Make a Keyword in Your Google Business Name Stick: DBA, Website, Logo, Citations
By Clay Lawrence, Review Harvest · · 6 min video
The short version
Adding your main keyword to your Google Business Profile name can move you onto the first page within hours, but on its own it is keyword stuffing, which is against Google's terms and can get your name changed back or your profile soft suspended. The right way is to get a DBA that includes the keyword, then use that exact name on your profile, your website, your website logo and every directory listing. If Google changes the name, appeal with the DBA paperwork.
Do this, in order
- 1
Know the rule before you touch the name
Putting keywords in your business name on Google is considered keyword stuffing and is against Google's terms. Google can change your name back to the original or put a soft suspension on your profile.
- 2
Decide how careful you need to be
Google is stricter in some industries and areas than others. An injury lawyer in New York or a plumber in Houston should do every step below. A lawn care company in rural Kansas may never hear from Google, but that is a risk you choose.
- 3
Get a DBA that includes your main keyword
A DBA, or doing business as, makes the keyword part of your business's legal name. If your salon is Lisa's Cuts and people search for hair salon, file a DBA for Lisa's Cuts Hair Salon.
- 4
Change your Google Business Profile name to match
Click Edit profile and update the business name to the full name on the DBA.
- 5
Use the full name everywhere on your website
Anywhere the site says Lisa's Cuts, change it to Lisa's Cuts Hair Salon. Your website is one of the things Google scans all the time.
- 6
Add the keyword to the logo on your website
Open your logo in Canva, move the existing text up a little and add smaller text beneath it with the keyword, such as hair salon. A free Canva account is enough.
- 7
Update the name on every citation
Log in to Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages and any other directory where your name, address and phone number appear, and change the name to match your Google Business Profile.
- 8
If Google changes your name back, appeal with the DBA
File an appeal and submit your DBA paperwork to show that this is the name of your business.
What does a keyword in your business name do for your ranking?
It can move you onto the first page of Google in hours. A ranking report shows it clearly. The report simulates a search from each dot on a grid laid over your service area. A 1, 2 or 3 on a dot means you show up on the first page there. Anything above 3 means you are basically invisible in that spot, because the searcher would have to click through to a longer list of businesses, and 90% of people do not.
One business ran this report for its main search term at 11:19 a.m. on December 21 and had a few top-three dots. At 12:25 the same day, the same search showed it on the first page in 70% of the grid. The only change in between was adding the main keyword to the business name on Google.
Is it allowed?
No, not on its own. Adding keywords to your name is considered keyword stuffing and is against Google’s terms. Google can change your name back, or put a soft suspension on your profile.
How likely that is depends on your industry and area, and on how much risk you are willing to take. Dozens of Review Harvest users have added their main keyword, heard nothing from Google, and started ranking higher right away. A lawn care company in the middle of Kansas could probably add lawn care or landscaping to its name and nothing would happen. In a competitive market, such as injury law in New York or plumbing in Houston, do it the right way with the four steps below.
How do you do it the right way?
Make the keyword part of your business’s real name, and make every place Google looks agree.
- Get a DBA. Doing business as paperwork makes the keyword part of your legal name. Lisa’s Cuts becomes Lisa’s Cuts Hair Salon. Then update your Google Business Profile name to match. If Google says the name is wrong and changes it back, you file an appeal with the paperwork.
- Use the full name across your website. Everywhere the site shows the old short name, replace it with the full one. This keeps things consistent with what Google’s algorithm checks.
- Add the keyword to your website logo. Put your logo into Canva, nudge the text up and add smaller text beneath it with the keyword. It may be overkill, but it is better safe than sorry.
- Clean up your citations. A citation is anywhere your name, address and phone number are listed: Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages and other directories. Log in to each and change the name to match your profile. This matters even more than the logo.
The DBA alone gives you the strongest position. If you skip it, and you are in a competitive industry and do not like risk, do the other three: the website, the citations and possibly the logo.
Do you have to rebrand everything?
No. Truck wraps, uniforms and business cards can stay as they are. Google is scanning your website, the logo on your website, and the other places your business is listed.
This is also why putting some thought into your business name when you are getting started goes a long way.
How much does this matter compared with everything else?
A lot. Whitespark, which publishes a local SEO research study every year, listed keywords in the Google Business Profile business title as the number two ranking factor.
Put three things together and you are well ahead of most local competitors: your main keyword in your profile name, the right primary category (a plumber should have plumber), and five-star Google reviews coming in consistently.
Common questions
Does adding a keyword to your Google Business Profile name help you rank?
Yes. In one ranking report, a business went from a handful of top-three positions for its main search term to the first page in 70% of its grid less than an hour and a half after adding the keyword to its name. Whitespark's yearly local SEO study has listed keywords in the business title as the number two ranking factor.
Is it against Google's rules to put keywords in your business name?
Yes. It is considered keyword stuffing and is against Google's terms. Google can change your name back to the original, or put a soft suspension on your profile. That is why the name on your profile should be backed by a DBA and match your website and other listings.
What is a DBA and how does it help with Google?
DBA stands for doing business as. Filing one that includes your main keyword, such as Lisa's Cuts Hair Salon instead of Lisa's Cuts, makes the keyword part of your business's legal name. If Google changes your profile name back, you can appeal and submit the DBA paperwork as proof.
Do I have to rebrand my trucks and uniforms if I change my business name on Google?
No. What Google is scanning is your website, the logo on your website, and the other places your business is listed online. Update those so they all show the same full name.
What is a citation in local SEO?
A citation is anywhere your business name, address and phone number are listed online, such as Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages or another directory. After changing your name on Google, log in to each one and update the name so it matches your Google Business Profile.
What should I do if Google changes my business name back?
File an appeal and submit your DBA paperwork showing that the name with the keyword is your business name. The DBA is the trump card because it shows that this is the legal name of your business.
