Set up your Google Business Profileand show up on Google Maps.

Check that your business is eligible

A Google Business Profile is free and is intended for businesses that meet customers face to face. This includes shops and offices that receive customers, service businesses that travel to customers, and hybrid businesses that do both. Online-only businesses, rental properties and virtual offices without staff and permanent signage are generally not eligible.

Good to know: Use a Google Account controlled by the business, not an employee's or agency's personal account. This prevents access problems later.

Search for an existing profile first

Search Google and Google Maps for your exact business name, phone number and address. Google may already have created a listing from public information or customer contributions. If you find an unclaimed listing, select “Own this business?” or “Claim this business” instead of creating another one. If somebody else manages it, request ownership through Google.

Good to know: Do not create a duplicate to avoid an ownership problem. Duplicate profiles can divide reviews, confuse customers and may be removed by Google.

Add or claim the profile

Sign in at business.google.com/add, choose “Add your business to Google,” and follow the prompts. Enter the real-world name used on your storefront, website, invoices and other business materials. Do not add a city, service, slogan, phone number or keywords unless they are genuinely part of the consistently displayed business name.

• Use one profile for each genuine, staffed business location.
• Use a direct local phone number and the most relevant page of your own website.
• Keep the name, address and phone number consistent wherever the business is listed online.

Choose the most accurate category

Select the single primary category that best describes the main business—not every service it offers. The primary category influences which profile features are available and which searches are relevant. Add only accurate secondary categories for important additional services. If the ideal wording is unavailable, choose Google’s closest existing category rather than inventing one.

Good to know: Example: a dental clinic should normally choose “Dentist” as its primary category and add relevant specialties as secondary categories only when those services are actually offered.

Set the correct location type

Choose the option that matches how customers interact with the business. A storefront can display its complete address only when customers are received there during the stated hours and the location has permanent business signage. Place the map pin on the actual entrance, especially when the address covers a large building or complex.

• Storefront: customers visit a staffed location with permanent signage.
• Service-area business: staff travel to customers; enter the real base address for verification but hide it from the public and define realistic service areas.
• Hybrid business: customers visit the staffed location and the business also travels or delivers to customers; show the address and add service areas.

Good to know: Do not use a P.O. box, remote mailbox or virtual office. A co-working location is eligible only when your business has clear signage, receives customers there and is staffed by your team during business hours.

Enter customer-facing details carefully

Add the phone number, website, regular opening hours and any special hours for holidays or temporary changes. Then complete the attributes Google offers for your category, such as accessibility, appointments, payments, amenities, delivery or on-site services. Accuracy matters more than filling every field.

• Link to a fast, mobile-friendly page that matches this location and service.
• Use the actual staffed or customer-service hours, not aspirational 24-hour availability.
• Add appointment, menu, booking or order links when those options are available and useful.

Prepare for verification

Google automatically determines the verification methods available for each business. You may be offered a video recording, phone or text, email, live video call or mail; sometimes more than one method is required. You cannot manually demand a method that Google does not offer. Avoid changing the name, address or category while verification is in progress because significant edits can trigger delays or re-verification.

Good to know: Never share a verification code with a caller or third party. Google states that it will not ask you for that code.

Record a successful verification video

If video recording is offered, plan one continuous, unedited recording of at least 30 seconds and capture it live from a mobile device through the profile. The video should prove the location, the existence of the business and your authority to manage it. Avoid faces and sensitive financial, tax or identity information.

• Location: show the street sign, building number, nearby businesses or recognisable surroundings.
• Business: show permanent storefront signage, products, work area, tools, branded equipment or a business vehicle, as appropriate.
• Management: unlock an employee-only area, operate the point-of-sale system, access business equipment or show a non-sensitive permit, invoice or utility bill matching the profile name.

Good to know: For a service-area business, show the neighbourhood around the registered base, work tools or branded materials, and evidence that you operate the business. Google says video review can take up to five business days.

Complete the profile after verification

A verified but incomplete profile is not finished. Add a concise description explaining what the business does, who it serves and what makes it useful. Add individual services or products with honest descriptions, and upload clear, recent images that help a customer understand the location and offering.

• Upload a recognisable logo and a strong cover image.
• Add exterior, entrance and interior photos so visitors know what to look for.
• Show the team, work process, products or completed services with permission.
• Avoid stock images, excessive text overlays and misleading edits.

Build reviews ethically

Ask real customers for an honest review using the profile’s review link or QR code. Make the request shortly after a completed purchase or service, and reply professionally to positive and negative feedback. Never buy reviews, offer rewards in exchange for reviews, ask only happy customers, or have staff and relatives post reviews without a genuine customer experience.

Good to know: A useful response acknowledges the customer, addresses the specific point raised and moves private account details to a direct conversation.

Understand how local visibility works

Creating a profile does not guarantee a top position. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. Complete and accurate information helps Google understand relevance; the searcher’s location affects distance; and reviews, reputation and links to the business can contribute to prominence. Nobody can pay Google or request a better organic local ranking.

• Keep the website’s contact and location information consistent with the profile.
• Create genuinely useful service and location content on the website.
• Earn mentions and links from relevant local organisations and trusted directories.
• Use Profile Performance to review calls, website clicks, directions and search activity where available.

Protect and maintain the profile

Treat the profile as an active business channel. Check it regularly for suggested edits, new reviews, questions, photo uploads and inaccurate information. Update holiday hours before customers need them, remove obsolete offers, and mark temporary or permanent closure accurately when necessary.

• Keep the primary owner account under business control and enable two-step verification.
• Give owner access sparingly; use manager access for people who only need day-to-day editing rights.
• Remove former employees and agencies promptly.
• Record the owner account, recovery details and profile URL in the company’s secure documentation.

Official references and video guidance

Use these resources while creating or troubleshooting the profile. Google can change its screens and verification flow, so its current Help pages should take priority over older screenshots or tutorials.

Good to know: Open links only while signed in to the Google Account that owns or manages the Business Profile when you need to take action.