How to Add Services to Your Google Business Profile (Step by Step)

To add services in Google My Business, now called Google Business Profile, sign in to the Google Account that manages your profile and open it on Google Search. Select “Edit services”, tick the suggested services you offer, add any missing ones as custom services, then select “Save”. Google reviews each edit before it appears.

We have managed Google Business Profiles for Mumbai businesses since 2017, and the Services section is one of the most often skipped. This guide covers adding, describing, grouping and removing services, and what to do when the option is missing. If you haven’t verified your profile yet, start with our guide on how to set up a Google Business Profile.

What is the Services section on a Google Business Profile?

It is a list of the specific jobs your business does, shown on your profile. Google’s help page on how to manage your services says businesses in certain categories can showcase their offerings this way, and that a service may be highlighted when local customers search for it. On the Google Maps app, customers see the full list under “Services”.

Google suggests services based on your business type. Its own example is a plumbing business being offered options such as “Install faucet” or “Repair toilet”. You can also create custom services, group them into categories and add details such as a description.

It helps to keep four parts of your profile separate in your head:

• Categories say what your business is, such as “Dentist” or “Air conditioning contractor”.
• Services say what you do for customers, such as “Root canal treatment” or “Split AC installation”.
• Service areas say where you travel to customers, such as Goregaon or Malad.
• Description is a short paragraph about your business as a whole.

What do you need before you add services?

You need a verified profile, access to the Google Account linked to it and the right primary category. Google’s page on what happens to your Business Profile edits says an unverified profile can only edit some details, such as name, category, address, hours, phone number and website.

Check these points first:

• The right account. Google says you must be signed in to the Google Account that’s linked to your Business Profile. If an agency or staff member manages it, they need to be added as a manager.
• The right category. Suggested services depend on your category, so a wrong primary category means wrong suggestions. Our guide to ranking higher on Google Maps in Mumbai explains how to choose one.
• A written list. Note every service you actually offer, in the words customers use when they call you. This is quicker than deciding while the editor is open.

How do you add services to your Google Business Profile, step by step?

Google’s steps for adding suggested services are short:

1. Sign in to the Google Account that manages your profile.
2. Search Google for your exact business name to bring up your Business Profile.
3. Select “Edit services”.
4. Tick the services you want to add.
5. Select “Save”.

Google’s help page on how to edit your Business Profile says you can make edits on Search or in the Google Maps app, where you tap “Business” at the bottom right and then “Edit profile”. It also says some features differ between Search and Maps, so if one route doesn’t show services, try the other.

How do you add a custom service that isn’t in Google’s list?

Select “Edit services”, then “Add more services”. If your service isn’t listed, select “Add custom service”, type its name and select “Save”. This is where most Mumbai businesses need to spend time, because suggested lists rarely cover local specialities such as society pest control contracts or modular kitchen repairs.

Google says custom services that break its policy are rejected automatically. Keep profanity, gibberish, personal information, prices and phone numbers out of service names. We’d also leave out area names, superlatives and long strings of keywords. A name like “Termite treatment for housing societies” is clearer to a customer than “Pest Control Andheri Goregaon Malad 24×7”.

How do you add a description to each service?

Select “Edit services”, choose the service you want to edit, add details and select “Save”. Google says you can add information such as a price and a description. Both are optional.

A good description says what is included, who it suits and anything a customer should know before booking, in one or two plain sentences. For example: “Deep cleaning of split and window AC units at your home, including filter and coil cleaning. Suitable before the summer season.” If your rates vary from job to job, leave the price field empty rather than enter a figure that misleads customers.

How do you group services under more than one category?

Select “Edit services”, then “Add a new business category”. Enter the category, choose from the options shown, then tick or add the services you offer under it, and select “Save”. A clinic offering both dental and skin treatments, for example, can keep each group under its own category.

Use this sparingly. Google’s page on how to manage your business category says not to select a category for every product or service, and warns that adding or editing a category might mean you are asked to verify your business again.

How do you edit or remove a service later?

Select “Edit services”, choose the service and change its details, or select “Delete service” to remove it, then select “Save”. Remove anything you no longer offer, so customers don’t call you for work you won’t take on.

Every change goes through review. Google says edits usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but can sometimes take up to 30 days. While you wait, an edit shows as “Pending”. Afterwards it shows as “Accepted” or “Not approved”, and Google says you might be able to appeal a rejected edit.

Why can’t you see the “Edit services” option?

The most common reasons are a category that doesn’t support services, an unverified profile or being signed in to the wrong Google Account. Google describes the menu and services editor as having limited availability, and says the menu editor is for food and drink businesses only.

Work through these checks in order:

1. Account: confirm you are signed in to the account that owns or manages the profile.
2. Verification: check that the profile is verified, not pending.
3. Category: if your primary category is very general, a more specific one that genuinely describes your business may unlock service suggestions.
4. Surface: try Google Search on a computer if the Maps app doesn’t show the option, or the reverse.

Retail businesses sometimes look for a products section instead. Google’s edit page currently lists in-store product showcasing as limited to retail businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, so most Indian businesses will work with services rather than products.

How should you write your services list for a Mumbai business?

Write it the way your customers talk. If callers ask for “AC gas filling” rather than “refrigerant recharge”, use their words. Typing the start of your service into Google and noting the suggestions is a quick way to check common phrasing.

A few habits keep the list useful:

• One service per entry. Don’t combine several jobs into one long name.
• Only real services. List what you do today, not what you might add next year.
• Match your website. Services on your profile should match the services pages and description on your website, so customers see the same offer everywhere.
• Keep places in the service area. Localities belong in your service area settings, not in service names. Google’s page on how to manage your service areas explains how to set them.
• Review it every few months. Add new services and delete old ones when your business changes.

How can you check your services are showing?

Open the Google Maps app, search for your business as a customer would and look under “Services”. Check the names, descriptions and grouping read clearly on a phone screen, then run our free Google Business Profile check to spot other missing or incomplete fields.

If you’d like help building your services list, fixing rejected edits or choosing categories, see our local SEO and Google Business Profile services in Mumbai, or book a free consultation with our Goregaon team. We work Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00 IST.