Business Description: 750 Characters Worth Getting Right
How to write a Google Business Profile description that uses all 750 characters, follows Google's guidelines, and actually converts searchers.
A strong Google Business Profile description front-loads the core of the business — what it does, who it serves, and where — into the first 250 characters, since that’s the portion shown before a searcher has to tap “more.” The remaining space, up to a 750-character maximum, is where services, differentiators, and credentials belong. Google explicitly disallows URLs, phone numbers, email addresses, and promotional pricing or offers in this field, so the description has to do its work through clear, specific language about the business itself, not through a pitch or a link. Most businesses either leave this field generic and forgettable or stuff it with keywords that read as spam — both waste one of the few places on the profile written entirely in the business’s own words.
Key takeaway
- The first roughly 250 characters are what most searchers actually see before tapping “more” — put the core value proposition there, not at the end.
- Google prohibits URLs, phone numbers, email addresses, and promotional pricing or offer language in this field — it has dedicated fields for those elsewhere.
- The full 750 characters should be used, not left mostly empty — this is one of the only genuinely free-text fields on the entire profile.
- Natural, specific language about real services and service area outperforms keyword-stuffed copy that reads as spam to both Google and searchers.
What Google actually allows in this field
Google’s own guidelines for the description field are more specific than most business owners realise, and violating them can get the description reverted or flagged during a review.
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| A clear description of what the business does and who it serves | URLs, links, or website addresses of any kind |
| The general service area or locations covered | Phone numbers or email addresses |
| Specific services, specialisations, or credentials | Special offers, sale prices, or promotional pricing language |
| History, mission, or what makes the business distinct | Misspellings, gimmicky capitalisation, or keyword stuffing |
| Natural mentions of the primary services offered | Content unrelated to the business, or misleading claims |
Why the first 250 characters carry the most weight
On mobile, where most local searches happen, the description card typically shows a preview before truncating to a “more” link. A description that opens with a generic line — “Welcome to our business, we’ve been serving the community for years” — burns that visible space on filler instead of information a searcher can act on. The opening sentence should answer the same question a good meta description answers: what is this, and is it relevant to what I’m looking for. Save story, history, and secondary detail for after the fold; put the concrete answer first.
A framework for writing a description that actually converts
- Sentence one: who the business is, what it does, and where — the answer a searcher needs in the first glance.
- Sentence two: the specific differentiator — years in operation, a certification, a specialisation competitors don’t have.
- Middle section: the core services or product categories, named specifically rather than summarised vaguely.
- Trust signal: a credential, licence, association membership, or scale detail that’s verifiably true.
- Closing line: a soft, natural close — what the business is ready to help with — without a link, phone number, or promotional offer, since none of those are allowed here.
750, not “roughly 750”
Google’s guidelines set 750 characters as a firm maximum for the description field, and exceeding it either triggers truncation or blocks saving the change — there’s no benefit to writing right up to the edge if it means cutting off a sentence mid-thought.
Source — Google Business Profile Help: guidelines for representing your business
A before-and-after example
Take a hypothetical HVAC company to illustrate the difference. A generic, unhelpful version: “We are a family business that has been around for a long time. We do heating and cooling and much more. Call us today for a free quote!” That version wastes the opening line on filler, buries the actual services, and includes language (“call us today”) that skirts the ban on promotional calls to action. A stronger version: “Ridgeline Heating & Air installs, repairs, and maintains residential HVAC systems across the north metro area. Licensed and insured since 2011, with same-day emergency repair availability. Services include furnace and AC installation, ductwork repair, indoor air quality systems, and seasonal maintenance plans for single-family homes and small multifamily properties. Our technicians are factory-trained on major residential brands and every installation includes a manufacturer-backed warranty.” The second version front-loads what the business does and where, states a real credential, lists specific services by name, and closes on a trust signal — all without a link, phone number, or promotional offer.
Writing descriptions for a business with more than one location
A multi-location business shouldn’t copy the same description across every profile. Each location has its own service area, sometimes a different manager or team, and often a slightly different mix of services depending on local demand — a branch near a business district might lean into commercial work while one in a residential suburb leans into residential jobs. Repeating identical descriptions across ten profiles also reads as templated to anyone comparing listings, and it forfeits a chance to mention what’s genuinely specific about that location: a landmark it’s near, a neighbourhood it serves, a manager’s name if the brand is personal-service-driven. For businesses managing this at scale, the same principle that applies to structuring location pages for multiple branches applies here — unique, locally specific content beats a templated copy-paste, even in a field as short as this one.
Common mistakes that waste the field or break the guidelines
- Leaving the description mostly or entirely blank — a common oversight that hands away one of the few genuinely free-text fields on the profile.
- Keyword-stuffing a list of service terms with no connecting sentences, which reads as spam to both Google’s review systems and to searchers.
- Including a phone number, email, or website URL, all of which violate the field’s guidelines and can get the description reverted.
- Writing generic, interchangeable copy that could describe any competitor — “quality service, fair prices, customer satisfaction guaranteed” says nothing specific.
- Copying the homepage meta description verbatim instead of writing copy suited to how this field is actually displayed and read.
How the description fits with categories and services
The description works alongside, not instead of, the category and services fields. Categories tell Google what type of business this is at a structural level — covered fully in our guide to choosing the right Google Business Profile categories — while the services section lists individual offerings Google can match to specific searches. The description is the connective narrative that ties those structured fields together in plain language, which is exactly why it shouldn’t just repeat the category name or restate the services list verbatim. Together with a complete profile, they form the foundation covered in our broader piece on Google Business Profile optimisation.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a Google Business Profile description be?
Use close to the full 750-character limit, since it’s one of the few genuinely free-text fields on the profile. Front-load the first 250 characters with the core value proposition, since that’s the portion most commonly visible before a searcher taps “more.”
Can I include my phone number or website in the description?
No. Google’s guidelines explicitly prohibit phone numbers, email addresses, and URLs in the description field. Those details belong in their dedicated fields elsewhere on the profile, which Google displays and links automatically.
Does keyword stuffing the description help rankings?
No, and it can backfire. A description that reads as an unnatural list of keywords rather than genuine sentences looks like manipulation, both to Google’s review systems and to anyone reading it, and offers little to no ranking benefit in exchange.
Can I mention a special offer or discount in the description?
No. Google’s guidelines specifically prohibit promotional pricing, sales, and offer language in the description field. Time-sensitive offers belong in Google Posts instead, which are designed for exactly that kind of content.
How often should the business description be updated?
It doesn’t need frequent changes, but it’s worth revisiting whenever the business adds a major service, earns a new credential, or expands its service area — anytime the current description stops accurately reflecting what the business offers today.
The bottom line
The 750-character description is a small field with an outsized amount of missed potential — most businesses either skip it or fill it with generic copy that says nothing specific. Front-load the real value proposition, use the full space for services and credentials, stay inside Google’s guidelines on what the field can contain, and treat it as genuine marketing copy rather than an afterthought during setup. It’s a quick fix with a permanent presence on the profile, and it pairs naturally with the rest of a full local SEO strategy for service businesses.
Want your whole local profile written and optimised, not just the description? See our SEO plans for local visibility.
