Someone searching for “tile fitting”, “oil change” or “vegetarian restaurant” wants to know in a few seconds whether you do what they are looking for. Your Google profile can tell them directly, thanks to two sections that are often left empty: services and, for restaurants, the menu.
This guide explains how to fill them in, what Google accepts or rejects, and how to avoid the pitfalls.
Services: saying precisely what you do
The services section lists what you offer, with a description and, if you wish, a price. Google’s help on managing services distinguishes two types of services.
Standard services, offered by Google according to your categories: for a plumber, “Drain unblocking”, “Water heater installation”; for a wine estate, “Wine tasting”, “Cellar tour”. Google understands them perfectly, since it defined them itself. So use them whenever they match what you do.
Custom services, which you create yourself for anything that is not in the list: “Saturday cooking class”, “Private room hire”, “Pool renovation”. They are attached to one of your categories.
Writing a service well
- The name: short, clear, with the word your customers use. No price or phone number in the name: Google automatically rejects such custom services.
- The description: what is included, for whom, under what conditions. Stay factual, a few sentences are enough.
- The price: optional. Show it if you charge a fixed rate; otherwise, it is better to leave it blank than to show a misleading price.
Think about your customers’ searches: your profile insights show the keywords that bring you up. A frequent search for a service you offer but do not display is a service to add.
The menu: essential for a restaurant
For restaurants, Google offers a menu editor, presented in its help About the menu editor. The menu is organized into sections (starters, mains, desserts, drinks) and dishes, each with a name, a description and a price. You can also indicate certain diets: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free.
Why it matters:
- customers look at the menu before choosing a restaurant, often directly from Google Maps;
- dishes and labels (vegetarian, gluten-free) answer precise searches;
- an up-to-date menu avoids disappointment… and the reviews that come with it.
Allow 24 to 48 hours for menu changes to appear, and remember to update it with every change of season.
A few examples by sector
- Building tradesperson: each type of job deserves its own service (call-outs, installation, renovation, maintenance), with a description specifying the area and usual timeframes.
- Healthcare or wellness professional: list the treatments or services offered, with a clear description and no promise of results.
- Garage: oil change, tyres, brakes, air conditioning, MOT… so many precise searches your services can capture.
- Restaurant: in addition to the menu, services such as “Takeaway”, “Delivery”, “Private hire” or “Catering” answer distinct searches.
- Wine estate: tasting, cellar tour, sales at the estate, shipping, group visits.
In every case, start from what your customers ask about most often on the phone: those are your priority services.
Writing a good service description
An effective description answers three questions in two or three sentences: what is included, for whom and under what conditions. For example: “Unblocking of sinks, toilets or drains, call-out within 24 hours across Lyon and its metropolitan area, free quote before any work.” It is concrete, reassuring, and uses the words your customers type into Google.
The most common mistakes
- Leaving the section empty: that is the case for most profiles, and an easy advantage to take over your competitors.
- A service that does not match your real business: it attracts requests you will turn down.
- Outdated prices: a customer who discovers a different price on site will be unhappy.
- A menu from two seasons ago: dishes gone, prices changed.
- Contradictory information between your profile, your website and your printed materials.
Services, menu and the rest of the profile
Services and menus are part of a complete profile: precise categories, accurate opening hours, attributes, photos. Our guide to optimizing your Google profile details each section. If you run accommodation, the logic is the same with accommodation amenities. And to highlight a dish or a service from time to time, Google posts are the ideal tool.
How Replik helps you
Replik’s profile management includes a Services section and, if Google allows it for your profile, a Menu section:
- Services: add in one click the standard services Google offers for your categories, create your custom services, add a description and an optional price. The “Suggest with AI” button spots your services on your website and in your reviews and writes their descriptions. You review, adjust, save.
- Menu: manage your menus, sections and dishes, with prices and vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free labels. The “Import with AI” button structures your menu from the page of your website that presents it, or from a simple copy-paste. AI only uses the prices written in your menu, and flags dishes without a price.
Information that Replik does not manage directly (allergens, options, dish photos) is kept when you edit your menu. Editing your profile is free (see pricing).
In short
Services and menus are two sections that are simple to fill in and often neglected. Use Google’s standard services when they exist, complete them with custom services, keep your menu up to date with its prices and dietary labels, and keep everything perfectly consistent with your website. To find out what your profile is missing, run the free audit.