How to set up a Google Business Profile
It is free and takes an afternoon. The slow part is verification, and one wrong edit while you wait can restart it.
Short answer: go to business.google.com/add, choose "Add your business to Google," enter your business details, then pick a verification option and finish it. Google says adding or claiming a profile is free. Until you verify, the profile does not do its job.
Check first whether Google already has a listing for you. Search your business name and city in Google Maps. If it is there and nobody has verified it, you claim it instead of creating a second one. Two profiles for one business is the classic way to end up with a mess later.
Most of the trouble comes after the form. Verification methods differ by business, Google chooses which ones you are offered, and some of them punish you for editing the profile while you wait.
At a glance
Search Maps before you create anything
Look up your business name and city. If a listing exists and nobody has verified it, select Claim this business, then Manage now. If someone else has already verified it, you request ownership instead, and the current owner has three days to answer.
Use the name on your sign
Google wants the name your customers see in the real world. Taglines, keywords, a city, hours, a phone number or a list of services in the name are not allowed, and the extra words are one of the usual reasons a profile later gets suspended.
Do not edit while a postcard is in the mail
If you verify by postcard, Google says the five-digit code usually arrives within 14 days and expires after 30. Leave the name, address and category alone in that window, and do not request a second code, because that cancels the one already on its way.
Know which options you will be offered
Google decides which verification methods you see, and you cannot change them. They can include a video recording, a live video call, a phone call or text, an email or a postcard, depending on the business.
The steps, in order
Sign in to the Google account you want to own the profile. Use one the business controls, not a staff member's personal address, because losing access to the verifying account is hard to undo. Then open business.google.com/add, enter the business name, choose the category that describes the main thing you do, and add your address or, if you travel to customers, your service area.
Pick a verification option and complete it. Google says the review can take up to five business days and occasionally longer. In some cases verification is instant, for example if you have already verified your website in Search Console.
Who is allowed to have a profile
Google restricts profiles to businesses that meet its eligibility guidelines: a physical location customers can visit, or a business that travels to customers. A virtual office does not qualify, and a P.O. box or remote mailbox is not an acceptable address. A business that works from home or on the road follows the service-area rules, which are covered on their own page.
What to do once you are verified
Fill in hours, phone, website and services, then add real photos. That is the start of the work, not the end of it. How to turn the profile into customers is a separate question, with its own page.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, Add or claim your Business Profile on Google
- Google Business Profile Help, Verify your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help, Request ownership of a Business Profile
How to set up a Google Business Profile: common questions
Does it cost anything to add my business to Google?
No. Google's help page says adding or claiming a Business Profile is free.
What if the postcard never arrives?
Google says the code usually arrives within 14 days and expires after 30. If it does not turn up, try another verification option if one is offered, or contact Business Profile support. Do not keep requesting new codes, because each request invalidates the last.
Someone else already verified my business. What now?
Request ownership from the profile. The current owner is emailed and has three days to respond. If they deny it, you can appeal or suggest an edit. If nobody responds, you may be able to claim it, though Google notes that option is not always available.
Can I use the same profile for two locations?
No. Google's guidelines allow one profile per location. Separate locations with their own staff each get their own profile, and one location should not carry several profiles for different services.
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