.
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You can report them. If a competitor has obviously stuffed keywords into their name (and it's not their real business name), you can report it to Google.
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To report a competitor: Search for their business on Google Maps. Click on their listing. Click "Suggest an edit". Select "Change name or other details". Suggest their correct name (if you know it) or explain that keywords have been added.
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Focus on what you can control. You can't force Google to penalise competitors, and obsessing over it wastes your time. Focus on making your own listing the best it can be within the rules. Good photos, great reviews, and complete information will beat a spammy name in the long run.
Does the business name affect rankings?
Yes, having keywords in your business name does provide a ranking boost — which is exactly why people spam it. However, Google's guidelines explicitly prohibit adding keywords that aren't part of your real business name. The penalty for violation (suspension) far outweighs the temporary ranking benefit. The playing field isn't level, but the solution is enforcement of guidelines, not joining the spam. Many SEO professionals actively report keyword-stuffed names to help clean up local search.
Special Cases and Edge Situations
What to do
Some situations aren't straightforward. Here's guidance on common edge cases.
Step by step
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You trade under a different name than your registered company name: Use your trading name (the one on your signage), not your registered company name. If your company is registered as "J Smith Holdings Ltd" but you trade as "Smith's Bakery", use "Smith's Bakery".
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You're a franchisee: Follow the franchise's guidelines. Usually this means using the franchise name plus your location identifier if required by the franchisor. For example, "McDonald's" or "Subway" — the franchise will have specific rules.
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You're a sole trader using your own name: If you trade under your personal name, that's fine. "John Smith Plumbing" or just "John Smith" if that's how you present to customers.
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Your business name includes a location legitimately: If your registered trading name genuinely includes a location — "Manchester Heating Services Ltd" — that's fine. But "Dave's Plumbing" shouldn't become "Dave's Plumbing Manchester".
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You're rebranding: If you're changing your business name in the real world (new signage, new paperwork), update Google at the same time. Don't update Google before the real-world change is complete.
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Practitioners within a larger business: Doctors, lawyers, or agents at a practice can sometimes have their own listings. Follow Google's practitioner guidelines carefully — the name format is specific.
**The simple test:** If a Google reviewer visited your business and looked at your signage, would the name on Google exactly match what they see? If yes, you're fine. If no, fix it.
How to Change Your Business Name
What to do
If your name needs correcting, here's how to change it.
Step by step
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Go to business.google.com and sign in.
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Select your listing if you have multiple locations.
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Click on "Edit profile" or "Business information" — the exact wording varies but look for where you can edit your details.
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Find the business name field and click to edit it.
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Enter your correct business name — exactly as discussed above.
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Save your changes. Google may review the change before it goes live, especially if it's significantly different from the previous name.
**Major name changes may trigger re-verification.** If you change from "ABC Company" to "XYZ Company", Google might ask you to verify again to prove you're legitimate. Minor corrections usually go through without issue.