Google Business Profile

Customers check Google for your hours, phone number, and reviews before they visit. Connect your Google Business Profile to the Back Office to keep that listing correct and to answer reviews without leaving Selflane.

With the connection you can:

• Edit your description, hours, special hours, website, and phone, then publish them to Google.
• Post “closed” or “closing early” for a single date, so Google Search and Maps show it.
• Read your Google reviews and reply to them.

Owners and managers can use it. POS and custom staff roles can’t see or change it. It is free, and no plan is required.

Before you start

• You need a Google account that manages your listing. It must be an owner or manager of your restaurant’s listing in Google Business Profile.
• If you don’t manage the listing, ask the person who owns it to add you as a manager in Google Business Profile. Then connect with your own Google account.
• Selflane does not create, claim, or verify listings. If your restaurant has no listing on Google yet, create and verify it in Google Business Profile first.

Connect your Google account

1. In the Back Office , open Settings → Profile → Settings.
2. Find the Google Business Profile card, below the Google Place panel.
3. Click Connect Google.
4. Sign in with the Google account that manages your listing.
5. On Google’s permission screen, tick the box that lets Selflane manage your Business Profile. Then continue.

Google sends you back to the Back Office. The card shows Connected as with your Google email.

Choose your listing

After you connect, the card lists every listing your Google account manages.

1. Find your restaurant in the list. Labels help you pick the right one:
   • Matches this business on Google Maps — the listing at the same Google Maps place as this business. This is usually the one you want.
   • Linked to another Selflane business — another Selflane business already uses this listing.
   • Not verified — edits may not go live — Google hasn’t verified the listing yet. Google may hold your changes.
   • Temporarily closed or Permanently closed — the listing is marked closed on Google.
2. Click Select next to your listing.

The card shows Linked Google listing with your choice. To pick a different listing later, click Change.

Each Google listing links to one Selflane business only. If you run several locations, connect each Selflane business to its own listing.

Edit and publish your listing

Once you select your listing, the card shows the available Google sections. Click View and edit beside Google listing to open your listing details.

The Google listing section shows what Google shows today next to your draft. Only the fields you change are sent to Google. The rest of your listing stays as it is.

What you can edit

• Description — up to 750 characters.
• Hours — your regular weekly hours.
• Special hours — one-off dates, such as holidays or closing early. See Special hours.
• Website — the link Google shows for your restaurant.
• Phone — the number Google shows.

The business name is read-only here. Change it in Google Business Profile.

Publish a change

1. In the Google listing section, click View and edit.
2. Click Edit next to the field you want to change.
3. Enter the new value. To copy a value from your Back Office settings instead, click Use Selflane's. For example, this fills Hours from your Back Office hours.
4. Click Check with Google. Google checks your change but doesn’t publish it yet.
5. Review the screen. Google now shows the current listing, and After publishing shows what customers will see.
6. Click Publish to Google.

The card shows Published. Google now shows: with the updated listing. To go back without publishing, click Back to editing.

Special hours

Special hours override your regular hours on one date. Google uses them to show “Closed” or “Closes soon” in Search and Maps. Use them for holidays, private events, weather closures, and closing early.

1. In the Google listing section, click View and edit.
2. Click Edit next to Special hours.
3. Click Add a date and pick the date.
4. Choose one:
   • Clear Closed all day to show the time fields, then enter the hours you’ll be open that day.
   • Leave Closed all day checked if you won’t open that day.
5. Click Check with Google, review the change, and click Publish to Google.

To remove a date you added by mistake, click Remove next to it, then check and publish again.

Example: closing early today

Your restaurant normally closes at 9 PM, but you need to close at 3 PM today.

1. Click Edit next to Special hours, then Add a date.
2. Pick today’s date.
3. Clear Closed all day to show the time fields.
4. Enter your opening time and 3:00 PM as the closing time.
5. Click Check with Google, then Publish to Google.

Google shows the 3 PM closing for today only. Tomorrow, your regular hours return.

Reply to Google reviews

1. In the Google reviews section, click View reviews. The first load can take up to 20 seconds.
2. Use Sort to show Newest, Lowest rating, or Highest rating first. The top of the list shows your average rating and review count.
3. Click Reply under a review. If you’ve already replied, click Edit reply.
4. Write your reply.
5. Click Review reply.

On the confirmation screen, check the text. Click Back to editing to change it, or Post reply to publish it.

Your reply appears on Google right away, under your business name, exactly as shown. It replaces any earlier reply to that review.

Replies can be up to 4,096 bytes. The counter under the box shows how much you’ve used. Non-Latin text, such as Chinese or Japanese, uses more bytes per character, so it fits fewer characters.

Reconnect or disconnect

Reconnect

If the card says “Google needs you to sign in again,” click Reconnect Google and sign in again. This happens when:

• Someone removes Selflane’s access in their Google account settings.
• No one uses the Google features in the Back Office for about 6 months.

If you never reconnect, Selflane deletes its stored Google access after 90 days. You can still connect again later.

Disconnect

1. Click Disconnect at the bottom of the card.
2. Confirm.

Selflane’s access is removed at Google. Your Google listing doesn’t change. It keeps everything you already published.

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Does the Back Office update Google when I change my hours in Selflane? No. Google changes only when someone clicks Publish to Google. Use Use Selflane's to copy your Back Office hours into the draft, then publish.

Can I change my business name on Google from here? No. Change the name in Google Business Profile. Google may review name changes.

Can staff on the POS use this? No. Only owners and managers can see the card.

What happens to my listing if I disconnect? Nothing. The listing stays exactly as it is on Google. Selflane can no longer edit it or reply to reviews.

Can I delete a review? No. Google decides which reviews appear. You can reply, or report a review in Google Business Profile.

Related

• Close early on Google
• Basic Settings
• Hours
• Launch online ordering