How to set up a Google Business Profile and add your business to Maps — step by step

Setting up a Google Business Profile takes a quarter of an hour or so. Where people lose time and patience is in starting from the wrong place: a second profile for a business already on Maps, a name padded with "cheap" and a city name, or an address where nobody actually receives customers. This guide takes you through setup in an order that rules those mistakes out: check first, then prepare, set up, verify — and, separately, what to do when something isn't working.

The name first, since that's where most of the confusion starts: what you might be searching for as "Google My Business" has been called Google Business Profile since November 2021. The standalone app is gone, and you manage the profile directly in Search and in Maps. One profile covers both places — you don't add a business to Google and to Maps separately.

Every limit and deadline in this article comes from Google's own help pages, opened on 29 September 2026, with a link next to each one. Where Google doesn't give a figure, we say so directly instead of inserting a second-hand number.

Can your business have a Google Business Profile?

There's one condition, and Google states it plainly: to qualify for a Business Profile, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours (Google help — eligible businesses). An online-only shop won't get a profile, and neither will a brand with no place where a customer can actually reach it in person.

That doesn't mean the customer has to come to you. A plumber, a cleaning company or a mobile service meets that condition just as well — and can have a profile too. The difference is in what it shows:

• a business with premises customers visit gives an address, shown as a pin on the map;
• a service business that travels to customers removes the address and lists a service area instead — cities, postcodes or regions. Google allows up to 20 (Google help — service areas);
• a mixed business — premises plus travel — can give both.

The most common mistake here is a sole trader registered at a home address who lists that same address on the profile even though no customer is ever received there. Google's advice here is to remove the address and keep only the service area. This isn't about privacy; it's about the listing matching reality — and a listing that doesn't is exactly what Google suspends profiles for.

For the record: a Business Profile is free. Google answers the question directly on its product page: "Yes, creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free." Advertising is paid, but that's a separate, unrelated product.

Before you start: check whether a profile already exists

This is a step most guides skip, and it saves the most trouble. A business is often on Maps before its owner gets around to it: the listing might have been added by a customer, a former partner, an old agency, or Google itself, from public data.

Google is clear: you can have only one Business Profile for each business — more than one can confuse customers and isn't allowed under Google's guidelines (Google help — duplicates).

Creating a second listing instead of taking over the existing one leaves two entries, neither working properly, and untangling them takes longer than a takeover would have.

How to check: type your business name into Google Maps and Search, then start the setup wizard anyway — as you type, Google suggests existing businesses. If yours is on the list, select it instead of creating a new one.

If someone else already manages the profile, request access from within the wizard. The current profile owner is then notified by email and has 3 days to respond; if you don't get a response after 3 days, you may have the option to claim the profile (Google help — requesting access). It's worth knowing, because this route resolves the most common case: a profile set up years ago by a former employee or web developer.

What to prepare before you set up your profile

Google doesn't require these in advance, but preparing them beforehand shortens the process and saves backtracking in the wizard.

A Google account. Ideally a business one, not a personal one. You can add other people later as managers — but whoever owns the account owns the profile.

Your business name — exactly as it is in real life. The same one that's on the sign, on invoices and in the register. Google is categorical here: "Including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted, and could result in the suspension of your Business Profile" (guidelines for representing your business). Adding a service, a city or a slogan to the name is the most common reason for suspensions — and for competitor reports.

Primary category. You pick it from Google's own list — you can't create your own categories. Google's advice: choose the one that best describes the business as a whole, and add extra categories if you run more than one type of activity. Google's own example: "If you have a grocery store with a bakery and deli, select 'Grocery store' as your primary category, then add 'Bakery' and 'Deli' as additional categories" (Google help — categories).

Address or service area — per the rules above.

A phone number actually answered during business hours. A "Call" button appears on the profile, so a number given "just in case" turns into missed calls.

Opening hours, including holidays. This is the one field where getting it wrong does more damage than a blank: the customer shows up at a locked door.

