Google Business Profile Attributes: What They Are and Which Matter

Google Business Profile attributes are the yes/no and multiple-choice details on a business listing, such as “Wi-Fi”, “wheelchair-accessible entrance”, “online appointments” or “Women-owned”, that Google shows on Search, Maps and other Google products. Some are set by the owner and some come from customer input. Google says a business with an attribute “might show up in searches for places with those attributes.”

What are Google Business Profile attributes?

Attributes describe what a business offers and what it is like to visit. Google’s “Manage your business attributes” help page says they “show up on your Business Profile on Search, Maps, and other Google platforms.” Its August 2024 “What’s new” update grouped them into types such as amenities (Wi-Fi, restrooms, parking, outdoor patio), services (delivery, curbside pickup, appointments, online ordering), atmosphere (“casual, upscale, family-friendly, or pet-friendly”), recycling, accessibility and identity.

They sit alongside the other core profile fields: your primary and additional categories, hours, photos and description. Categories say what your business is; attributes say what it has and how it works. If you are new to profiles, start with our Google Business Profile fundamentals.

Who controls which attributes?

Not every attribute is yours to set. Google’s help page says “You can directly edit some attributes,” while others “may be populated based on inputs from customers who visit your business.” Customers can also suggest attribute changes in Google Maps; Maps Help says feature edits are made on a mobile device by choosing True, False or Unsure, and that “we review all the edits you make.”

Attribute type	Examples from Google’s help pages	Who sets it	What to do
Amenities and payments	Wi-Fi, restrooms, parking, cash-only	Owner (some also from customers)	Answer every one that applies; set “No” where it matters to customers
Service options	Delivery, curbside pickup, online appointments, onsite services	Owner	Match what you really offer today
Accessibility	Wheelchair-accessible entrance, restroom, seating, parking, elevator; assistive hearing loop; Auracast broadcast audio	Owner, following Google’s definitions	Measure before you answer (see below)
Recycling	Batteries, clothing, electronics, glass bottles, light bulbs and six more	Owner	Adds a recycling icon in results; bulk upload for 10+ locations
Identity	Asian-, Black-, Latino-, LGBTQ+, Disabled-, Indigenous-, Veteran-, Women-owned; Small business	Owner only, opt-in	Optional; you can opt in or out at any time
Atmosphere and crowd	Casual, family-friendly, pet-friendly	Mostly customer input	Check the live profile; these may not appear in your editor
Links	Menu, services, booking, reservations, orders	Owner or approved providers	Up to 10 links per category for bookings and orders; set a “Business preferred” link

Do attributes help you rank in local search?

Google does not list attributes as a ranking factor by name. Its “Tips to improve your local ranking” page says local results are “mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity,” and that “Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.” The list of information it asks for includes “Other details such as parking or Wi-Fi availability,” which links straight to the attributes help page.

The more specific signal is filtering. Google’s attributes page says your business “might show up in searches for places with those attributes.” If someone searches for a wheelchair-accessible café or a Black-owned bookshop, an accurate attribute is how Google knows you qualify.

Expert opinion places attributes in the middle of the pack. Whitespark’s 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors report (published November 6, 2025) asked 47 local SEO practitioners to score 187 factors from 0 to 5; scores are summed and ranked. This is an opinion survey, not a measurement, and Whitespark notes the experts have no special access to Google’s algorithm.

Factor (Whitespark wording)	Local pack / Maps	Local organic	AI search	Conversion
User Added Attributes in GBP	#81 of 187	#150	#137	#72 of 120
Presence of “Identifies as” Attributes on GBP	#86	#168	#140	#51
Presence of Crowd Sourced Attributes	#104	#169	#150	#59

Two things stand out. First, experts rate attributes higher for conversion (getting the click, call or visit) than for organic or AI search visibility. Second, one documented test suggests attributes can matter a lot for narrow searches. In March 2021 Sterling Sky added the then “Identifies as Women-led” attribute to a paralegal profile doing almost no other SEO. Rankings for “Women Paralegal” appeared within weeks and, by Sterling Sky’s account, the attribute appeared to trigger a local 3-pack that had not existed before. That is one business, one keyword and an older version of the attribute, so treat it as an example rather than a rule.

Google’s rules for accessibility attributes

Accessibility attributes have precise definitions, and they matter to the people relying on them. Google’s help page says to mark a wheelchair-accessible entrance as “Yes” only if the entrance is at least “three feet or one meter wide and has no steps or stairs.” A business whose only entrance is a revolving door should answer “No”, and seating that is only standing-height tables does not count as accessible seating. For Auracast broadcast audio, Google says: “If you select No, this attribute won’t show on your profile.”

