When someone nearby searches “Vietnamese restaurant” or “pho near me”, Google shows a map with three places before any website. Those places come from Google Business Profile, the free listing behind your pin on Google Maps. For many restaurants, the profile is the first thing a guest sees and the place where they decide to call, book or walk in. This guide covers how to set it up well and how it works together with your restaurant website.
Claim and verify your listing
Search for your restaurant on Google Maps first. A listing often exists already, added by Google or by a guest, and you only need to claim it. If there is none, add your business from Google Maps or the Google Business Profile page. Google then asks you to prove that you run the place. The method depends on your business and country: a phone call or text, an email, a short video of your shop front and kitchen, or a postcard with a code. Use the exact name on your sign, and the address as it appears on your lease or bills.
Add a second manager, such as a partner or a trusted staff member, so you never lose access when one person changes phone or leaves.
Name, category and hours: the details that decide clicks
- Name: your real business name only. Adding words like “best pho” breaks Google’s rules and can get the listing suspended.
- Primary category: the most precise one, such as “Vietnamese restaurant” rather than “Restaurant”. Add secondary ones for what else you offer, like takeaway or catering.
- Hours: regular hours plus special hours for holidays. Guests who arrive at a closed door leave a bad review and never come back.
- Attributes: dine-in, takeaway, delivery, vegetarian options, wheelchair access, outdoor seating. They help you appear in filtered searches.
Menu, booking and website links
Your profile can link to your website, your menu and a booking page. Point the menu link to a menu page on your own website, written as text with prices, rather than a photo or a PDF. Guests read it easily on a phone, and Google can match your dishes to what people search. The booking link should open a short form that reaches your phone at once. Our guide to what guests look for on a restaurant website explains how to build those pages.
Photos that make people come in
Guests look at photos more than any other part of a listing. Upload your own: the front of the restaurant so people recognise the door, the dining room at a busy hour, your signature dishes in daylight, and the team. Add new photos every month or two; a listing whose newest picture is three years old looks closed. Guests will add their own photos too, which is good, but yours set the first impression.
Reviews: ask, reply, never buy
The number of reviews, their rating and how recent they are all affect how often you appear and how many people choose you. Ask happy guests at the end of the meal, with a small card or a QR code at the counter that opens the review form. Reply to every review: a short thank-you to good ones, and a calm, specific answer to bad ones that shows future guests how you handle problems. Never pay for reviews or offer a discount in exchange for one; Google’s rules forbid it and removes such reviews.
| Field | What to put | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The name on your sign | Adding keywords or the city |
| Category | The most precise cuisine | Only “Restaurant” |
| Hours | Regular and holiday hours | Holiday closures left out |
| Website | Your own home page | A social page that needs a login |
| Menu | A text menu page on your site | A blurry photo of the printed menu |
| Photos | Door, room, dishes, team | Only stock or old photos |
Your website and your profile should tell the same story
Google trusts a business more when the same name, address, phone number and hours appear on the profile, on the website and on other listings. A website also gives Google what a profile cannot hold: your full menu as text, your story, pages for events or catering, and answers to common questions. It should carry your details in a form search engines read, and link back to your map. Restaurants abroad that serve both Vietnamese and local guests benefit most from a website in two languages; see websites for Vietnamese businesses abroad.
A ten-minute weekly routine
- Reply to the week’s new reviews and questions.
- Check that hours are right for the coming week, including any holiday.
- Add one or two new photos or an update about a new dish or event.
- Look at how many people called, asked for directions or opened your website, and compare with last month.
Questions restaurant owners ask
Does Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. The listing is free. Be careful with calls from people who claim to be from Google and ask for payment to “verify” or “rank” your listing.
Do we still need a website if the profile works?
Yes. The profile brings people to you; the website answers their questions, holds the full menu and takes bookings without a commission. Each makes the other rank better.
We have two branches. One profile or two?
One profile per address, each with its own hours and phone number. On the website, give each branch its own page and link each profile to its page.
In short
- Claim and verify your listing with your real name, precise category and correct hours.
- Link a text menu and a booking page on your own website, and keep your own photos fresh.
- Ask for reviews, reply to all of them, and keep your details the same everywhere.