Most businesses only fill out the basics on their Google Business Profile — name, address, phone, hours. The Products and Services sections are left blank. This is a significant missed opportunity.
Google uses the Services section to determine which service-specific searches your business is relevant for. A plumber who adds "water heater repair" as a service will start ranking for "water heater repair near me" — a search they'd otherwise miss.
Services vs. Products: What's the Difference?
Services are for businesses that sell services — plumbers, lawyers, dentists, cleaners, contractors, landscapers, etc. The Services section lets you list specific offerings, each with its own name and description.
Products are for businesses that sell physical items — retail stores, restaurants with retail items, etc. Each product can include a name, category, price, description, and photo.
Both sections appear in your GBP listing and are indexed by Google for search relevance.
How to Add Services to Your GBP
- ▸Sign in to business.google.com
- ▸Select your business
- ▸Click "Edit profile"
- ▸Select "Services" from the navigation
- ▸Google will suggest common services based on your category — click the ones that apply
- ▸Click "Add custom service" for services not in the suggested list
- ▸For each service, add:
- ▸Service name
- ▸Service price (optional but increases trust)
- ▸Service description (max 300 characters)
Pro tip: Don't just click Google's suggested services and move on. The suggested list is generic. Write custom descriptions for each service that include your target keywords naturally.
Writing Service Descriptions That Rank
Your service description (300 characters) is a small keyword opportunity. Use it intentionally.
Generic (misses keywords): "We offer water heater repair services."
Optimized: "Water heater repair and replacement for all brands — gas, electric, and tankless. Emergency service available 24/7 in Austin and surrounding areas."
The optimized version includes the specific service type, related terms (replacement, brands, tankless), location, and availability. All of these help the algorithm match you to relevant searches.
How Many Services Should You Add?
Add every service you actually provide. There's no penalty for having many services. More services = more keyword surface area = more relevant searches you appear for.
For a plumbing company, this might include:
- ▸Water heater repair
- ▸Water heater installation
- ▸Drain cleaning
- ▸Drain unclogging
- ▸Sewer line repair
- ▸Pipe repair
- ▸Leak detection
- ▸Gas line repair
- ▸Bathroom plumbing
- ▸Kitchen plumbing
- ▸Sump pump installation
- ▸Backflow testing
Each one is a separate keyword cluster you can now rank for.
How to Add Products to Your GBP
- ▸Sign in to business.google.com
- ▸Select your business
- ▸Click "Edit profile"
- ▸Select "Products"
- ▸Click "Get started" or "Add product"
- ▸For each product, add:
- ▸Product name
- ▸Category (create or select)
- ▸Price or price range
- ▸Description
- ▸Photo (strongly recommended)
- ▸Optional: Link to product page on your website
Photos for products: Products with photos receive 2-3x more clicks than those without. Even a simple, clean product photo dramatically increases engagement.
Optimizing Product Descriptions
Product descriptions can be up to 1,000 characters — use them. Include:
- ▸What the product is (obviously)
- ▸Key specifications or options
- ▸Who it's for
- ▸Location references (for products tied to local availability)
Products also appear in Maps search results and Knowledge Panels, giving them additional visibility beyond just your listing.
Products and Services for Restaurants
Restaurants can use both sections effectively:
- ▸Services: Catering, private events, takeout, delivery, reservations
- ▸Products: Menu items organized by category (appetizers, entrees, desserts, drinks)
Adding your most popular dishes with photos makes your listing stand out dramatically in Maps results — especially for searchers looking for specific cuisine types.
Maintaining Your Services and Products
Update your Services and Products sections whenever:
- ▸You add new services or stop offering old ones
- ▸Prices change significantly
- ▸New products are launched
- ▸Seasonal items come and go
Outdated information (especially wrong prices) frustrates customers and creates negative reviews. Set a quarterly reminder to audit both sections.
The SEO Impact of Services and Products
Adding complete Services and Products sections can improve your rankings for specific search queries within 2-4 weeks of updating. The improvement tends to be most noticeable for:
- ▸Specific service queries ("water heater installation near me") vs. general ones ("plumber near me")
- ▸Product-specific searches for retailers
- ▸Service queries where competitors haven't optimized this section (common)
Ninja automatically keeps your GBP services section updated with optimized descriptions and monitors for competitor changes weekly. See how it works.