⏱️ Quick answer: To add a booking link to your Google profile, open your profile editor (“Edit profile”) and look for the booking or appointment links section, whose name depends on your business category. Paste the link to your own booking tool, save, then test the button from a phone.
On a restaurant or salon Google profile, the “Book” or “Appointment” button is often one of the most clicked. Without it, customers call you or go elsewhere. And if it points to a platform that takes commission, every booking from Google costs you something.
Where to find the booking link
Google changes its interface regularly and the options depend on your category. The usual path:
- Search your business on Google while signed in to the account that manages it, or open Google Maps.
- Click “Edit profile”.
- Look for a section called “Bookings”, “Booking links” or “Appointment links”.
- Paste the address of your booking page.
- Save. It can take a few minutes or longer to appear.
On a phone, the same option is usually reachable from the Google Maps app: open your business, tap “Edit profile”, then look in the contact or booking section. Make sure you are signed in with the account that owns or manages the profile, otherwise the editing options won’t appear at all.
If none of these sections appears, your category may not offer it: first check your primary category with our restaurant Google profile checklist.
Your own link vs “Reserve with Google”
With your own link, customers click through to your booking tool. With “Reserve with Google”, official partner platforms let people book inside Google’s interface and may appear on your profile automatically. That is why TheFork, Zenchef or others sometimes show up without you adding them. When several links exist, you can usually choose which one to feature in the editor. To be clear: Voxtya is not a “Reserve with Google” partner today; you simply paste your Voxtya booking link.
Which link to feature?
Ask: what does each booking through this link cost me? Someone who finds you on Google is already looking for you; if they book through a commission platform, you pay for a customer who was coming anyway. Many restaurants keep a platform for discovery and feature their own link on Google. See Voxtya vs TheFork and our guide to leaving TheFork step by step.
Do the maths with your own numbers: how many bookings per month come through Google, and what each one costs you on a commission platform. Even a rough estimate usually makes the choice obvious.
Test the link
Never assume the link works because you pasted it: check it like a customer would, on a phone, outside your usual network, with no account signed in.
- Open your profile from a phone in a private window.
- Tap the booking button and complete a test booking, then cancel it.
- Repeat after any change of tool or website address.
The right link for your trade
Restaurants: the link should open the booking form directly (date, time, party size), not your homepage. Hair and beauty salons: it should open the list of services so the client picks hers, then a slot; our guide to online booking for hair salons explains the setup. Tradespeople: a quote request page plays the same role.
Common mistakes
- Linking to your homepage instead of the booking page: customers have to hunt, and some give up.
- A forgotten old link: you changed tools but the profile still points to the old one.
- Different hours on Google and in your booking tool: the profile says “open on Monday”, the tool shows no slots.
- Several competing links with no clear main one.
- A form that is too long: name, phone, email, date, time and party size are enough.
Example: the ideal customer journey
On a Saturday at 11 pm, someone searches “brunch near me” on their phone. They see your profile, photos and reviews, tap “Book”, land on your booking page, pick Sunday 11 am for four, and leave their name and email. They get a confirmation straight away and a reminder the day before. You find the booking in your diary the next morning, without answering the phone and without paying commission. That is exactly what your profile’s button should do.
Track bookings from Google
Your Google profile statistics show clicks on your buttons; your booking tool shows actual bookings. Many clicks but few bookings usually means the booking page is too long or not mobile-friendly. Compare week by week rather than day by day: a single rainy Saturday tells you nothing, a trend over a month does. If you also keep a platform for discovery, note where each booking came from for a few weeks: you will quickly see which channel brings new guests and which one only takes a fee on regulars who would have booked directly anyway.
With Voxtya
Voxtya’s Bookings module gives you a booking page in your name (tables for restaurants, appointments with services and staff for salons), commission-free, with email confirmation and a reminder the day before. It costs €29/month (€23 billed yearly), or €49/month with the website. Details on the bookings feature page.
Want your Google “Book” button to bring direct bookings? Try Voxtya free for 30 days (card required, nothing charged before the trial ends).