How to Set Up Google
Business Profile Messaging
How to set up Google Business Profile messaging so customers can contact you straight from your listing, how to turn it on, manage it and reply quickly enough to win the enquiries it brings.
To set up Google Business Profile messaging, turn the messaging feature on in your profile, usually through the Google Maps app or your profile settings, so customers can message you directly from your listing.
Once it is on, customers viewing your profile can send a message and you reply from the app, so it works like a direct line between your listing and interested customers.
The key to using it well is speed: Google tracks your response time and customers expect quick replies, so messaging only helps if you keep it on when you can answer and reply promptly, otherwise it can do more harm than good.
Setting up messaging
Messaging lets customers contact you directly from your Business Profile, which can turn a profile view into an enquiry on the spot. It is useful but only if you can answer promptly. Here is how to set up Google Business Profile messaging and use it well.
What messaging does
Messaging adds a direct line between your listing and customers, letting someone viewing your profile send you a message rather than having to call or email. It captures interest at the moment it is highest, so it can turn a passing look into a real enquiry when used well.
It captures interest instantly. The profile basics are in What Is Google My Business?
How to turn it on
You enable messaging through your Business Profile, usually in the Google Maps app or your profile settings, by switching the messaging feature on. Once active, a message button appears on your listing, so the setup itself is quick, with the real work being how you manage replies.
Setup is quick. Full optimisation is covered in How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO
Reply quickly
Speed is everything with messaging. Google tracks your response time and shows it and customers messaging you expect a fast reply, so slow responses lose enquiries and look bad. Only keep messaging on when you can answer promptly, since a quick reply is what makes the feature worth having.
Fast replies win enquiries. Why responsiveness matters is covered in Do Google Reviews Help SEO?
Set up a welcome message
A welcome message greets customers automatically when they start a chat, setting a friendly tone and managing expectations. Use it to acknowledge the message and say when you will reply, so customers know what to expect even in the moments before you answer personally.
A greeting sets the tone. Writing clearly is covered in How to Write a Google Business Profile Description That Ranks
Manage it from the app
You handle messages through the Google Maps app, where notifications alert you to new ones. Keeping notifications on and the app to hand means you can reply quickly wherever you are, so managing messaging is mostly about being reachable rather than anything complicated.
Stay reachable. Staying active is covered in How to Use Google Business Profile Posts to Improve Visibility
Turn it off if you cannot keep up
If you cannot reply promptly, it is better to turn messaging off than to leave customers waiting. A slow or ignored message frustrates customers and reflects badly, so only run messaging when you can genuinely service it, since an unanswered channel is worse than no channel at all.
Off beats ignored. Why responsiveness counts is covered in How to Respond to Google Reviews
Keep replies helpful and professional
Treat profile messages like any customer contact: be helpful, prompt and professional. Answer the question, offer a next step and keep the tone right for your business, since the quality of your replies shapes the impression a customer forms and whether they go on to buy.
Quality replies convert. The bigger picture is in How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO
A direct line worth running
Set up well and serviced promptly, messaging turns profile views into enquiries by giving customers an easy, instant way to reach you. It only works if you reply quickly, so use it when you can answer and it becomes a useful, free channel straight from your listing.
Useful when serviced well. The whole guide is gathered in the Google Business Profile Guide
In short, set up Google Business Profile messaging by turning it on in your profile, adding a welcome message and managing it from the Maps app. It only helps if you reply fast, so run it when you can answer promptly and it becomes a useful direct line from your listing.
This guide is part of our complete Google Business Profile Guide. The hub brings together every question a business asks about Google Business Profile, from setting up and verifying through to optimisation, reviews, insights and ranking in the map, each written in plain UK English.