Google Things to do and Google Business Profile for UK tour operators

Google Things to do helps travellers find attractions, tours and activities. A Google Business Profile represents your business on Google, while Things to do can show individual bookable products supplied by partners.

The two can work together. For certain business types, Google can show an operator's products on its Business Profile, alongside tours sold through marketplaces.

At the time of writing (November 2026), Things to do free listings cost nothing and carry no commission. Things to do ads are pay per click, so you pay Google when someone clicks; check Google's current guidance before planning a campaign.

Google is moving Travel campaigns, including Things to do ads, into Search campaigns for Travel from the third quarter of 2026. Check the current campaign options before setting up paid promotion. See Google's Things to do overview and Search campaigns for Travel guidance.

A free Things to do listing has no Google commission. That does not establish what your booking software or another provider charges under its own agreement.

A tour operator that serves customers away from its premises should use a service-area Business Profile and hide its address, subject to Google's eligibility rules. Google says the service area should remain within about two hours' drive of the business's base.

Use your real business details when setting up the profile. A public meeting point that you do not own or staff is not a valid business address under Google's eligibility rules. Google does not publish rules specifically about tour meeting points, so that conclusion is an inference from the general rules.

A virtual office is not eligible unless staffed during business hours, and a remote mailbox is not acceptable. Google also says businesses whose services require a minimum customer age, such as alcohol-related tours, cannot be service-area businesses without a shopfront.

Read Google's Business Profile guidelines before choosing an address or service area. If your circumstances are unclear, check the rules against how and where your business actually operates rather than selecting an address just to appear in a preferred location.

• Identify the genuine base from which you run the business.
• Decide whether customers visit a staffed business premises or you serve them away from it.
• Keep the public meeting point in your customer instructions rather than presenting it as your business address.
• Check whether any minimum-age restriction affects your eligibility for a service-area profile.

Do not use an unstaffed public meeting point, remote mailbox or ineligible virtual office as a shortcut to a Business Profile address.

Google chooses which verification methods to offer your business, and some businesses need more than one method. Follow the options in your Business Profile rather than assuming you can select a preferred method.

The available methods can include phone or text, email, live video call, postcard or recorded video. Google says its review can take up to five business days, sometimes longer, and verifying your website in Search Console can make verification instant.

For a service-area business using video, Google asks for evidence of the area near the business address, the business itself and your management of it. That can mean street signs or landmarks, tour equipment or branded clothing, plus evidence such as a branded vehicle or a business invoice.

A recorded verification video must be one continuous, unedited take of at least 30 seconds, recorded and uploaded on a phone inside Business Profile. Do not show identification documents, bank numbers or other people's faces. See Google's video verification instructions.

1. 1 Open your Business Profile and start the verification process. Use one of the methods Google offers.
2. 2 If Google offers recorded video, plan a continuous route that shows nearby signs or landmarks, business equipment and evidence that you manage the business.
3. 3 Record and upload the unedited video from your phone inside Business Profile. Check that the evidence is clear before submitting.
4. 4 If Google rejects the video, open Review issues. Include everything shown in the first video, plus the missing evidence, in the next submission.
5. 5 If Google offers a live video call, arrange it during your listed business hours and be ready to show the location, business and proof of management.

• Automated phone systems cannot receive a verification code.
• Postcards usually arrive within 14 days, and the code expires after 30 days.
• While waiting for a postcard, do not edit the name, address or category, or request a new code. Those actions cancel the first code.

Seeing a tour on Google Maps is not the same as completing verification. If the dashboard asks for verification, follow the method offered there.

A useful Business Profile describes the real business clearly and keeps its contact details, hours and booking route accurate. Choose categories that describe what the business is, rather than treating categories as a list of search keywords.

Google says categories should be as few and as specific as possible. Booking software providers report categories such as Tour operator, Sightseeing tour agency and Boat tour agency for the operator booking module, but Google does not publish the eligible category list. Choose an accurate category, not one that misrepresents your business.

Add relevant attributes where available, such as accessibility or payment information. Google says attributes are optional and can help a business appear in searches for those features; some attributes also come from customer input.

Only some categories can list services. Where services are available, you can add suggested or custom services with descriptions and prices, but Google rejects service names containing prices or phone numbers. Check Google's services guidance.

• Use the real business name, without adding promotional wording or extra keywords.
• Use a phone number under your direct control and a website address that does not redirect.
• Write a clear description of the tours and the experience. Google says not to include links, prices or promotions in the description.
• Add truthful, in-focus photos that represent the experience without heavy filters. Google recommends JPG or PNG images at 720 by 720 pixels; accepted sizes are 10 KB to 5 MB.
• Remember that photos show only after the business is verified.
• Use special hours for changes or closures lasting up to six consecutive days. For seven days or more, use Temporarily closed.

Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Completing a profile does not ensure a particular position.

