Google My Business for Childminders — Get Found Locally

Step 1

Why Google Business Profile Matters for Childcare

Google is where most parents start their search for childcare. Unlike Facebook or Instagram — where you only reach people who follow you — Google Business Profile puts you in front of parents who are actively searching for childcare right now. This is high-intent marketing: these are people who want what you offer.

The local search advantage

When someone searches "childminder [your town]" or "nursery near me", Google displays a "Local Pack" — a map with three highlighted local business listings. These appear above all other search results, including paid adverts, and they are driven entirely by Google Business Profile. If you're not on Google Business Profile, you don't appear here — no matter how good your website is.

Trust signals

A complete, professional Google Business Profile builds immediate trust:

Star ratings and reviews from real parents signal quality before a parent even visits your website
Photos of your setting give prospective parents a feel for the environment
Opening hours confirm you're open when they need you
Your phone number and address make it effortless to contact or visit you

Research consistently shows that businesses with complete Google Business Profiles receive significantly more enquiries than those with incomplete or absent listings. For a childcare business where a single additional family may be worth £1,000+ per month in fees, the impact is substantial.

Completely free: Google Business Profile costs nothing to set up or maintain. It is one of the highest-return marketing activities available to a childcare setting.

Step 2

Claiming Your Profile

Many settings already have a Google Business listing — created automatically by Google from publicly available information — but have never "claimed" it. Claiming a profile gives you control over it. Without claiming, you cannot update your information, respond to reviews, or add photos.

Go to business.google.com or search for your setting name on Google Maps
If a listing already exists, select "Claim this business" — Google will verify your ownership
If no listing exists, select "Add your business to Google" and follow the prompts
Verification: Google will verify your business by postcard (a code sent to your registered address, typically taking 5–14 days), by phone call, or by video — the method offered depends on your business type. The postcard method is most common for new childminders and small nurseries
Once verified, you have full control of your profile through the Google Business Profile dashboard

Important: If you find a listing already exists for your setting that you don't control, you can request ownership through the "Claim this business" process. Google will contact the existing owner (if there is one) and transfer ownership if they do not respond within 7 days.

Step 3

Categories & Service Areas

Choosing the right categories is crucial — Google uses them to decide when to show your listing in search results.

Primary category

Your primary category should be the most specific, accurate description of your business. Options for childcare providers include:

Child Care Agency (most commonly used for childminders)
Day Care Center (for day nurseries)
Preschool (for pre-school settings)
After-School Program (if you primarily provide after-school care)

Choose the one that most accurately describes your primary service.

Additional categories

Add secondary categories to capture additional searches. A childminder might add both "Day Care Center" and "Educational Institution". A nursery might add "Preschool" and "After-School Program".

Service area

If you operate from your home (as many childminders do) and prefer not to show your home address publicly, you can set a service area (e.g. "Northampton and surrounding areas") instead of showing your full address. This still allows you to appear in local searches without exposing your home address to the public.

Step 4

Photos & Virtual Tour

Listings with photos receive significantly more clicks, website visits, and direction requests than listings without. For childcare settings, photos are a powerful trust signal — parents want to see the environment before they visit. Aim for a minimum of 10 high-quality photos.

Categories of photos to upload

Exterior: A clear photo of the front of your setting or the entrance — this helps parents recognise the location when they visit
Interior: Play spaces, reading corners, art areas — the rooms where children spend their time. Make them look welcoming and well-resourced
Outdoor space: Garden, mud kitchen, outdoor learning area, bikes and scooters
Activities: Set-up sensory trays, craft tables, baking — shots of your provision in action (without identifiable children — see below)
Logo: Upload your setting logo as your profile photo
Cover photo: A wide, high-quality image that represents your setting at its best

Children in photos — GDPR rule

You need explicit written consent from a child's parent or carer before uploading any photo in which the child can be identified to your Google Business Profile. This is a public-facing platform viewable by anyone in the world. Apply the same consent rules as for social media (see our Instagram guide). Many settings achieve compelling photos without showing children's faces — activities set up before children arrive, hands crafting, backs of heads, finished artworks on display.

Virtual tour (optional)

Google allows certified photographers to add 360-degree virtual tours to Business Profiles. For nurseries with impressive premises, this can be a significant differentiator. Search for "Google Street View trusted photographer" to find a local provider who can create this for you.

Step 5

Opening Hours & Holiday Hours

Accurate opening hours are critical — a parent who arrives at your door during the hours you have listed as "open" and finds you closed will leave a negative review and take their business elsewhere. Keep your hours updated.

Enter your regular Monday–Friday (and Saturday if applicable) hours accurately
Use Special Hours to set holiday closures and bank holiday hours well in advance. You can add special hours for school holidays, Christmas closure, INSET days, and any other planned closures
Google will remind customers that your hours may differ on upcoming public holidays — update your profile before bank holidays to pre-empt this
If you are temporarily closed (illness, holiday, refurbishment), use the "Temporarily closed" option rather than deleting your listing — your reviews and content are preserved
Keep your phone number, website URL, and any other contact details accurate and current

Step 6

Getting & Responding to Reviews

Google reviews are the single most influential factor in a prospective parent's decision to make an enquiry. A setting with 15 four-and-five-star reviews will attract far more enquiries than one with no reviews — or worse, negative unresponded reviews.

