Updated 25 October 2026. Google My Business is now called Google Business Profile, and some of the tools in our original tips have changed. This version follows Google's current help pages.
A store in a shopping centre gets plenty of foot traffic. But shoppers still search before they visit: "Is there a shoe shop in Westfield?", "Is the phone store open late on Thursday?" Your Google Business Profile is how they find the answer.
Here are four tips that help shoppers find your store, inside the centre and online.
1. Show that you're located in the centre
Google can show a Located in line on your profile, naming the shopping centre you're inside. It appears on Search, on Maps, and in the local results list. It tells shoppers at a glance that you're in the centre they're heading to.
How the Located in line looked in 2021. Google's layout has changed since.
If your profile doesn't show it, you can suggest the change:
- Find your store on Google Maps.
- Select Suggest an edit, then the option to change the name or other details.
- Choose the shopping centre as the place your store is located within.
- Send it.
Google reviews these suggestions, and they can take a while to show. Check back after a week or two.
Also make sure your address is complete, including your shop number. A shopper standing in the car park wants to know which level and which end of the centre to head for.
2. Add photos that help people find you
Inside a big centre, shoppers look for your shopfront, not your street address. Photos help them recognise it.
- Your shopfront, from the walkway, so people can spot your sign.
- Nearby landmarks, such as the escalator or food court you're next to.
- Inside the store, showing your range and displays.
- Your window displays, updated when they change with the season.
Keep photos real. Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and not heavily edited. Read our tips on cover photos for more.
360-degree photos
You can also add a 360-degree photo that lets people look around your store. Google's standalone Street View app closed in 2023. Today you can add 360 photos through Google Maps or Google's Street View Studio website. Our guide to taking your own Street View photos explains more.
3. Set special hours
Shopping centres often change their hours for public holidays, late-night shopping and the Christmas rush. If your profile still shows your normal hours, shoppers may turn up to a closed store, or not come at all.
Set special hours instead of changing your regular hours:
- Go to your Business Profile and select Edit profile, then Hours.
- Next to Special hours, select edit.
- Choose a date Google suggests and select Review, or select Add a date.
- Enter your hours, or leave Closed ticked.
- Save.
Google recommends confirming your hours for official holidays, even if they're the same as usual. Special hours can cover up to 6 days in a row. If you're closed for longer, mark your business as temporarily closed instead.
4. Post regularly
Don't rely on the centre's website and social media to promote you. Use posts on your own profile for new stock, sales, events and in-store activities. Aim for once a week.
Offer posts work well for centre-wide sales events. Read our guides to Google posts and offer posts.
Managing stores in many centres
If your brand has stores in dozens of shopping centres, keeping every store's hours, photos and posts right is a lot of work.
Local Intelligence lets you manage every location from one console. You can publish posts to every store from one screen, and the audit scores every location out of 100 and shows what to fix. On Premium, Location Shield locks your listing details so suggested edits can't overwrite them, and your hours sync to Apple, Bing and Facebook too.
With the Fix add-on, the DigitalMaas team keeps your hours, special hours and listings current for you. See pricing, or read how we help multi-location brands.