Google Business Profile attributes

This guide is built from Business Profile Help: Manage your business attributes, Edit your Business Profile, Create a bulk upload spreadsheet for Business Profiles, Understand what happens to your Business Profile edits and Understand Google updates on your Business Profile, plus the Business Profile APIs guide Manage Attributes. If you are new to profiles, start with our Google Business Profile guide.

What attributes are and where they show

Google describes attributes as details that help your business "stand out online" and tell customers about it, with examples like outdoor seats or Wi-Fi. They show on your Business Profile on Search, Maps and other Google platforms. Google adds one more reason to keep them accurate: "If you add certain attributes, your business might show up in searches for places with those attributes."

Attributes sit next to the other parts of a profile rather than replacing them. Categories say what the business is, services and products say what it sells (see our guides to Business Profile services and Business Profile products), and attributes describe the place and how it works.

Factual and subjective attributes

Not every attribute is yours to set. Google's edit help explains: "You can edit certain factual attributes, like outdoor seating. Subjective attributes, like whether your business is popular with locals, rely on the opinions of Google users who have visited your business." The attributes page says the same in other words: some attributes "may be populated based on inputs from customers who visit your business."

So if a profile shows something you never added, it may have come from visitors rather than from a setting you can switch off. Factual attributes are the ones you manage; the subjective ones you influence only through the experience customers have.

The three attribute types

Google's bulk upload help names three types of business attributes:

• Yes or no. The attribute is on or off, such as Wi-Fi. Google notes that entering "no" for certain attributes "helps Google show the most accurate info about your business", so a no is useful information, not a blank.
• URL. The attribute is a web address. Google's example is your online menu.
• Selection. You pick one of several options. Google's example is "Kosher food", with choices like "No kosher food," "Some kosher food," or "Strictly kosher food."

Why your list differs from a competitor's

The attributes you are offered depend on where you are and what you are. Google says "some attributes can only be changed in certain locations, countries, or business categories", and that attribute names "may change over time" to match how people search. The developer guide is blunter: attributes available to listings "differ based on the category and country" and "are dynamic and can change at any time."

In practice this means your primary category decides much of the list. A café and an accountant in the same street see different attributes, and a missing attribute usually means it isn't offered for your category or country, not that something is broken.

How to add or edit an attribute

Google's steps:

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Edit profile > More.
3. Next to the attribute category you want to change, such as "Amenities" or "Payments", select Edit.
4. Next to the attribute, such as "Wi-Fi" or "Cash-only", select Yes or No.
5. Select Save.

Edits are reviewed. Google says a review "usually takes about 10 minutes, but sometimes it can take up to 30 days." While it runs, the edit shows as Pending; afterwards it is Accepted or Not approved, and Google "might not approve changes if it can't confirm its accuracy." Hotels are a special case: a verified hotel edits its services and amenities in a separate "Hotel attributes" section, and Google says that feature is only available on a computer.

Accessibility attributes

These attributes tell people with disabilities whether they can get in and use the place, so Google defines them precisely. In summary:

• Wheelchair-accessible entrance: yes if the entrance is three feet or one meter wide with no steps or stairs. With steps, there should be a permanent ramp or at least a movable one. An entrance that is only revolving doors is a no.
• Wheelchair-accessible restroom: the restroom entrance is at least 1 meter wide with no steps, and if a wheelchair user needs to enter a stall, the stall entrance is 1 meter wide too.
• Wheelchair-accessible seating: the main area has no steps and room to reach and sit at a table. Google says that if the tables are high at standing level, select No.
• Wheelchair-accessible parking: you have a parking spot reserved for people with accessibility needs.
• Wheelchair-accessible elevator: the business has several floors and an elevator large enough for a wheelchair.
• Assisted listening devices, hearing loop and Auracast: devices customers can borrow, a permanently installed hearing loop, or a permanently installed Auracast broadcaster. For Auracast, Google notes customers would expect their own compatible devices to work, and a no won't show on the profile.