Ask an approved Google Things to do connectivity partner to send your bookable tours to Google. Google strongly recommends that individual operators use a partner, usually their booking software, rather than integrate directly.

Google's approved list includes booking systems such as FareHarbor, Bókun, Rezdy, TrekkSoft, Regiondo, Bookingkit, Ventrata, Xola, Zaui and ROLLER. The list also includes marketplaces such as Viator, GetYourGuide, Tiqets and Klook. Check the current partner list, because it changes.

An approved partner's presence on Google's list does not tell you whether your own products are connected or working. Ask your provider which products it sends, whether the feed is active and whether Google has reported problems.

If your booking system is not a partner, Google suggests asking the provider to apply through Google's partner process. A marketplace may also be a connectivity partner, but a marketplace-supplied listing is not the same as an operator's own official booking link.

1. 1 Find your booking system on Google's current connectivity partner list.
2. 2 Ask the provider how to enable Things to do for your account and which of your products can be supplied.
3. 3 Give the provider accurate business details and product information, including the relevant Business Profile details if requested.
4. 4 Ask the provider to confirm whether each product is submitted and whether Google has reported any feed or landing-page issues.
5. 5 Review the live booking pages and checkout prices yourself, then ask the provider to correct any feed data that does not match.

• Ask whether the provider sends your products as directly sold by your business.
• Ask which page Google receives for each product and who to contact when a product is missing.
• Ask the provider about its own charges and terms before enabling the connection.

Google's Things to do Center is a partner tool for managing inventory and product issues. Google does not document an individual operator self-service check, so ask your connectivity partner about product status.

Your own booking page can qualify for Google's official site label when Google can identify the page as the operator's direct booking route. Meeting Google's criteria makes a page eligible, but the label may not appear.

The booking page can sit on your booking software's domain. Your own website must clearly link to the main booking page, and the business information on the booking page should agree with your Business Profile and other sources Google checks.

Ask your booking software to mark the tours as sold directly by your business. Google says bookings where the customer pays a third-party brand, such as a marketplace, generally do not count as official.

If several feeds carry the same operator, Google decides which receives the official label using factors including price accuracy and the owner's stated preference. Misrepresenting a listing as official can lead to the loss of the label or the listing. Read Google's official site guidance.

1. 1 Make your own website's route to the main booking page clear. Test the link as a customer would.
2. 2 Put your operator name visibly on the booking page and keep business details consistent with your Business Profile.
3. 3 Give each tour a suitable product page rather than sending Google to a general list of tours.
4. 4 Ask your connectivity partner to confirm that the feed identifies the products as sold directly by your business.
5. 5 If the official label is missing or appears on an unexpected feed, ask the partner to investigate the data and your stated preference.

• Compare the business name on the website, booking page and Business Profile.
• Check that the booking link takes a customer to the intended operator booking route.
• Check the displayed price against the final checkout price.

A booking page on your software provider's domain can qualify as official. A marketplace booking where the customer pays the marketplace generally does not.

The price shown on Google must match the full checkout price for one standard adult, including booking fees and taxes. Check both the feed price and what a customer actually pays at checkout.

Google's landing-page rules require the specific product to be the most prominent item on the page. A general category page or a list of tours does not meet that requirement. The page must also show the price and currency, provide a way to check out and keep key information visible rather than hidden by pop-ups.

Google compares information including titles, prices and ratings on landing pages with the feed. Google uses those comparisons as quality signals that can affect ranking, so investigate mismatches instead of assuming that a submitted feed is correct.

Review a booking journey from the Google-facing product page through checkout. If a fee appears only at the end, ask your provider how to make the feed price and displayed checkout total consistent with Google's price policy.

1. 1 Open the exact product page supplied to Google and identify the tour a customer would book.
2. 2 Check that the product title, visible price and currency match the information your partner sends.
3. 3 Select one standard adult and continue to checkout. Include booking fees and taxes when comparing the final total with the Google price.
4. 4 Check that pop-ups do not cover the price, product details or route to checkout.
5. 5 Send the partner the product name, page link and details of any mismatch, then check again after the partner makes a correction.

• Use clear tour descriptions and photos that reflect the experience.
• Make the booking route easy to find without obscuring essential information.
• Review pages after changing prices, fees or product details.

A low headline price is not compliant if the full checkout price for one standard adult is higher after booking fees and taxes.

A verified business can add its own booking link to its Business Profile. A booking button can also come from a provider configured under Bookings, and Google notes that the provider might charge for bookings made that way.

Separately, Google's operator booking module can show an operator's own products on its Business Profile alongside tours sold through marketplaces. Google offers the module only for certain business types, and Google does not publish the category list.

Booking software providers report categories such as Tour operator, Tour agency and Travel agency as relevant to the module. Google tells partners to check that the profile category is correct, but selecting a reported category does not ensure that the module will appear.