Photos, if you have them ready. Google's requirements: format JPG or PNG; size between 10 KB and 5 MB; recommended resolution 720 px tall, 720 px wide; minimum resolution 250 px tall, 250 px wide (Google help — photos). A photo should be sharp, well lit, and free of heavy edits or filters.

How to add your business to Google and Maps — step by step

With those details ready, setup itself takes a quarter of an hour or so.

Step 1. Open the setup wizard. Go to business.google.com/create and sign in with the account that should own the profile.

Step 2. Enter your business name. If Google suggests an existing listing, select it — this is the moment a second profile either gets created, or doesn't.

Step 3. Choose your primary category. Start typing and Google shows matching entries. You can add extra categories later.

Step 4. Address or service area. Google asks whether customers can visit the business. Answering "no" leads to choosing a service area — the 20-entry limit applies here. Don't stretch it to cover an entire region "just in case": it should reflect where you actually work.

Step 5. Contact details. Phone number and website link, if you have one. No website yet? That doesn't block setup — you can add the link later.

Step 6. Verification. The wizard offers the methods available for your business — covered separately below, since this is the stage where setup most often stalls.

Step 7. Fill in the profile. Hours, description, photos, services — you can do this while verification is still in progress.

From this point you manage the profile in Search — by typing the business name while signed in as the owner — or in the Google Maps app. As Google states, changes can take up to 3 days to appear (Google help — profile visibility).

Google Business Profile verification — methods and timelines

Without verification, the profile isn't fully yours: you don't manage it or have access to every feature. Google offers several methods, but not every one is available to every business — the wizard shows only the ones fitting the type of business, its location and the profile's history (Google help — verification).

• Phone or text — a code arrives at the business number. The fastest route, when it's available.
• Email — instructions arrive at the address shown on the verification screen.
• Live video call — Google recommends it if the business qualifies. It's only available during opening hours; during the call you need to be on site, show the location (exterior signage, neighbouring businesses, a street-name sign) and show something that proves you manage the business.
• Postcard — a code arrives by post at the business address. According to Google, most codes arrive within 14 days, and verification codes expire after 30 days. Google asks you not to request a new code in the meantime — each request invalidates the one already sent — and not to change the name, address or category on the profile, since that stops the code already in the post from working.
• Instant verification — if the business website is already verified in Google Search Console on the same account, the profile can be confirmed right away. Most guides skip it, though it's often the simplest.
• Bulk verification — for multi-location businesses.

After verification, Google still reviews the details: this can take up to 5 business days, and in rare cases longer. Don't set up the profile again in the meantime — a second listing for the same business is a duplicate, not a shortcut.

One note: older guides treat the postcard as the default route. Today it's one of several — the slowest, and not available to everyone. If the wizard offers phone, email or video, pick one of those instead.

The first few days after verification

A verified profile lets customers find you — it doesn't guarantee they'll find you right away. Google states directly that rankings for new businesses can take up to a month to appear in search results (Google help — profile visibility). If your profile still isn't showing for your own searches after a week, that isn't a problem to fix yet.

Use this time to fill in the profile: to a customer, an empty profile and a complete one look like two different businesses.

• opening hours, including holidays and closures;
• a business description: what you do and for whom — specific, no filler;
• services or products, with prices where possible — visible without a visit to the website;
• photos: logo, interior, entrance, work in progress — publishing can take up to 48 hours;
• a website link, if you have one.

The profile also lets you publish posts — updates, offers, events. Google states that posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set (Google help — posts). The claim circulating in some guides — that a post "disappears after 7 days" — has no confirmation in Google's documentation.

One thing you won't find any more: as of 31 July 2024, the chat and call history features are no longer available in your Business Profile (Google help — chat shutdown). Plenty of older instructions still tell you to turn them on.

When your profile isn't working — the most common problems

This part usually gets read in a hurry, so straight to it: symptom, Google's stated cause, what to do.

