Write an effective business description that includes primary keywords naturally.
Module 3 · Lesson 1
Business Description
Write a compelling, keyword-rich business description that attracts customers and improves your ranking.
Learning Outcomes
Stay within the 750-character limit while including the most important information.
Avoid terms and phrases that violate Google's content guidelines.
Use the description to differentiate your business from competitors.
Key Concepts
Why the Business Description Matters
Your Google Business Profile description appears in your Knowledge Panel and is indexed by Google as part of your profile's content. A well-written description that naturally includes relevant keywords can improve your relevance signals and help you appear for more searches. More importantly, a compelling description can persuade customers who are comparing multiple businesses to choose yours.
The 750-Character Limit
Your description can be up to 750 characters long, but only the first 250 characters are visible without clicking "More". This means your opening two sentences are critical — they must immediately communicate what your business does and why it is the right choice. Put your most important information first: your core service, location, and key differentiator.
Keyword Integration
Include your primary keyword and 2–3 secondary keywords naturally in your description. For example, if you are a plumber in Wellington, phrases like "Wellington plumber", "plumbing services" and "emergency plumbing" should appear naturally in the text. Do not keyword-stuff — the description should read naturally for customers, not like a list of search terms.
What to Include
A strong description covers: what your business does, where you operate, how long you have been in business, what makes you different from competitors, your key services or products, and a value proposition (e.g. "same-day service guaranteed" or "family-owned since 1985"). End with a call to action such as "Call us today" or "Visit our website to book online".
What to Avoid
Google prohibits: promotional or sales language (e.g. "best in the city"), links or HTML code, offensive content, inaccurate information, and anything irrelevant to the business. Violating these guidelines can result in your description being removed or your profile being suspended.
Step-by-Step Practice
Read your current business description — does it clearly explain what you do, where you operate and why customers should choose you?
Write a draft description of no more than 750 characters that includes your primary keyword, location, key services and a differentiator.
Check character count using a word counter tool and ensure the most important information appears in the first 250 characters.
Review for prohibited content — remove any promotional superlatives, links or HTML.
Update your profile with the new description and allow 24–48 hours for changes to reflect in search.
Ian's practical tip: I have written an effective business description under 750 characters. My description includes primary keywords used naturally. The most important information is in the first 250 characters. My description avoids prohibited content and has been updated.
Practical Activity
Complete and record this task
Write your description from the customer's perspective — they want to know if you can solve their problem. Lead with the problem you solve, then explain how and why you are the right choice. Finish with a clear next action.