Someone searches "barber near me" on their phone at 10 at night. Your profile comes up with your photos, your reviews and a Call button. They're not going to ring at 10 pm. If there's a way to book right there, some of them will. If there isn't, they scroll to the next shop that has one. A Google Business Profile booking link is that way to book, and adding one takes a few minutes.
This post covers the steps, the rules Google applies to booking links, how the link differs from Reserve with Google, and the more important question: what page the link should actually lead to.
What a Google Business Profile booking link is
Google lets businesses add links to their profile for specific actions. For booking, these are "appointment" or "booking" links. For restaurants there are reservation links, and for takeaways, food ordering links. They appear on your profile in Google Search and Google Maps, usually labelled "Book" or "Book online", or listed under a booking section.
There are two different ways a booking option can end up on your profile, and people mix them up:
- A link you add yourself. You paste the URL of any booking page into your profile. Google checks it and shows it. It costs nothing.
- Reserve with Google. Your booking provider is an official Google partner, and customers book inside Google without leaving Search or Maps. You switch it on through the provider.
Most small businesses can do the first. The second depends on which booking software you use.
How to add the booking link, step by step
These steps follow Google's help page on managing your local business links. Google changes its menus now and then, so the labels on your screen may differ slightly.
From Google Search
- Sign in to the Google account that manages your profile.
- Search for your business name, or search "my business", to open the profile editor.
- Select Booking.
- Select Add link (or Add another link if one is already there).
- Paste the URL of your booking page.
- Select Save.
From Google Maps
- Open Google Maps, signed in with the same account, and go to your Business Profile.
- Select Edit profile, then the booking option.
- Select Add link, paste the URL and Save.
Setting a preferred link
If more than one booking link shows on your profile, perhaps one you added and one a third-party site added automatically, you can choose which goes first. Open the booking section, select Set preferred link, choose yours and save. Google marks it as "Business preferred".
When the link appears
Not instantly. Google checks the link first, and new links can take a little while to show. If it doesn't appear after a few days, check that your profile is verified and that the page loads without a login.
The rules Google applies to booking links
Google's business links policies are stricter than most people expect. The ones that trip up small businesses:
- Your profile must be verified. Unverified profiles can't add links.
- Not every business type is eligible. Google gives the example that a hair salon can offer booking but not online ordering. Some countries and regions aren't eligible for some link types either.
- The link must let the customer complete the action. A booking link has to lead somewhere a customer can actually book. A page that just says "call us to book" doesn't qualify.
- It must be a dedicated page for your business. A generic page for a chain or a directory listing won't do.
- Some link types are banned outright. Social media pages, messaging links (such as a WhatsApp click-to-chat link), app store links and link shorteners.
- Google's crawler must be able to load the page. No logins, no CAPTCHAs, no geoblocking, and the page must return a normal success response. Google's verification crawler ignores robots.txt, so you can't block it, and shouldn't try.
- One link per domain, and a limit per type. The policy page allows up to 20 links per transaction type, with one link per domain. An older help page says 10 per category, so don't plan on the higher number.
Break the rules and Google may remove the link without much warning. If that happens and you think it's a mistake, the policy page explains how to ask for a review.
Reserve with Google: what it is and who gets it
Reserve with Google lets customers book directly in Search or Maps, using their Google account, without visiting your website. Google's page on setting up bookings through a provider describes the process:
- Go to your Business Profile and select Bookings.
- Select Get started.
- Choose your booking provider from the list.
- Select Done.
Google says providers show up on your profile within a week. It also says plainly that your provider might charge you for bookings that come through Google, so ask before you switch it on.
The catch is that only booking providers with a direct integration with Google appear in that list, and availability varies by country and business category. If your booking software isn't a partner, you can't get the in-Google booking flow, however much you want it. You can still add your own link.
Two other things to know. Bookings made through Reserve with Google live in the provider's system, so they follow the provider's rules on cancellations, deposits and reminders. And Google says performance data isn't available for custom links you add yourself, only for bookings through Reserve with Google. If you want to know how many bookings come from your profile, add tracking parameters to your own link (see below).
Klugon isn't a Reserve with Google provider, so if in-Google booking matters most to you, that's a reason to look at software that is. Our post on how to choose booking software covers what else to weigh.
Which page should your booking link point to?
