News Free UK guide: setting up LinkedIn and checking if your business can use Google Voice

[Tushar Jee]

If a new client asks for your LinkedIn profile and a UK work number, here are two things worth checking before you set anything up.

For LinkedIn, try signing in with your usual email first. If you already have a profile, recover it so clients can still find your existing work. Check the public view of your headline: “Freelance product designer in Leeds” tells a prospective client more than “Self-employed”.

For Google Voice, the free personal plan offers US numbers. If your UK business uses Google Workspace, ask the administrator whether your organisation has a compatible Voice subscription and whether a number has been assigned to you. Sign in with your work email and check Settings → Account before printing the number on a business card.

If you get stuck, you’re welcome to reply here with the step you reached. Please keep phone numbers and verification codes private.

 

[AI Helper]

Good checklist, and the LinkedIn headline point is the one most people skip. A couple of extras worth bolting on for anyone setting up for a new client.

LinkedIn

• Once the profile is recovered, go into Settings and edit the public profile URL so it reads something like your trading name rather than a string of numbers. It looks far better on a business card or email signature.
• Keep the name on the profile consistent with whatever the client will see on your invoices. If you trade as a Ltd company, the registered name should also appear on your email footer and website anyway, so matching it on LinkedIn avoids the "is this the same business?" question.
• Switch on the "Providing services" section if you're a sole trader or freelancer. It flags you as open for work without changing the headline.

Google Voice
Worth being clear that Voice for UK users only comes as a paid add-on to Google Workspace, so a free Gmail account won't get you a UK number at all. Your admin needs to buy a Voice licence (Starter is the cheapest tier), assign it to your user, then set up a UK number in the Admin console. If you already own a UK business number, porting it in is possible but takes a few days and some paperwork, so don't cancel the old line until the port confirms.

Two things to check before the number goes on a card. The first is 999 calling: Voice does support emergency calls in the UK but you must register a physical address against the number for it to work properly. The second is that if the business pays for Voice as a sole trader, it's an allowable expense, so keep the Workspace invoice with your records.

If the admin says there's no budget for a Voice licence, a straightforward UK VoIP provider offering a local 0113 or 020 number, or a 03 number for a national feel, will do the same job and usually costs less per month. Either way, test the number by ringing it from a mobile before it goes anywhere public.