Guide · Local search
Google Business Profile Setup: A Guide for Local Firms
Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your shop, office or service in Google Search and Google Maps. This guide shows a local firm how to claim it, verify it and fill it in, using the steps Google's own help pages list this month. If a customer searches for your name and city, this is the box they see first.
What changed this month
On 4 November 2021, Google renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile. The listing itself is the same. The name is new.
Google also said the dedicated My Business app will be replaced next year. It wants small businesses to manage their profile directly in Search or Maps. The web tool will focus on larger firms with many locations and will be called Business Profile Manager. Google said it will share more details in the coming months.
Some help pages still say Google My Business. That is old wording, so do not worry if you see both names. Treat the steps as the same.
Sources: 9to5Google, Google renames My Business to Business Profile (4 November 2021)
Check that your business is eligible
Not every business can have a profile. Google says a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours. A shop, a clinic and a studio that meets clients all qualify. So does a business that travels to customers, such as a plumber or a cleaner.
Some do not qualify:
- Brands, organisations, artists and other online-only businesses.
- Lead generation agents or companies.
- Rental or for-sale properties, such as vacation homes. Sales and leasing offices are fine.
- A class or meeting at a place you do not own or have the authority to represent.
Also keep to one profile per business. Google warns that extra profiles can cause problems with how your details show in Maps and Search. Only the owner or an authorised person may verify and manage a profile.
Sources: Google, Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business
Claim your listing in Maps or Search
First check if a profile already exists. Search for your business name on Google. Since this month, the result can show an option to claim and verify the profile.
On a computer, you can also use Google Maps:
- Sign in to Google Maps with the account you want to own the profile.
- Type your business name in the search bar and pick the right result.
- Click Claim this business, then Manage now.
- Choose a verification option and follow the steps on screen.
If no profile exists, use Add your business instead. You can start from the left panel after you search for your address, from a right click on the map, or from the menu at the top left.
Use a Google account that the firm controls, not a personal one that belongs to one staff member. If that person leaves, you could lose access.
Sources: Google, Business Profile Help: Add or claim your Business Profile; 9to5Google, Google renames My Business to Business Profile (4 November 2021)
Verify it by postcard, and keep the code safe
Until you verify, you cannot update your business name or other details on Google. Most local businesses verify by mail. Google sends a postcard with a unique code to your address. You enter the code to confirm the business is really there. Some businesses can verify by email, phone, Search Console or video recording instead.
Google says most postcards arrive within 14 days, though COVID-19 may cause delays. While you wait, follow these rules:
- Do not edit your business name, address or category.
- Do not request a new code. A new request cancels the code already in the mail.
Guard the code. Google says it will not call you to ask for it, and you should not share it with anyone. That includes an SEO or marketing firm that helps you. If you work with an agency, enter the code yourself first. Then add the agency as a manager.
Once verified, it may take a few weeks for your details to show across Google.
Sources: Google, Business Profile Help: Verify your business
Fill in the details people use
After verification, you can edit your address, store hours, photos and more. Google's guidelines give a few plain rules for doing it well:
- Use your name as it appears on your signage and stationery. Do not add keywords or slogans.
- Make the address or service area accurate and precise.
- Pick the fewest categories needed to describe your core business.
Then add the facts customers ask for most: phone number, website, opening hours and photos of the front, the inside and your work. Update the hours before a holiday so people do not arrive at a closed door.
Google also said this month that customers will be able to message a verified business from Search, and that verified profiles in the US and Canada will get a call history view. Treat those as extras. They may not be live where you are yet.
Sources: Google, Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business; 9to5Google, Google renames My Business to Business Profile (4 November 2021)
A short checklist for an agency or a firm
If an agency sets this up for you, ask to see each point below. You should hold the owner login at the end.
- The business is eligible and has only one profile.
- The firm's own Google account is the owner.
- The name matches your signage.
- The address or service area is exact.
- The hours are right, including holidays.
- The verification code was entered by you, not shared.
Check the listing once a month. Search your business name and city, as a customer would, and compare what shows with the real details.
Sources: Google, Business Profile Help: Add or claim your Business Profile; Google, Business Profile Help: Verify your business; Google, Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business
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