Your profile isn't showing up in results

Check three things before assuming something's broken:

1. Is it verified? An unverified profile isn't fully visible.
2. How much time has passed? A new business — up to a month. A recent data change — up to 3 days.
3. Is it suspended? Google states that "if your Business Profile violates our guidelines, it becomes disabled or suspended and won't show to other users on Google until you resolve the issue" (Google help — profile visibility). A suspension notice appears in the profile dashboard.

If the profile is verified, active and months old, but still isn't showing for searches it should, that's no longer a fault — it's a ranking question. We cover that in our article on ranking a Google Business Profile.

The verification code never arrived

With a postcard, wait 14 days before requesting a new code — a new request invalidates the one already on its way. If it hasn't arrived, check that the address on the profile matches the one on your letterbox exactly, including the flat or unit number. With phone or email, check that the number and address are current. If the wizard offers another method, use it.

Someone else has access to your business's profile

Request access from within the wizard. The current owner has 3 days to respond; if they don't, you may be able to continue the takeover (Google help — requesting access). Before you start, check whether someone on the team or a former agency is already running it — a handover is faster.

Your business has two profiles

One profile per business is a rule, not a recommendation. Report a duplicate for merging in Google Maps; Google reviews every merge request. When 2 profiles are merged, their reviews are combined, but replies to reviews may be lost. Deleting a duplicate instead of merging it wipes out its content and managers (Google help — duplicates). If it has reviews, report a merge — don't delete it.

Your Google Business Profile has been suspended

Google publishes the reasons for suspensions and restrictions (Google help — policies and restrictions). The most common ones in practice for small businesses:

• the business doesn't exist at the address given, or the address is a P.O. Box — "Businesses with a P.O. Box address aren't permitted on Google Business Profile. Merchants that set their business address at a P.O. Box will have their profile suspended";
• unnecessary information in the name — keywords, a city, a slogan;
• changes that significantly alter the business — a common fraud signal to Google;
• the owner's Google account is disabled, suspended or deleted;
• the profile has gone unused for a long time.

Fix whatever breaks the guidelines first, then file an appeal. The appeal goes through a form in the profile dashboard, with evidence that the business exists at the stated address: photos of signage, registration documents, bills. Once you open the evidence form, you must submit it within 60 minutes or it won't be attached to your appeal, so prepare the files first (Google help — appeals).

How long the appeal takes to review — Google doesn't say. It says only that it will review the appeal and email you its decision. Don't trust anyone who promises to have your profile restored by a set date.

Five mistakes that cost the most

All of these follow directly from Google's rules, not from opinion — breaking them ends in suspension, or a profile that doesn't work the way it should.

1. Keywords in the business name. "Miller Renovations — cheap bathroom renovations near you" isn't a name, it's a search phrase. Google prohibits unnecessary information in the name and ties it directly to suspension. The temptation is strong, because the name looks like the most powerful field on the profile — which is exactly why it's the most common reason for competitor reports.

2. A second profile instead of a takeover. One business, one profile. Two listings split reviews and search visibility, and sorting it out takes longer than a takeover would have.

3. A home address for a mobile service. If you don't receive customers at the business address, remove it and give a service area instead. An address nobody visits is one of the reasons profiles get suspended.

4. A service area padded out "just in case". The limit is 20 entries, but filling all of them doesn't extend your reach — it should reflect where you actually work.

5. Hours nobody keeps up to date. A customer who shows up at a locked door usually leaves a review — and not one about the hours.

What's next

A profile that's set up and verified is necessary, not sufficient. What actually decides its position in local results — what Google states directly, and what circulates in the industry without a source — is covered in our article on ranking a Google Business Profile. How to ask customers for reviews within the rules, and what to do about a fake one, is in our guide to Google reviews; the whole topic is pulled together in our guide to Google Business Profile.

If you've been using the free website Google used to generate from a profile, also read what happened to the free Google website — the service was shut down in 2024.