If your building meets only part of a definition, the honest answer is no. A visitor who trusts a yes and finds steps has had a wasted trip.

Business identity attributes

Identity attributes say who owns the business. Google lists Asian-owned, Black-owned, Latino-owned, LGBTQ+ owned, Disabled-owned, Indigenous-owned, Veteran-owned and Women-owned, plus Small business. You can choose more than one, and you can "opt-in or opt-out of a business identity attribute at any time." Google is clear about what it means: adding one tells everyone "your business is owned by someone of that identity."

Small business has its own rules. Google says franchises "can't be considered a small business", that a small business "makes less than $10 million a year", and that your business "may automatically be marked as a small business based on the info we have."

Recycling attributes

Businesses that take recycling drop-offs can say so. Depending on your category, the options include batteries, clothing, electronics, glass bottles, household hazardous waste, ink cartridges, light bulbs, metal cans, plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic foam. Google says that with a recycling attribute your business "shows up in search results with a recycling icon."

Many locations: spreadsheet and API

With 10 or more locations, Google says you can bulk upload attributes, and an agency that manages your profiles can update them through the Business Profile APIs. In the bulk spreadsheet there is one column for each attribute that applies to at least one of your locations. Where an attribute doesn't apply to a location the cell shows "[NOT APPLICABLE]", and you don't need to remove it before re-uploading. Google's Download attributes reference spreadsheet option lists the supported attributes and their choices. Hotel attributes can't be changed through the spreadsheet; Google points hotels to the API and dashboard.

For developers, the API guide recommends checking which attributes are supported for a category and country with attributes.list before setting anything, and setting values with locations.updateAttributes and an attributeMask. It warns: "Only use attributes supported in attributes.list." A separate call, getGoogleUpdated, returns attributes as they appear live on Search and Maps, which "may include Google updates or user-generated content." Lodging attributes use the Lodging API instead.

When Google changes your attributes

Google gathers profile info from other sources too, "like user reports and licensed content", and may update your profile if they say it is wrong. In the profile editor, blue text "shows info changed by Google", and a notification appears at the top. For certain suggested edits from users, Google notifies you first and you have 4 days to accept or reject; if you don't answer, Google may publish the update when other public information, such as your website, supports it.

In a pilot for verified US merchants, the Q&A section also asks owners attribute questions that they answer with "Yes," "No," or "Skip." Google notes these responses can't be edited or deleted on mobile devices; to change one you contact support. If an edit is refused and you think it is right, our suspended profiles guide covers Google's appeal routes.

Our view: setting attributes well

This part is our own practice, not Google guidance. When we set up a profile we go through every attribute category Google offers for that business and answer each one, including the noes, because Google says a no helps it show accurate info. We check accessibility answers against a tape measure and Google's definitions rather than memory. We make sure the website says the same thing, since Google may publish a suggested edit when other public information, such as your website, supports it. And after any category change we check the attribute list again, because the list depends on the category. We look at the profile a few times a year for blue, Google-changed values.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I find an attribute another business has?

Google says some attributes can only be changed in certain locations, countries or business categories, and the available list is dynamic. Your category and country decide what you are offered. Some attributes also come from customer input rather than the owner.

Can I remove a subjective attribute like "popular with locals"?

Not as a setting. Google says subjective attributes rely on the opinions of Google users who have visited your business; only factual attributes, like outdoor seating, are yours to edit.

How long does an attribute change take to show?

Google says the review usually takes about 10 minutes but can take up to 30 days. The edit shows as Pending until it is Accepted or Not approved.

Does my business count as a small business?

By Google's definition, a small business makes less than $10 million a year, and franchises can't be considered a small business. Google may also mark a business as small automatically based on the info it has.

Do attributes help my profile rank?

Google says that if you add certain attributes, your business might show up in searches for places with those attributes. It doesn't promise more than that, so treat them as accurate information first.

For more on local search, see our guides to Business Profile verification, Business Profile performance, local business schema and small business SEO.