Google Business Profile for Childcare Centres: The Complete Checklist
When a parent searches "childcare near me", the first thing they usually see isn't your website. It's your Google Business Profile: the box with your map pin, star rating, photos, hours and a call button. For many families it's where the shortlist starts.
A strong profile is free and mostly within your control. This checklist covers every part of a Google Business Profile for childcare centres, using Google's own rules plus the Australian childcare rules generic guides leave out. Work through it once, then keep it up with the monthly check at the end.
If you want the wider picture (your website, directories and local links), read our guide to local SEO for childcare centres first. And if you'd rather hand the whole thing over, that's part of what our childcare marketing team does.
Why your profile matters to enrolments
Google says local results are mainly based on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are to the person searching) and prominence (how well known you are, including reviews and links to your site). It also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking (Google Business Profile Help).
You can't move closer to every family, but you can make your profile complete, accurate and active. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results (same source).
Section 1: Claim and verify
Search for your centre on Google Maps. A listing may already exist, created by Google or a past manager. Claim it rather than starting a duplicate.
Verify the profile. Google says verification tells it you're authorised to represent the business, which makes the profile more likely to appear in results. Photos and performance data also only show once you're verified.
One profile per centre. Google allows one profile per location, so each centre in a group gets its own, and you shouldn't create a second profile for the same address (Google guidelines).
Keep ownership with the business. If the only login belongs to a staff member who leaves, you can lose access.
Section 2: Get the core details right
Name
Use your centre's real-world name, exactly as it appears on your signage. Google doesn't allow taglines, suburbs, service descriptions or keywords in the name, and adding them can get a profile suspended (Google guidelines). Adding "Best Childcare Parramatta" after your name is exactly the kind of thing to avoid.
Category
Your primary category is one of the strongest relevance signals you control. Google asks you to choose the fewest, most specific categories that complete the sentence "This business IS a…", and you can add up to nine more (Edit your Business Profile). Search the list for the option that best matches your service type, such as long day care or preschool, and only add extra categories for services you genuinely provide.
Address, phone and website
Use your exact street address. Google expects permanent signage with your business name at that address.
Use a phone number that rings at the centre, not a central head office line, where possible. You can add up to two extra numbers.
Link to the page for that centre, not your homepage, if you run more than one location. Make sure the name, address and phone number match that page exactly.
Hours
Set your regular opening hours to match when families can actually drop off and pick up.
Add special hours for public holidays and your Christmas closure, so parents don't arrive to a locked gate.
Section 3: Write a description parents will read
You get up to 750 characters, with no links, and Google asks you to focus on your business rather than promotions, prices or sales (Edit your Business Profile). A simple structure that works:
Who you care for (ages and rooms) and where you are.
What makes your centre different: your approach, outdoor space, meals, educators, school readiness, whatever is genuinely true.
A practical next step, such as booking a tour through your website.
If you mention your National Quality Standard rating, make sure it's your current one. ACECQA notes that a false or misleading statement about your rating is an offence under regulation 72 (ACECQA).
Section 4: Photos and video
Photos help a parent decide whether to click "Website" or "Call". Google recommends JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, around 720 by 720 pixels, in focus, well lit and without heavy filters. Videos can be up to 30 seconds (Google Business Profile Help).
A good starter set:
Your logo and a cover photo
The front entrance and signage, so families recognise it on tour day
Each room, set up and tidy
Outdoor play areas
The kitchen or meal area, if you cook on site
Your team (with their permission)
Children's privacy comes first. ACECQA advises getting a parent's consent before a photo of their child is published. The simplest approach is to use shots where children can't be identified, or only use photos covered by written consent.
If you have a virtual tour, link to it from your website and posts. Our guide to childcare virtual tours explains how they help parents decide to book a visit.
Section 5: Posts
Posts show on your profile in Search and Maps. Google offers three types: Updates, Offers and Events. Offers need a title and dates, and you can add a button that links to your website. You can schedule posts or set them to repeat. Posts older than six months are archived unless they have a date range (Google Business Profile Help).
Ideas that suit centres:
Events: open days, information sessions, community events
Updates: a new room, a garden project, a menu change, next year's enrolment process
Offers: only after checking the rules below
Two things to watch. Google may remove posts with phone numbers or emails it can't verify, so use the "Call now" button instead of typing your number (Google policy). And the Department of Education bans inducements to enrol, such as cash, vouchers, gift cards or other gifts, while allowing things like free site visits and trial periods (Department of Education). Check any "offer" against those rules before you post it.
Section 6: Reviews
Reviews feed into prominence, and they're what parents read when comparing centres.
Ask every family, not just the happy ones. Google suggests sharing a review link or QR code. Families need a Google Account to leave one.
Never offer anything in return. Google strictly prohibits incentives for posting, changing or removing reviews (Google Business Profile Help).
Reply to reviews, briefly and personally. For negative ones, acknowledge the concern and invite the family to talk privately.
Never share private details about a family, child or staff member in a reply.
For more ideas on asking at the right moments, see our post on how to get more Google reviews.
Section 7: Track what the profile brings in
Verified profiles get a performance report showing views, the searches people used to find you, direction requests, calls (clicks on the call button, not completed calls) and website clicks (Google Business Profile Help).
Check performance monthly. The searches report updates at the start of each month.
Ask every new enquiry how they found you, and note "Google Maps" as its own source.
Compare profile calls and website clicks with tours booked. If calls rise but tours don't, the gap is after the click: see our guide to turning enquiries into enrolments.
The monthly maintenance check
Add this to your childcare marketing plan:
Hours and special hours correct for the coming month
At least one new post, and expired offers or events removed
New photos added (consent checked)
Every new review replied to
NQS rating mention still current
Name, address, phone and website still match your site, and your vacancies are up to date on Starting Blocks, where families also compare services
Performance numbers noted against enquiries and tours
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Business Profile free for childcare centres?
Yes. Creating, verifying and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Google also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking.
Should each of our centres have its own profile?
Yes. Google allows one profile per location, so each centre should have its own verified profile, linked to that centre's own page on your website.
Can I put our suburb in the business name to rank better?
No. Google's guidelines don't allow locations, taglines or keywords in the name unless they're part of your real-world name, and breaking this rule can lead to suspension.
Want a hand with your profile?
Maximize Marketing helps childcare centres across Australia get found by nearby families, with local SEO, Google Business Profile management, Google and Meta ads, websites and virtual tours. Book a free chat with our team or see how our childcare marketing services work.
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