How To Select The Right Google Business Profile Name

Choose the best name for your Google Business Profile which is one of the biggest local search ranking factors in 2025.

How To Choose The Best Google Business Profile Name

Setting up your Google Business Profile from the start involves many steps, from picking up the proper business categories to setting up hours of operation and much more. Still, the most crucial part is to select the ideal Google business profile name.

While that sounds like a piece of cake, and many people believe in the obvious choice of listing the real-world name, a lot is involved in that specific action, which may prove a game changer or destroyer of your local rankings.

Well, this article is the solution to that problem, so stick until the end because you will learn precisely how to choose the right name for your Google Business Profile.

Why Your GBP Name Is So Important?

To fully understand the importance of your Google listing name, I will divide my explanation into two categories: Increased Conversions and Higher Local Rankings.

Increased Conversions

Your name is part of your brand recognition, the core of your marketing strategy that involves building trust with your customers over time.

Having a concise name that precisely translates what your business is offering sticks in the client’s head for a long time, which in turn makes you the right fit for their needs.

Finally, the advantage you will have over your competitors by choosing a more memorable name than theirs will help you convert potential clients into customers and increase your sales.

Higher Local Rankings

Besides the conversion rate factor that matters both in the digital and real world, your GBP name is crucial for increasing your local rankings; in fact, it’s the second most important local ranking factor, according to Local Seo Experts at Whitespark.

Your focus should be to acquire a spot in the Map Pack, where the chances of getting leads to your business are increased, so you must pay attention to which name you choose from the start.

Even if your whole Google business profile optimization is mediocre at best, the name alone is equal to 30% percent of your efforts, and in a non-competitive area, that alone will give you the edge over your competitors.

How To Select The Ideal GBP Name

Now, that part of the local search sounds easy at first, but there are various parameters to consider when choosing the name of your Google Maps listing.

It’s actually quite controversial all those years because the Google business name can help your rankings but also penalize your GMB, which is why I will list all the necessary steps to take, even if some of them may seem a bit… strange to you.

Industry-Related Keywords In The Title

In that case, you need to add keywords related to your business’s category, which signals to Google that your business is all about the niche you reference on the GBP title.

For example, a home improvement store could be named “Home & Style” or an optic store, “Optic Lab”.

Location Keywords In The Title

Proximity is the bread and butter of local search, so a geo modifier (location-specific keyword) is your go-to choice when adding keywords to your GBP title.

It emphasizes local intent, which is how people choose to look for businesses in specific areas, so now’s the time to leverage it.

Some great examples would be an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn named “The Hungry Italian Brooklyn” or Pet Grooming in Pittsburg, “Top Groomit Pittsburg”. (Please don’t judge my imaginary names!!!!)

Your GBP Name Should Be The Same With Your Real Business Name

According to Google’s guidelines, the name on Google Maps should match the name your business has in the real world, and considering you want to get all the ranking juice from the above keyword suggestions, you try to change your actual business name to stay compliant with Google’s rules.

Now, “Top Groomit Pittsburg” looks awkward to have on the signage outside of my store, so why should I give a name like that?

Well, my answer is this: “Do you want potential clients to find you through local search?” “Does my competition do the same and succeed?”

If your answer is Yes to both questions, then you should definitely make that sacrifice for the sake of getting a higher number of leads.

4 Things To Consider Upon Name Selection

1. Don’t Keyword Stuff Your GBP Name

If your name consists of 20 words full of niche-relevant and location keywords, it is ULTRA SPAMMY and can get your listing suspended, which equals losing all rankings and starting over again. And I don’t have to mention that it looks unprofessional and fake to customers.

2. Changing Your Name May Lead To Suspension

At some point, you may want to do some rebranding and change your name. If you do that, Google will probably suspend your listing. Hence, you need to have the necessary papers that prove the legitimacy of that change, primarily upon the reinstatement process of your GBP.

3. GBP Name Must Be The Same With Your Website

Any information on your Google Business Profile must be the same as on your website because they influence each other, so different names will sound an alarm to Google that something smells fishy here, forcing them to take countermeasures (GBP suspension.)

4. Same Name Across All Platforms

Although extremely important, your website is one of many places where your name should match your GBP title. Social Media Pages, major data aggregators and citation sites/directories must have consistency when it comes to your name so that your brand will be easily recognizable by customers and Google in the internet space.

Conclusion

Picking up the right name for your Google Business Profile should be your main priority from the start, and always keep in mind that Google closely monitors this sensitive subject, and any changes to that should come along with the proper proof.

If you manage to stay on the legal side while applying the small tips I gave you earlier, you will leverage one of the most significant ranking factors and avoid critical suspensions in the future.