Local By Lui Nobrega · Jun 23, 2026 · Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 6 min read

How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is the box that shows up when someone searches for your name, and the pin they tap on Google Maps. It is free. Most businesses set it up halfway and then forget about it. Here is the whole job, step by step, with Google's own help pages linked along the way.

Before you start

Gather these first. Then you can do the setup in one sitting.

  1. A Google Account. If you have a business email address, use it. See: Create a Google Account (opens in a new tab)
  2. Your business name, exactly as it appears on your sign, your website and your paperwork.
  3. Your street address, if customers come to you. Or the towns and zip codes you serve, if you go to them.
  4. The phone number that reaches this location, and your website address.
  5. Your regular opening hours for every day of the week.
  6. A few real photos of your place, your team and your work.

Step 1: Find or claim your profile

Google may already have a listing for you, built from public information. Check before you make a new one. Two profiles for the same business cause trouble.

  1. Search Google for your business name and your town. See: Find your business on Google (opens in a new tab)
  2. If your listing shows up with a "Claim this business" button, select it, then "Manage now", and follow the steps on screen. See: Add or claim your Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
  3. If someone else already verified it, ask for ownership. Google emails the current owner, who has 3 days to answer. See: Request ownership of a Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
  4. If nothing shows up, add your business as a new profile. See: Google Business Profile (opens in a new tab)

Step 2: Enter the basics

Google walks you through a short form. Get these right the first time. Changing your name after you are verified can mean verifying all over again.

  1. Sign in to your Google Account and start a new profile. See: Sign up for Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
  2. Type your business name the way it appears on your sign. Do not add your town, your services or a slogan. Google can suspend profiles that do. See: Guidelines for representing your business on Google (opens in a new tab)
  3. Pick the category that best matches your main business. Be specific. You can add up to 9 more categories later. See: Manage your business category (opens in a new tab)
  4. Say whether customers can visit you. If you have a shop or office that is staffed during business hours, enter the address. If you go to your customers, choose No and list up to 20 towns or zip codes you serve. See: Manage your service areas (opens in a new tab)
  5. Add your phone number and your website. Use the number that reaches this location, not a call center.
  6. Select Finish. Google then asks you to verify.

Step 3: Verify that it is yours

Until it is verified, you cannot edit your business details or interact with customers, and your photos and videos do not show. Verified profiles are also more likely to show up in local results. Google picks the verification method for you, based on your type of business, your location and your hours. You cannot change it. Some businesses have to verify more than one way.

  1. Open your profile and select "Get verified".
  2. Use one of the options Google shows you. It can be a short video of your business, a code by phone call or text, an email, or a live video call with a Google support rep. A postcard by mail is only offered to some businesses.
  3. If video is one of your options, Google recommends it. Record one unbroken take of at least 30 seconds on your phone. For a shop or office, show the street outside, your sign with your business name, and something only staff can reach, like the cash register or the storage room. If you go to your customers, the help page lists what to show instead. See: Verify your business with a video recording (opens in a new tab)
  4. Wait for the review. It takes up to 5 business days. You get an email when you are verified. See: Verify your business on Google (opens in a new tab)

Step 4: Fill in everything

Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results. Empty fields hurt you. So do not stop at the basics.

  1. Open your profile and select "Edit profile". See: Edit your Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
  2. Set your hours for every day you are open, and mark the days you are closed.
  3. Write a short description of what you offer, who you serve and how long you have been at it. Leave out links and sale offers. Google does not allow them there.
  4. Add your services or your menu, if your category offers it.
  5. Turn on the attributes that fit, like Wi-Fi or outdoor seating. See: Manage your business attributes (opens in a new tab)

Step 5: Add real photos

Add photos of your actual place, your real team, and your real work. Not stock photos. Google asks for photos that show reality, so skip heavy filters and AI edits.

  1. Add your logo and a cover photo first.
  2. Add at least three outside photos, taken from each direction people arrive from. They help customers recognize your door.
  3. Add at least three inside photos, and at least three of your products or your work.
  4. Use JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB. Google recommends 720 by 720 pixels.
  5. Add a few new ones every month so the listing looks alive instead of abandoned.

Helpful links

Step 6: Keep it current

This is the one most businesses get wrong. Someone who drives to a closed shop leaves a bad review. A profile is not a one-time job.

  1. Set special hours before every holiday, and for any day you close early. Google suggests confirming holiday hours even when they do not change. See: How to set Special hours (opens in a new tab)
  2. Post an update, an offer or an event now and then. A post can carry a photo and a button that links to your website. See: Create and manage posts on your Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
  3. Ask every customer for a review with your review link or QR code, not only the ones you expect to be happy. Never offer anything in return. Google does not allow either. See: Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews (opens in a new tab)
  4. Reply to every review, the good ones and the bad ones. See: How to Answer Reviews the Right Way
  5. Look over your profile once a month. Other people can suggest edits, so make sure your details are still right.

Common questions

Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?

No. Adding or claiming your profile is free. Google says it will never ask for payment to keep your business on Google, so a caller who asks for money is not Google.

Can I choose how Google verifies my business?

No. Google decides which methods you see, based on your type of business, your location and your hours. If video is one of them, Google recommends it. The review takes up to 5 business days.

Can I have a profile if I work from home or go to my customers?

Yes. Set it up as a service-area business. Google requires you to hide your address if customers do not come to you. Then list the towns or zip codes you serve, up to 20.

Sources and further reading

The takeaway

Find or claim your listing, enter the basics with care, verify it the way Google asks, then fill in every field and keep your hours right. That is most of the work.

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