Guides / Home bakery · Updated 2026-11-09

How to set up a Google Business Profile for a home bakery

People search "custom cakes near me" the week before a birthday. A verified Google Business Profile is free, takes an afternoon, and puts your bakery on that map. This guide covers the parts that trip up home bakers specifically: the address, the category, and what to post.

Before you start: check your local rules

Google does not decide whether you may sell baked goods from home; your state or county does. Most US states have cottage food rules that limit what you can sell, require labels, and sometimes require registration or a permit. Look up your state's rules first, and only list products you are allowed to sell. A profile that advertises something you are not permitted to sell invites trouble. Then gather: your exact business name as it appears on your packaging and any signage, a phone number you will actually answer, 10 to 15 good photos, and your realistic hours.

Step 1: Claim or create the profile

1. Search Google for your bakery's name while signed in to the Google account you want to own the profile. If a listing already exists, choose Claim this business. If not, go to Google Business Profile and choose Add your business.
2. Use your real business name only. Google does not allow taglines, hours, phone numbers or keywords in the name, so "Maple Lane Cakes" is fine and "Maple Lane Cakes - Best Custom Cakes Peoria" is not. Legal suffixes like LLC should not be added unless your signage and packaging consistently show them.
3. Use a Google account you control long term (not an employee's). Add a second owner or manager later so you cannot be locked out.

Step 2: The address question

This is the biggest decision for a home bakery. Google's guidelines say a business with no storefront that serves customers at their locations should hide its address, and that if you run from your residence you should clear the address from the profile. Customers still find you by your service area (the towns you deliver to), up to about a two-hour drive.

If customers regularly come to your home for pickup during set hours, Google treats that more like a storefront, and then your hours must be real and staffed. Many home bakers avoid this by choosing I deliver goods and services to my customers, hiding the address, and handling pickup by arrangement after an order. Do not use a PO box, a virtual office or a friend's shop address: those are not eligible and can get the profile suspended.

Step 3: Pick the category

Your primary category carries the most weight, so choose the one that describes most of your income. Typical options are Bakery or Custom cake shop or Cake shop (the exact wording in the dashboard may change; type a few letters and read the suggestions). Add secondary categories only if they are true, such as Dessert shop or Cookie shop. Google's own advice is to use the fewest categories that describe your core business, so three well-chosen ones beat ten loose ones.

Step 4: Write a description you would actually read

You get 750 characters, and only the first line or two shows before someone taps for more, so lead with what you make and where. Describe what is true and avoid sales pressure, prices and links. Here is a template (404 characters) to adapt; replace every [bracket]:

[Business name] is a home bakery in [town] making custom cakes, cupcakes, cookies and bread to order. We bake in small batches with real butter and [signature flavor] as our specialty. Order by text, email or our website at least [3] days ahead; pickup in [neighborhood] by arrangement, and local delivery within [10] miles. Tell us your date, headcount and flavors and we will send a quote the same day.

Notice what it does: says what you bake, names the town, gives the order lead time and tells people the next step. It does not claim awards or "best in town".

Step 5: Hours, ordering and the buttons

• Set hours to when you answer messages and run pickups, not when you are baking. If you only work by appointment, say so in the description and use the hours you genuinely respond.
• Add your phone number and, if you have one, a page where people can request a quote (even a simple form or a link to your Instagram order info works).
• In Services or Products, add items one by one: "6-inch custom cake", "dozen decorated cookies", "cupcakes (dozen)". Give each a one-line description and a price or "from $" price only if prices are stable.
• Turn on messaging only if you will reply within a day. A silent message button is worse than none.

Step 6: Photos that sell cake

Google's photo guidelines: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommended 720 by 720 pixels, in focus and well lit, no heavy filters. Videos can be up to 30 seconds and 75 MB. For a bakery, upload: your logo, a cover photo of your best-looking product, 8 to 12 finished cakes and treats in daylight on a clean background, and one or two photos of you working. Photos of your own work are what turns a search into a call. Do not use stock images or photos from other bakers; that is misleading and against the guidelines.

Step 7: Verify

Google will ask you to verify, usually by video, phone, email or postcard depending on your business. Postcards typically take several days, so do this on day one. Photos and posts only show to the public after you are verified. If the video option asks you to show your equipment and your kitchen or workspace, do exactly what the screen asks without cutting; incomplete videos are the most common reason verification fails.

Step 8: Ask for reviews the right way

Reviews are the biggest trust signal for a food business, and also where people break the rules. You may ask happy customers for a review, and you can get a direct link from your dashboard to include in a text or on a card in the cake box. You may not offer a discount, free cookie or anything else in exchange for a review, ask only for five-star ratings, or write reviews yourself or have family do it. Reply to every review, short and human. To a good review: "Thank you, [Name]! It was a pleasure making your [occasion] cake." To a bad one: say sorry, state the facts briefly, and offer to talk offline. Never argue.

Step 9: Post once a week

Profile posts keep the page alive. Good ones for a bakery: this week's seasonal flavor, the order cutoff for a holiday ("Thanksgiving pie orders close Nov [18]"), a new cake with a photo, or a behind-the-scenes shot. Keep them short, add a Call or Order button, and do not post anything you cannot deliver.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Keyword-stuffing the business name.
• Showing a home address you did not intend to publish.
• Listing products your local cottage food rules do not allow.
• Asking for reviews with a reward attached.
• Leaving hours blank or wrong, then losing orders to a competitor that shows as open.