For a business without a public address, Google matches the listing using the Business Profile's place ID. The operator's name must also appear on the booking page. Ask your connectivity partner to check those details if products are missing; see Google's operator booking module guidance.

• Check that your Business Profile is verified and accurately categorised.
• Check that your own booking link opens the intended booking route.
• Ask your provider whether it supplies your products for the operator booking module.
• If you hide your address, ask the provider to check the Business Profile place ID and the operator name on the booking page.
• Ask the provider about charges and feed issues rather than assuming a visible button is free.

A Business Profile booking link and a Things to do product feed are different routes. Adding one does not establish that the other is working.

Ask customers for honest reviews without offering a reward or asking for a particular rating. Google prohibits discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews, or for changing or removing reviews.

On a computer, open your Business Profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews to find the review link and QR code. Google says QR codes cannot be generated on a phone. Reviewers need a Google account, although the account can use a non-Gmail address.

Only verified businesses can reply to reviews. Replies appear as messages from the business and are checked against Google's policy, usually within 10 minutes but sometimes taking up to 30 days.

Keep replies short, polite and specific. Google's advice is to avoid promotions and private details, acknowledge mistakes where appropriate, and offer to continue the conversation by phone or email. See Google's review guidance.

1. 1 After the experience, send a neutral invitation to review the tour and include your review link.
2. 2 Make the request suitable for every customer, rather than asking only those who appear delighted.
3. 3 Read new reviews and identify useful details about the experience that you can acknowledge.
4. 4 Reply without revealing private booking information. For a complaint, offer an appropriate way to discuss the issue directly.
5. 5 Use recurring feedback to improve the tour description, customer instructions or the experience itself.

• Do not offer a discount or freebie for a review.
• Do not offer a reward for changing or removing a review.
• Do not include a promotion or a customer's private details in a public reply.

Common mistakes include using an ineligible address, adding keywords to a business name, creating an extra profile for a tour and letting booking prices drift out of line. Check the Business Profile and the Things to do feed separately, because either can contain errors.

If Google suspends your Business Profile, make the profile compliant before appealing. Gather evidence, such as a registration, licence or utility bill, with the name and address matching the profile, and use Google's Appeals Tool guidance.

Do not create a new profile to get around a suspension. If Google refuses the appeal, Google says you can request another review with new evidence; Google gives no turnaround time.

Another common mistake is following an old setup guide. Arival reported that Reserve with Google booking for tours, activities and attractions ended on 1 August 2021 and was replaced by Things to do booking links. Business Profile chat also ended on 31 July 2024.

• Do not add taglines, extra keywords, phone numbers, web addresses or hours notes to the business name.
• Do not create a separate Business Profile for each tour or public start point. Google's general rule is one profile per business.
• Do not assume an approved booking system has submitted your products. Ask the partner to confirm their status.
• Do not send Google to a generic list of tours when a specific product page is required.
• Do not assume a marketplace listing is your official operator booking route.
• Do not ignore a mismatch between Google's price and the final standard-adult checkout price.
• Do not create a replacement profile while appealing a suspended profile.

A suspension appeal needs a compliant profile and supporting evidence. Creating another profile is not Google's reinstatement process.

Start with the Business Profile, then work through the booking connection and product pages. Keep a record of the details and questions you send to your booking provider so you can follow up on unresolved issues.

Treat setup as an ongoing accuracy check, not a promise of placement or bookings. When your business details, tours or prices change, review the relevant profile fields, product pages and partner feed.

Look North Digital helps operators set up Google Business Profiles and Things to do feeds where applicable. You can also use the steps below to brief your existing booking provider or website team.

1. 1 Check eligibility and address: identify your genuine business base, apply the service-area rules if relevant, and remove any ineligible public meeting point or mailbox from the business address.
2. 2 Complete verification: follow the method Google offers, prepare the required evidence and resolve any Review issues.
3. 3 Improve the profile: use the real business name, accurate category, contact details, hours, attributes, services and representative photos where available.
4. 4 Add and test your booking route: use your verified profile's own booking link where appropriate and check any provider button and provider terms.
5. 5 Contact your connectivity partner: confirm that the partner supplies each intended tour, identify the landing page sent to Google and ask about reported feed issues.
6. 6 Check official site eligibility: link clearly from your website to the main booking page, show your operator name and ask the partner to identify direct sales correctly.
7. 7 Test each product page: compare the title, currency and price with the feed, then check the complete standard-adult checkout total including fees and taxes.
8. 8 Check the operator booking module where relevant: ask the partner to investigate category, product status and, for a business without a public address, the Business Profile place ID.
9. 9 Set a review routine: share a neutral review link, respond appropriately and use customer feedback to improve the experience.
10. 10 Recheck after changes: revisit the profile and tell your partner when business details, booking pages or prices change.