How Do I Get My Bach on Google?

Create and claim your profile

Start at google.com/business and click 'Create a business.' Enter your property name. Use a specific, memorable name like 'Cedar Ridge Bach' or 'Blue Cove Holiday Home' rather than a generic name. Guests search for specific properties by name, and a distinctive name helps them find and remember you.

Select your business category. Type 'Vacation home rental' or 'Holiday home rental.' Google will confirm the category and show you a map. This is important because the category determines which guest searches your profile will appear in.

For your address, you have two options. If you are comfortable sharing your exact address publicly, enter it as shown. If you prefer to hide the street address (for privacy or security reasons), select 'I deliver goods and services to my customers' and set up a service area instead. You can define your service area by cities or postal codes (for example, 'Wanaka, Lake Hawea, Cardrona Valley') so guests searching nearby will find you without seeing your exact address.

Complete your phone number and website URL (your direct-booking site, if you have one). Google will then ask you to verify your business. This usually happens by text or phone, or sometimes by mail if you are a new profile. Complete the verification step as soon as possible. Until you verify, your profile will not be public and guests will not see it in search results.

Complete your profile with photos and details

A bare Google profile gets ignored. Add at least ten to fifteen high-quality photos of your bach: exterior shots from different angles, living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen with appliances visible, and any special features like a deck, hot tub, or garden. Use your best property photos or invest in a few professional shots. Guests scan photos first, so quality matters significantly. Update photos seasonally if the property looks notably different (snow in winter, garden in summer).

Fill in every optional field. Write a detailed description of the property including number of bedrooms, bathrooms, amenities (WiFi, heating, kitchen appliances), outdoor space, views, and location highlights. If you are comfortable displaying rates, add nightly or weekly pricing. Include your check-in and check-out times, and any house rules that matter (no parties, dog-friendly, minimum stay requirements). Be specific. 'Three-bedroom, two-bathroom bach with wood burner, private deck with lake views, sleeps six, pet-friendly' outperforms vague 'Holiday home in Wanaka.'

Add your opening hours. For a holiday rental, opening hours typically means your booking availability or contact hours (e.g., 9am to 6pm for booking inquiries). This tells potential guests when they can reach you with questions.

Optimize for local search and engage with guests

Google rewards profiles that are active and accurate. Post regular updates about your property: seasonal photos, new amenities, special offers, or upcoming availability. Post once a month at minimum, more often if you have news. This keeps your profile fresh and visible to guests searching in your area. Use posts to highlight seasonal specials ('Winter getaway: 15% off July and August bookings'), share guest testimonials ('Just had a lovely family stay, kids loved the garden'), or announce new amenities ('Just added a brand-new hot tub with outdoor heater'). Posts stay visible for about a week, so they are perfect for time-sensitive information.

Enable Google Messaging so guests can message you directly through the Google profile. This creates a direct contact channel from search to your inbox and makes it easy for interested guests to ask questions without leaving Google. Respond to messages quickly to show you are an active, professional host.

Encourage guests to leave reviews on your Google profile. A property with reviews ranks higher in local search and gets more clicks. When a guest books through your website and has a good experience, ask them to leave a Google review (you can send them the direct review link).

Make sure your name, address, phone number, and website are consistent across Google and any other directory listings (Booking.com, Airbnb, your own site). Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your ranking. Update your profile at least quarterly to keep it fresh. Every time you add an amenity, fix something, or take new photos, update your profile. If you change your phone number or email, update Google immediately.

Connect to Google Vacation Rentals for more visibility

Google Vacation Rentals is separate from Google Business Profile but works alongside it. If your property is already on Booking.com or Airbnb, it may already appear in Google Vacation Rentals results automatically. If you have a direct-booking website and a Google Business Profile, you can use a specialist tool or service to connect your availability to Google Vacation Rentals as well, giving guests another way to find you directly through Google search.

This step is optional and requires technical integration (your booking system or property manager typically handles this), but it can significantly increase visibility. If your property manager or website builder supports Google Vacation Rentals integration, it is worth setting up because it exposes your availability directly in Google search results without requiring guests to leave Google. When guests search 'holiday homes Wanaka' or 'bach Coromandel,' having your property appear in Google's vacation rental carousel puts you alongside major platforms but with the direct booking advantage.