Google My Business is a free, underused tool that puts your holiday rental in front of local searchers — here is how to set it up and optimise it for bookings.
If someone opens Google and types "holiday cottage near Whitby" or "self-catering Lake District," where do they look first? Not Airbnb. Not Booking.com. They look at the results Google serves them — and Google increasingly shows local business listings prominently in those results.
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free tool that lets you create a verified listing for your holiday rental that appears in Google Search, Google Maps, and Google's local search results. For many property types, a well-optimised GBP listing will appear above Airbnb and Booking.com in local search results — and when a guest books through your GBP listing directly, you pay zero commission.
Despite this, the majority of UK holiday rental hosts have either not claimed their listing, or have claimed it and left it largely empty. This is one of the clearest competitive opportunities in holiday rental marketing right now.
This is the most common question hosts ask, and the answer is yes — with some nuance.
Google Business Profile is designed for businesses with a physical location that serves customers. A holiday rental qualifies as this — it is a specific property at a specific address that guests visit. Google's category options include "Holiday Cottage," "Vacation Home Rental," "Self-Catering Accommodation," and similar options that fit most holiday rentals perfectly.
The key requirement is that you have a genuine, physical business premises — your rental property. You are not eligible to list an address that is not actually associated with your property (e.g., a home address if your rental is elsewhere).
Go to business.google.com and sign in with a Google account. Search for your property name and address. Google may have already created an automatic listing for your property — if so, you will see an option to "Claim this business." If no listing exists, select "Add your business to Google."
Choose the most accurate category. The primary category is the most important — it determines which searches trigger your listing. For most holiday rentals, "Holiday Cottage" or "Vacation Home Rental" will be most accurate. You can add secondary categories (such as "Pet-Friendly Accommodation" or "Luxury Accommodation") later.
Google requires verification to confirm you are associated with the address. For most UK addresses, verification is by postcard — Google mails a postcard with a verification code to your property's address within 1–2 weeks. When you receive it, enter the code in your GBP dashboard.
Some accounts are offered instant verification by phone, email, or video call. Take the fastest option available.
A complete profile outperforms an incomplete one in local search rankings. Fill in every section:
Business name: Use your property name as guests know it. Do not keyword-stuff your business name (e.g., "Best Cornwall Holiday Cottage Sleeps 8") — this violates Google's guidelines and risks suspension.
Address: Your property's full address. For privacy, you can choose to show only the city/region rather than the exact street address if guests do not physically visit for business purposes — though for a holiday rental, showing the full address is usually appropriate.
Phone number: A number where potential guests can reach you directly.
Website: Link to your direct booking website, not your Airbnb listing. This is critically important — every click should go to a booking destination you control, not to a platform that charges commission.
Business hours: For a holiday rental, you might list your standard check-in/check-out window, or list as "Open 24/7" if you operate throughout the week.
Business description: You have up to 750 characters. Write a compelling description that includes:
This description is indexed by Google — include your most important search keywords naturally.
Google has confirmed that businesses with photos receive significantly more clicks and direction requests than those without. For holiday rentals, photos are even more important because they are the primary conversion driver.
Google allows you to organise photos by category:
Upload at minimum 10–15 photos. More is better. Google rewards profile completeness, and photos are a major component.
Guests can also add photos to your GBP listing — Google calls these "Customer photos." You cannot control which photos guests add, but you can encourage guests (in your post-stay communication) to add photos to your Google listing as well as writing a review. Authentic guest photos often outperform professional shots for trust-building.
GBP reviews are arguably the single most important factor in your local search ranking. Businesses with more reviews, higher average ratings, and more recent reviews rank higher in Google's local results (the "Local Pack" — the three business listings Google shows prominently above organic results).
Most guests need prompting. They mean to leave a review but forget. A simple, direct ask dramatically increases the review rate.
When to ask: Within 24–48 hours of checkout, when the positive experience is freshest.
How to ask: A personal message that makes it easy:
"Thank you so much for staying at [Property Name] — we hope you had a wonderful time. If you have a moment, a review on Google would mean the world to us — it helps other guests find us and supports our small business. Here is the direct link: [your Google review link]"
Your direct review link: In your GBP dashboard, go to "Ask for reviews" and copy your shareable review link. This takes reviewers directly to the review box without them having to search for your listing — removing friction dramatically increases completion rates.
Where to share the review link:
Responding to all reviews — positive and negative — is important for two reasons: it signals to Google that you are an active, engaged business (a ranking signal), and it demonstrates to prospective guests reading reviews that you care about the guest experience.
For positive reviews: Thank the guest, reference something specific they mentioned (this shows you read it genuinely), and warmly invite them back.
For negative reviews: Respond calmly and professionally, regardless of how unfair the review feels. Acknowledge the specific concern, explain what happened if relevant, and state what you have done or will do. Never argue. Prospective guests read your responses closely — a gracious response to a negative review often increases trust rather than damaging it.
Google Posts are short updates (similar to social media posts) that appear directly in your GBP listing in search results. They are free, disappear after 7 days, and very few holiday rental hosts use them — making them a genuine opportunity for early movers.
Use Google Posts for:
Each Post should include a photo, a short description (150–300 words performs well), and a "Book Now" call-to-action button that links to your direct booking page.
Google Business Profile has a Q&A section where anyone can ask questions about your business — and anyone can answer them. This is an underused but valuable feature.
Proactively add your own Q&As: You can add questions yourself and answer them. Create the most common questions prospective guests ask and answer them clearly:
This serves two purposes: it reduces the friction of pre-booking questions, and it adds keyword-rich content to your listing that Google may index.
Google Business Profile provides insights in your dashboard:
Monitor these monthly. If views are high but website clicks are low, your photos and description are not compelling enough to convert searchers. If views are low, focus on review acquisition and Post frequency to signal activity to Google's algorithm.
GBP is the centrepiece of local SEO for holiday rentals, but it works best in combination with:
A well-optimised Google Business Profile drives traffic — but that traffic needs somewhere to land and book. LetPilot gives you a direct booking page that converts Google visitors into confirmed guests, without the Airbnb or Booking.com commission you would otherwise pay. Every guest who finds you on Google and books direct is a win for your bottom line. Try LetPilot free at letpilot.co — no credit card required.