This is the decision that matters, and most guides skip it. The options:
| Where the link goes | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Your booking software's own booking page | Salons, clinics and studios with an existing system | Marketplace platforms may show other businesses nearby, or charge for "new" clients they say they found |
| A booking page on your own website | Businesses that want the customer on their own site | The page must actually take bookings, not just show a phone number |
| A page where an AI assistant books | Businesses whose customers have questions before they book | Check the page lets someone complete a booking without a login |
The first option is the default. If you use Fresha, Booksy or similar, they'll give you a direct link to paste. Before you do, read how the platform treats clients who arrive through it. Our Fresha alternative and Booksy alternative comparisons look at those fees.
The third option suits businesses where people rarely book cold. A first-time customer of a dog groomer wants to know whether you'll take a nervous rescue. A garage customer wants to know whether you can look at the car this week. A plain booking form makes them guess. An assistant can answer the question and book in the same conversation.
Using Klugon as your booking link
If you use Klugon, each business gets a public page at klugon.ai followed by your business name. It shows your services, and its Book Now buttons open a chat with your assistant, which checks your availability and books the slot. You can also put the AI chatbot for your website on your own booking page and use that page as the link instead.
Be clear about how bookings work before you rely on it:
- Klugon books into its own built-in calendar, using your opening hours, service lengths and staff. See AI appointment booking for the details.
- On voice or social Business plans and up, it can also check Google, Outlook or Apple calendars for busy times, after you set that up. Our Google Calendar integration page explains how.
- The customer gets a booking reference in the chat. Klugon doesn't send confirmation emails, reminders or text messages, so if your customers expect a reminder the day before, you'll need another way to send one.
- Google decides whether a page qualifies as a booking link. A chat-based booking page lets customers complete a booking, which is what the policy asks for, but Google's review is the final word.
A sample booking chat from a profile link. The business is made up.
Don't forget the Call button
Your profile shows a Call button whether or not you add a booking link, and on a phone it's often the bigger button. A booking link helps the people who'd rather not ring. The people who do ring still need an answer, and plenty of them ring outside opening hours. If your phone goes to voicemail at those times, consider an after-hours answering service, or forward the number to Klugon's AI receptionist, which can book the same slots by phone. Our post on keeping your number with call forwarding explains the setup.
Measuring whether the link works
Google's profile performance view shows how many people clicked your website, called or asked for directions. For custom booking links, Google's help page says performance data isn't shown, so measure it yourself:
- Add UTM tags to the URL, for example utm_source=google, utm_medium=gbp and utm_campaign=booking, so your analytics shows bookings from the profile separately.
- Compare four weeks before and after. Count bookings that arrive outside opening hours, when nobody would have answered the phone.
- Check the link monthly. Click it on your phone. Links break when booking software changes its URLs, and Google may quietly drop a link that returns an error.
A quick setup checklist
- Confirm your Business Profile is verified.
- Decide which page the link goes to, and check a customer can book on it without signing in.
- Add tracking parameters to the URL.
- Add the link from Search or Maps and save.
- Set it as the preferred link if others appear.
- Check your opening hours and services on the profile match your booking page.
- Revisit after a week to confirm it shows, then monthly.
Frequently asked questions
Is adding a booking link to Google free?
Yes. Adding your own booking link costs nothing. Some booking providers charge for bookings made through Reserve with Google, so check with yours.
Why can't I see the booking option on my profile?
Usually because the profile isn't verified yet, or because your business category or country isn't eligible for booking links.
Can I use my WhatsApp or Instagram as a booking link?
No. Google's policy bans social media pages and messaging links as business links. The link must go to a page where a customer can book.
What's the difference between a booking link and Reserve with Google?
A booking link sends the customer to a page you choose. Reserve with Google lets them book inside Search or Maps, and is only available through Google's partner booking providers.
How many booking links can I add?
Google's current policy page allows up to 20 per transaction type, with one link per domain. An older help page says 10, so keep it to the few you need.
Why did Google remove my booking link?
Common reasons are a page that returns an error, blocks Google's crawler, requires a login, or doesn't let customers complete a booking.
Does Klugon send booking confirmations from Google bookings?
No. The customer gets a booking reference in the conversation. Klugon doesn't send confirmation emails, reminders or text messages.
If you'd like to see what a chat-based booking page looks like for your services, the pricing page lists the plans and the 7-day trial.