How to get more reviews

Ask at the right moment: Ask parents for a review after a particularly positive interaction — when they thank you for something specific, when a child reaches a milestone, or at the end of a term
Make it easy: Create a direct link to your Google review form (go to your Business Profile dashboard → Get more reviews → Share review link) and send it to parents via WhatsApp or email
Ask in your newsletter: A brief request in your monthly newsletter ("If you're happy with our setting, we'd love a Google review — it helps other families find us") works well
Never offer incentives: Offering discounts, gifts, or any reward in exchange for reviews violates Google's policies and can result in all your reviews being removed
Never post fake reviews: This is a Google Terms of Service violation and can result in your listing being suspended

Responding to reviews — GDPR note

Always respond to reviews — both positive and negative. However, there is a critical GDPR rule specific to childcare:

Never confirm a parent-child relationship in a public Google review response. If a reviewer says "My daughter Emily loves it here", do not respond with "Thank you — Emily is such a joy to have!" This publicly confirms that Emily is in your care, which is personal data about a child that you are not authorised to share publicly. Instead, respond in general terms: "Thank you so much for your kind words — we're so glad your little one is happy with us!"

Sample review response templates

Review type	Sample response
Positive 5-star	"Thank you so much for taking the time to share this — it genuinely means the world to us. We love having your family as part of our little community and hope to see you for many more years."
Positive, general	"Thank you for your lovely review! We work hard every day to provide the best possible care and it's wonderful to hear that it's making a difference. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's ever anything we can do better."
Negative / complaint	"Thank you for taking the time to share your experience — I'm sorry to hear you weren't satisfied. I'd very much like to discuss this with you directly. Please contact me at [email/phone] so we can resolve this together."

For negative reviews, always respond calmly and professionally — never defensively. Prospective parents read negative reviews, but they also read your responses. A professional, empathetic response to criticism often reassures parents more than having no negative reviews at all.

Step 7

Google Posts — Offers, Events & Updates

Google Posts are short updates that appear directly on your Business Profile in Google Search and Maps. They have a lifespan of 7 days (except event posts) and are a free way to keep your profile fresh and attract attention from prospective parents.

Types of posts to use

What's new: "We've just completed our nature garden refurbishment — come and see it at our next open day!"
Events: Open days, parent evenings, seasonal events — add dates, times, and a booking link
Offers: "Spaces available for January — contact us to arrange a settling-in session" (Google posts can include a call-to-action button)
Updates: Term dates, holiday closures, news about the setting

Aim to post at least once a fortnight. Each new post refreshes your profile and signals to Google that your business is active — which can improve your local search ranking. Include a photo with each post where possible (no identifiable children without consent).

Step 8

The Q&A Section

Google Business Profile includes a public Questions & Answers section where anyone can ask a question about your business — and anyone (including you) can answer. Most businesses ignore this feature, which means unanswered questions accumulate.

Set up alerts: Enable notifications for new questions so you can respond promptly
Populate it proactively: You can post your own frequently asked questions and answer them yourself. This populates the Q&A with useful information before members of the public ask less helpful questions
Good Q&As to add proactively:
- "Do you have spaces available?" — "Please contact us directly for current availability as spaces change regularly."
- "Are you Ofsted registered?" — "Yes — we are registered on the Early Years Register. Our registration number is [number] and our inspection report is available on the Ofsted website."
- "What ages do you take?" — "We care for children aged [X] to [X]."
- "Do you accept childcare vouchers / Tax-Free Childcare?" — "Yes — we accept Tax-Free Childcare. Please ask us about this when you enquire."

Monitor the Q&A section regularly. Any member of the public can post a question or provide an answer — including incorrect answers. If someone gives incorrect information about your setting in the Q&A, you can flag it to Google for removal and post the correct answer yourself.

Step 9

Insights & Analytics

Google Business Profile provides free analytics through the "Insights" tab in your dashboard. Check this monthly to understand how parents are finding and interacting with your profile.

Key metrics to track

Metric	What it tells you
Searches	How many times your profile appeared in Google search and Maps results
Direct searches	Parents who searched for your setting name specifically (they already know you)
Discovery searches	Parents who found you by searching a category (e.g. "childminder near me") — these are new prospective parents who didn't know you existed
Website clicks	How many people clicked through to your website from your profile
Phone calls	How many direct calls were made from your profile listing
Direction requests	How many people asked for directions to your setting — a strong indicator of intent to visit
Photo views	How many times your photos have been viewed — tells you which photos attract the most interest

Use Insights to identify what is working. If your discovery search numbers are low, you may need more reviews or more complete category information. If phone call numbers are high relative to searches, your profile is converting well — prospective parents are ready to call when they find you.