Identity attributes: what they are and when they arrived

Identity attributes let owners highlight who runs the business. Google’s 2020 announcement said they are featured on a profile only “when they opt in”, and the current help page says you can choose more than one and opt in or out at any time. The “Small business” attribute applies to businesses that make less than $10 million a year, excludes franchises, and Google says a business “may automatically be marked as a small business.”

Date	Change	Source
Jul 30, 2020	Black-owned attribute for U.S. merchants with a verified Business Profile	Google Keyword blog
Sep 28, 2021	Latino-owned attribute announced for Search, Maps and Shopping	Google Keyword blog
Oct 19, 2021	“-led” identity labels replaced with “-owned”	Search Engine Roundtable
Jun 22, 2022	LGBTQ+ owned attribute, joining Black-, Latino-, veteran- and women-owned	Google Keyword blog
Aug 4, 2022	Asian-owned attribute added	Search Engine Roundtable
Oct 18, 2023	Disabled-owned and Indigenous-owned attributes added	Search Engine Roundtable

How to add or edit attributes

Google’s help page describes the path: open your Business Profile, choose Edit profile, then More, select Edit next to an attribute group such as “Amenities” or “Payments”, choose Yes or No for each item, and save. It also warns that “Some attributes can only be changed in certain locations, countries, or business categories” and that attribute names may change over time. Multi-location brands can manage attributes through the Business Profile API, where available attributes are returned for a given primary category and country; see our multi-location SEO guide for the wider setup.

A seven-step attribute review

1. Pull the list available to you. In the profile editor, open every attribute group. Options vary by category and country, so do not copy a competitor’s list.
2. Answer every owner-set attribute. Include accurate “No” answers where customers would want to know, such as “cash-only” or parking.
3. Measure accessibility features. Check entrance width, steps, restrooms and seating against Google’s definitions before answering.
4. Decide on identity attributes. They are optional and owner-only. Opt in if they are true and you want to be found for them.
5. Add and tidy links. Add menu, booking or order links, remove dead third-party links and choose a “Business preferred” link.
6. Check the live profile. Look at how attributes appear on Search and Maps, including customer-sourced ones. Edits can take up to 30 days to be reviewed.
7. Watch the results. Track calls, website clicks and direction requests in your Business Profile performance report, and repeat the review whenever your services change.

Frequently asked questions

Are Google Business Profile attributes a ranking factor?

Google does not name them as one, but it says complete and accurate profiles are more likely to show in local results and that attributes can help you appear in searches for places with those features. Experts in Whitespark’s 2026 survey ranked attributes as a mid-level local pack factor and a stronger conversion factor.

Why can’t I see a particular attribute in my profile?

Google says attributes vary by business category, country and location, and some come only from customer input. If an attribute is missing, check your primary category first, since that controls which options appear.

How long does an attribute change take to show?

Google says it usually takes about 10 minutes, but it can take up to 30 days while the edit is reviewed.

Can customers change my attributes?

Customers cannot edit your owner-set fields directly, but some attributes are populated from customer input, and Maps users can suggest edits to place features, which Google reviews. Check your live profile regularly.

Sources

1. Manage your business attributes — Google Business Profile Help — editing, review times, accessibility, recycling and identity attributes
2. What’s new in Google Business Profile: August 2024 — Google Business Profile Help — attribute types
3. Manage your local business links — Google Business Profile Help — booking, menu and order links
4. Edit place information in Google Maps — Google Maps Help — user-suggested attribute edits
5. Tips to improve your local ranking on Google — Google Business Profile Help — relevance, distance and popularity; complete info
6. Guidelines for representing your business on Google — Google Business Profile Help — categories vs attributes
7. Manage Attributes — Google for Developers, last updated Aug 28, 2026 — attributes vary by category and country
8. Method: attributes.list — Google for Developers, last updated Oct 27, 2026 — available attributes by category and region
9. 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors — Whitespark, Darren Shaw, published Nov 6, 2025 — expert factor scores and ranks
10. Do Google My Business Identity Attributes Impact Ranking? — Sterling Sky, Colan Nielsen, Apr 27, 2021 — single-business attribute test
11. New ways to support Black-owned businesses — Google Keyword blog, Jul 30, 2020
12. Abriendo caminos: New pathways for Latino-owned businesses — Google Keyword blog, Sep 28, 2021
13. Taking pride in our businesses — Google Keyword blog, Jun 22, 2022
14. Google My Business Attributes Replace Led With Owned — Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, Oct 19, 2021
15. Google Business Profiles Add Asian Owned Business Attribute — Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, Aug 4, 2022
16. Google Business Profiles Adds Two New Attributes: Disabled-Owned & Indigenous-Owned — Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, Oct 18, 2023

Want your profile’s attributes, categories and links set up properly across every location? Our local SEO service handles Google Business Profile optimisation end to end. Get in touch to talk it through.