Buried inside your Google Business Profile editor is a section most Arizona small business owners never touch: attributes. These are the small checkboxes and tags — wheelchair accessible, free Wi-Fi, women-led, LGBTQ+ friendly, outdoor seating, appointment required — that show up as little badges and filters on your profile. They look minor, but they directly affect whether you show up when someone filters their search, and they add real credibility to your listing. Here’s how to actually use them.
Why These Tiny Checkboxes Matter
Google increasingly lets people filter local search results by specific attributes — someone searching for a restaurant might filter for “outdoor seating” or “good for kids,” and someone searching for a service business might filter for “wheelchair accessible” or “appointment required.” If you haven’t filled in your attributes, you simply don’t show up in those filtered results at all, even if you’d qualify. It’s one of the easiest ways to lose a customer you were perfectly capable of serving, just because a box was left unchecked.
The Attributes Worth Checking First
Start with the practical ones that directly affect whether someone can visit or work with you: wheelchair accessibility, parking options, whether an appointment is required, and payment methods accepted. Then look at identity attributes if they genuinely apply to your business — women-led, veteran-led, family-owned, LGBTQ+ friendly. These aren’t just diversity checkboxes; plenty of customers actively search and filter for businesses that match these attributes, especially in certain service categories, and leaving them blank means you’re invisible to that search intent even when you’d qualify.
Only Check What’s True — And Recheck It Periodically
Never check an attribute that doesn’t actually apply just because it sounds appealing. A “wheelchair accessible” tag on a building with a step at the front door creates a bad first impression the moment someone arrives expecting otherwise, and can generate exactly the kind of frustrated review you’re trying to avoid. Google also occasionally updates its list of available attributes for different business categories, so it’s worth a quick look every few months to see if new, relevant options have been added since you last checked.
Attributes are just one part of a fully optimized profile. If you’re in the Phoenix metro area and want the full picture — categories, photos, posts, reviews, and attributes all working together — see our Google Business Profile optimization page for Phoenix-area businesses.
How to Find and Update Them
Inside your Google Business Profile, look for the “Edit profile” or “Info” section and find “Attributes” or “More.” The exact options Google shows you depend on your business category — a restaurant sees different attributes than a plumbing company. Go through the full list slowly rather than skimming it; many owners are surprised how many relevant options are sitting there unchecked simply because they never scrolled through the whole menu.
A Quick Attribute Check for This Week
Run through this the next time you’re logged into your Google Business Profile:
- Open the Attributes section and read through every option available for your category.
- Check accessibility, parking, and appointment attributes if they honestly apply.
- Add identity attributes like women-led or veteran-led if they’re accurate and relevant.
- Remove any attribute that no longer applies or was never quite accurate.
- Set a reminder to review the full list again in three or four months.
Small Setting, Real Impact
Attributes take a few minutes to update and cost nothing, yet they directly affect whether your business shows up for customers actively filtering their search. It’s one of the fastest, easiest wins sitting inside a profile most owners already have.
At Sureway Marketing, we help small businesses across Arizona get every setting on their Google Business Profile working through our marketing services.
Prefer to talk now? Call or text 602-492-6970.
Related reading: Read about how to set holiday hours on Google.
Related reading: Read about three Google profile mistakes that cost customers.
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