You don’t need a website to get started on Google Maps. A Google Business Profile lets you add your business and its contact details. Customers can then find your location, check your hours, and see what you offer.
First, search for your business on Maps. If you find it, check whether you can claim the listing. If nothing comes up, you’ll need to set up a new one.
Here’s how to get started and what to check once your listing is ready.
Check for an Existing Listing
Before adding anything, search for your business name on Google Maps. Try your address too.
Your business might already have a listing, even if you didn’t create it.
If you find one, check whether someone on your team manages it. Ask before starting another profile. A former employee or agency may have set it up.
If the listing is unclaimed, follow the option to claim it. If someone else manages it, you may need to request access.
Can’t find your business? You can begin adding a new profile.
Use a Google account your business controls. You’ll need access later to change hours, reply to reviews, and update details.
If you’d like help, our Google Business Profile Services cover new listings and existing profiles. We also offer monthly management for businesses that need ongoing updates.
Choose Your Location Setup
Do people come to your shop or office? Do you visit them? Or do you do both?
Your answer affects how you set up the listing.
A shop needs an address customers can visit. A mobile repair business may need service areas instead.
If customers don’t visit your business address, keep it hidden from the public listing. Add the areas where you provide your service.
Businesses operating entirely online generally don’t qualify for a Google Business Profile. Having a mailing address doesn’t turn an online business into a customer-facing location.
Add Your Business Name
Enter the name you use on your signs and business materials.
Don’t turn the name field into an advertisement. Adding services, neighborhoods, or “best prices” can cause listing issues.
Think about someone who has seen your storefront. Would they recognize the same business on Maps?
Check the spelling before moving on. If your business has several branches, use the correct details for each location.
A branch’s phone number, hours, and photos should belong to that branch.
Select Categories and Services
The category should describe the business itself.
For example, a bakery should look for a bakery category. It shouldn’t choose restaurant simply because it sells a few sandwiches.
Start with your main activity. Then consider additional categories for other parts of the business.
Don’t add a category for a service you don’t offer.
Once you’ve chosen the category, check the service or product sections available. These let you explain more than the category name alone.
A repair business could list the types of repairs it handles. A salon could add its treatments. A shop could show selected products.
Call each service what your customers call it. “Screen repair” is fine. You don’t need a technical name.
Complete Setup and Verification
Google will ask for business information during the setup.
Have these details ready:
- Your business name
- Your category
- Your address or service areas
- Your customer contact number
- Your website
- Your opening hours
You may also need to verify the business. Google determines which verification options are available.
Follow the instructions shown in your account. If you’re asked for evidence, provide what Google requests.
Creating the profile and completing verification are separate parts of the process. Don’t assume the job is finished after entering your details.
Check Your Address and Map Pin
An address can be correct, but the arrival point can be wrong.
Imagine a customer driving to your building for the first time. They follow Maps and arrive beside a delivery entrance. Your reception is on the other side.
Now they have to call you or circle the building.
Check the map pin against the entrance customers actually use. Include your unit or floor in the address where appropriate.
Then test the directions on your phone.
If the location is difficult to recognize, add an entrance photo. A picture of the sign or lobby can save visitors another phone call.
Add Contact and Booking Details
Once someone decides to contact you, they shouldn’t have to search for another number. Use the number your customers should call. Check it yourself after the listing is live.
Does it reach the right person? Can someone answer during your listed hours?
Your website link needs the same attention. Open it from the profile and see where it takes you.
If you’ve added an appointment link, try booking on your phone. Check whether the form works and the correct location is selected.
Tell customers if they need an appointment before visiting. Don’t leave them to discover that at the door.
Set Your Opening Hours
What time can customers visit or call? Use those hours on your listing. If you close for lunch or finish earlier on weekends, include that too.
If visits are by appointment, tell people how to book before coming.
Holiday hours need a separate check. Update them before the holiday, while people are still making plans. A customer shouldn’t have to guess whether your usual hours still apply.
When the temporary schedule ends, reopen the listing. Make sure it shows the hours you’re now following.
Add Business Photos
You don’t need every picture to look like an advertisement.
Start with what someone needs to recognize your business:
- Your storefront and sign
- The entrance they should use
- Your reception or customer area
- Products you currently sell
- Examples of your own work
Take the photos in good light. Keep them clear enough to show useful details. An entrance picture is especially helpful inside a mall or large building.
For a service business, show the work customers can expect you to handle. Use your own completed projects, with permission where needed.
Request and Respond to Reviews
After a visit or completed job, ask for an honest review.
Keep the request simple. A direct review link saves customers from searching for the listing themselves.
Let them decide what to say. Don’t hand them a paragraph to copy.
You also shouldn’t ask for certain keywords or offer rewards for positive feedback. Avoid asking only the customers you expect to give five stars.
Base your reply on what the customer wrote. Did they thank someone on your team? Mention that person in your response.
For a complaint, respond to the issue without getting into an argument. Ask the customer to call or email if you need more details. Leave names, booking details, and anything from their records out of the public reply.
Review Your Public Listing
The editing screen doesn’t show you everything a customer experiences.
Open the public listing on your phone. Read it as if you’ve never heard of the business.
Can you quickly answer these questions?
- What does this business offer?
- Where is it?
- Is it open?
- Do I need to book?
- How do I contact someone?
Ask a colleague to check it too. They may notice something you’ve stopped seeing. Review suggested edits and anything that looks unfamiliar. If a detail has changed, compare it with your business records.
Manage Profile Updates
A profile gets outdated when everyone assumes someone else is handling it.
Assign someone to check the listing regularly. Make sure they know about the changes to hours, numbers, services, and locations.
They don’t need to rewrite everything each week. Only make changes when important details about your business has changed.
Track Calls, Clicks, and Directions
Profile views tell you someone saw the listing. They don’t tell you whether that person became a customer.
Look at the customer actions available in your performance reports. These may include calls, website clicks, and direction requests.
Compare them with your actual inquiries and bookings.
If calls drop, check the basics before guessing why. Is the number correct? Are the hours right? Has your schedule changed?
Ask your team what callers say. Customers might mention incorrect directions or ask about a service missing from the profile.
Your listing should answer the questions people ask before contacting you. Start there, and keep checking as your business changes.
