Google Business Profile: How to Add Text-to-Book to Your Listing
BookIt Team · March 16, 2026 · 7 min read
When someone searches for "barber near me" or "plumber Charlotte NC," the Google Business Profile that appears in results is often the first and only thing they look at before deciding who to call. Most business owners spend zero time optimizing this listing beyond adding basic hours and a phone number — and they leave a significant amount of booking potential on the table.
Adding a text-to-book number to your Google Business Profile is one of the highest-leverage, lowest-effort things you can do to convert more of those searchers into actual customers. Here is exactly how to do it.
Why Your Google Business Profile Matters More Than You Think
The Google Business Profile — formerly known as Google My Business — is the panel that appears on the right side of Google search results and in Google Maps. For local searches, it is often the first thing a potential customer sees, even before your website.
Consider what a typical customer sees in your GBP listing:
- Your business name and category
- Star rating and number of reviews
- Hours of operation
- Phone number and address
- Photos
- A "Book" or "Website" button if you have set those up
The customer makes a decision in seconds: is this the business I want to contact? And if they decide yes, the next question is: how do I reach them? If the answer is "call a phone number that might go to voicemail," some percentage of those customers will look at the next listing instead. Adding a text option changes that dynamic.
Step 1: Set Up Your BookIt SMS Number
Before you update your Google listing, you need a dedicated SMS-enabled business number with an AI assistant behind it. This is critical: if you add a text number and do not respond promptly, you have created a new channel for customer frustration rather than a new channel for bookings.
With BookIt, setup takes about five minutes:
- Create your account at bookittechnologies.com/register
- Add your business name, services, and hours
- BookIt assigns you a local phone number in your area code
- The AI is immediately active — any text to that number gets an instant response
Note your new BookIt number. This is what you will add to your Google Business Profile.
Step 2: Access Your Google Business Profile
There are two ways to access your GBP:
Option A: Through Google Search
- Sign in to the Google account associated with your business
- Search for your business name on Google
- If you are the verified owner, you will see management options directly in the search results, including an "Edit profile" button
Option B: Through Google Business Profile Manager
- Go to business.google.com
- Sign in with your Google account
- Select your business from the dashboard
Step 3: Add Your Text Number to the Listing
Once you are in your profile editor, here are the key places to add your BookIt text number:
Primary Phone Number
You can choose to make your BookIt SMS number your primary listed phone number, or keep your existing number as primary and add BookIt as an additional number. Google allows you to list multiple phone numbers.
If you use your existing phone as primary, add BookIt as a secondary number labeled for texting. Some business owners use this format: their main voice line as primary and the BookIt SMS number as secondary with "Text to Book: [number]" in the business description.
Business Description
Update your business description to explicitly mention your text booking option. Google gives you 750 characters, and you should use them. A sample addition:
"Book by text anytime — just text [your BookIt number] and our AI assistant will confirm your appointment instantly, even after hours."
Google Posts
GBP allows you to create "Posts" — short updates that appear in your listing and can include a call-to-action button. Create an "Offer" or "Update" post that promotes your text booking option:
"Now booking by text! Text [number] any time — we reply instantly. No hold times, no voicemail."
Posts appear for about seven days before needing to be refreshed, so build a habit of posting monthly.
Step 4: Enable the Booking Button
Google Business Profiles support booking integrations with various scheduling platforms. BookIt provides a web booking page at a URL like bookittechnologies.com/book/your-business that you can link from your GBP.
In your GBP editor, look for "Booking" settings and add your BookIt booking URL. When enabled, a "Book" button appears prominently in your Google listing, giving customers a one-click path to book directly from search results.
Step 5: Keep Your Profile Active
Google's algorithm favors active, well-maintained profiles. Now that you have added your text-to-book option, a few ongoing habits will help your listing rank higher and convert better:
- Respond to reviews — all of them, positive and negative. Active responses signal to Google that your business is engaged.
- Add photos regularly — businesses with more than 100 photos get significantly more views and clicks than those with just a handful.
- Post monthly updates — promotions, seasonal offerings, or just a reminder that you are accepting bookings by text.
- Keep hours current — update holiday hours, special closures, and any changes as soon as they happen.
The End Result
A fully optimized GBP with a text-to-book number creates a seamless customer journey: customer searches Google, finds your listing, sees they can book by text, sends a message, and gets an instant confirmation. The entire path from discovery to booked appointment can take under 60 seconds.
Compared to the old path — search, call, get voicemail, try to find another option — the difference in conversion rate is substantial. Most businesses that add text-to-book to their GBP see booking volume from Google increase 20 to 40 percent within the first month.
Your Google listing is already getting views. Make sure those views convert. Set up BookIt in 5 minutes and add your text-to-book number to your Google profile today.