Google Business Profile: how to set it up

Short answer

A Google Business Profile is free. You create it at business.google.com/add, fill in name, category, address or service area and contact details, and verify that the business is yours.

You cannot choose how you verify. Google decides which methods you get, and the review takes up to five working days.

Before you start

First check whether the business is already on Google. Search for the business name and the place in Google Maps. If there is a profile that nobody has claimed, choose “Claim this business” and then “Manage now”. That way you do not end up with two profiles for the same business.

Have this ready before you begin:

A Google account that the business itself owns and has the password to
The business name, written as it actually is
The address customers come to, or the area you serve if you travel to your customers
Phone number and web address
Opening hours and some photos of the premises, the products or your work

Step by step

Go to business.google.com/add and choose “Add your business to Google”.
Enter the business name, and choose the category that best describes the main thing you offer.
Give the address if customers come to you. If you travel to your customers, give the area you serve instead.
Add phone number and website.
Choose one of the verification methods Google offers, and follow the instructions on the screen.
Fill in the rest while you wait: opening hours, a short description and photos.

Google guides you through the questions on the screen, so the order may be slightly different for you.

How to verify the business

Verification is Google's way of checking that the business exists, and that you are the one running it. The methods are decided automatically, based on things like the type of business, the location and what is already known about the business. Some have to verify with more than one method.

Method	How it works	Worth knowing
Phone or text	You get a code on the business phone number and enter it in the profile.	An automated switchboard with menu options cannot receive the code.
Email	You get an email and follow the steps in it.	Use an address you actually have access to.
Video recording	You film the business and upload the recording.	Google recommends this method if you are offered it.
Live video call	A Google employee looks at the business with you over video.	Only at set times, and you have to be at the location.
Postcard	Google sends a five-digit code by post to the business address.	Most arrive within 14 days, and the code expires after 30 days. Not offered to everyone.

The review takes up to five working days, in rare cases longer. You get an email when the profile is verified.

If you are waiting for a postcard, do not change the name, address or category in the meantime. The code will then not work. Do not ask for a new code either, because that makes the first one invalid.

When the profile is verified

Now customers can find you in Google Search and Google Maps, and you control what is shown. Spend fifteen minutes finishing the profile:

Add opening hours, including for public holidays
Write a short description of what you offer, and for whom
Upload your own photos, not stock photos
Link to the website, and to online booking if you have it
Ask happy customers for a review, and reply to the ones you get

Common mistakes

Two profiles for the same business, because nobody checked whether one already existed
The profile sits on an employee's private Google account, and the business loses access when that person leaves
The business name is stuffed with search terms instead of what the business is actually called
Name, address or category is changed while the postcard is on its way
The opening hours are not updated for holidays and public holidays

Common questions

Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?

No. It is free to add the business or to claim a profile that already exists.

How long does verification take?

The review takes up to five working days, in rare cases longer. A postcard takes longest, because the code first has to arrive by post. Most arrive within 14 days.

Can I choose how I verify the business?

No. Google decides which methods you get. If several are shown, you can try another one if the first does not go through.

The business is already on Google Maps. What do I do?

Find the business in Google Maps and choose “Claim this business”. Do not create a new profile next to it.

Can someone else set up the profile for me?

Yes, but you have to do the verification yourself, because the code or the video has to come from the business. Afterwards you can give others access to manage the profile.

How to set up a Google Business Profile