Getting Found in Local Searches: A Google Business Profile Guide for Architecture Firms

When someone searches for your architecture firm by name, you expect to show up.

But there are potential clients who don’t know about you and are also searching. These may include a developer looking for a retail architecture firm in New York, a homeowner searching for a laneway architect in Toronto, or a restaurateur trying to find a hospitality architect in Vancouver.

These kinds of local, non-branded searches happen thousands of times every year in cities throughout the world. And in many cases, the first thing people often see in search results is a map with three businesses.

If your firm isn’t showing up in these maps, including Google Maps, it’s a significant opportunity to gain visibility and market share to attract potential clients.

Example: New York City Search Data

Let’s say you’re an architect in New York City. Potential clients could be searching for the following terms:

• [new york city architect]
• [residential architect nyc]
• [architecture firm brooklyn]

According to Ahrefs, there are over 2,700 monthly searches for terms that include ‘architect’ across the five boroughs of New York City. That’s over 30,000 searches a year, and many of these searches show the “Local Pack” (map and listings) before any website results. In Google, this is sourced from Google Maps, and even ChatGPT has been shown to use Google’s API to inject Google Maps results into its LLM search answers.

Why Your Google Business Profile Matters

Your Google Business Profile is one of the simplest, highest-ROI tools your studio can use because it’s free to set up and can help you:

• Show up where potential clients are already searching
• Build trust with photos of your work and client reviews
• Get inquiries without people even having to visit your website first

How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile

Here are the steps to set up your Google Business Profile and start ranking in local search results.

Pre-Step Checklist

Before you can claim or create a Google Business Profile, you’ll first need a Google Account and relevant business information.

• The Google Account is ideally with a business domain; e.g., if your studio is THD Architects, [email protected] looks more professional than Gmail
  • If you don’t have a Google Account, you can create one at accounts.google.com
• For relevant business information, you’ll want to have your business name, address, phone number, and website at the ready

Once you have those, you can start with the steps below.

Step 1: Sign in to Google Business Profile

• Go to business.google.com and log in

Step 2: Create or Claim Your Profile

Search for your architecture firm’s name.

• If it’s there, claim it
• If not, create it by entering your business name

Important: Use your exact business name. If your firm’s name is “THD Architects,” write it exactly as that when creating your profile. Do not add extra keywords that aren’t part of your business name, like “THD Architects – Architect in Manhattan.” This can get your profile suspended, and you’ll need to go through an appeals process to get it live again.

Step 3: Choose Your Business Type

Select Local Store if clients can visit your office. This will display your business address in Google Maps and has been shown to increase rankings.

Select Service Business if you solely work at client sites or remotely. This will not display your business address on Google Maps, but you’ll still be able to select cities where you serve clients.

It’s important to select the correct option, because you’ll need to verify your profile in Step 6.

Step 4: Select Your Business Category

These are the categories we recommend adding for architecture studios:

• Primary category: Architecture Firm
• Secondary categories: Architect, Architectural Designer, Interior Designer (if relevant).

Step 5: Add Your Business Details

Take a look at your pre-step checklist from earlier and enter your:

• Business address (or service area if you selected Service Business)
• Phone number (a local number is recommended over a toll-free number)
• Website URL

Step 6: Verify Your Business

Google requires you to verify your business before your profile appears in Search or Maps.

Verification may be done by:

• Requesting a postcard with a PIN mailed to your address
• Receiving a phone call with a PIN
• Doing a video verification showing your location, signage, and workspace

If you selected Local Store earlier, it’s become increasingly likely over the years that video verification will be required. Google essentially wants to confirm that your business exists, that it exists where you say it does, that it has proper signage, and that customers and clients can actually visit your location.

If you get the PIN option, follow the on-screen steps once you have received your PIN.

How to Make Your Profile Stand Out

Once your Google Business Profile is set up, it’s important to keep it up to date regularly to improve your local ranking and make it stand out.

Here are some key editable parts of your profile:

• Reviews: Ask past clients to leave a review and reply to each one; increasing the number of reviews your profile gets and getting consistent reviews is arguably the most impactful way to improve your ranking in Google Maps within your area. Oftentimes, studios only need 10-20 reviews to rank competitively on Google Maps in their city.
• Photos: Upload team photos, finished projects, renderings, and even under-construction or in-progress shots; try to aim for one new photo a week
• Description: Share who you are, where you’re based, the types of projects you specialize in, and the clients you work with
• Services: List offerings that match your ideal projects (e.g., custom home design, planning approvals, hospitality interiors) and include short descriptions for each. You can also add custom services if you’d like.
• Posts: Share updates weekly, such as new projects, awards, press mentions, or new hires; you can also link these posts back to your website.
• Business Hours: Keep them accurate year-round, including during holidays