Go to business.google.com/add, select "Add your business to Google", enter your details and pick a verification option. Google says "you can add or claim your business at no charge." Your profile shows on Search and Maps only after you add it and also verify it.
Can my business have a profile?
Yes, if customers can visit you or you go to them. Google's rule: "If your business either has a physical location that customers can visit, or travels to customers where they are, you can create a Business Profile."
A P.O. box doesn't count. Google says "P.O. boxes or mailboxes located at remote locations aren't acceptable."
Each business gets one profile. Google says "There should only be one profile per business." Before you start, search Google Maps for your business name. If a listing already exists, claim it instead of making a second one. If you already have two, see how to fix a duplicate profile.
What should I have ready before I start?
You need about 10 minutes and these details:
- Your business name, exactly as it appears on your signboard. Google's rule is that "Your name should reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery". See the name rules.
- One primary category, chosen in advance. See how to choose a category or use the free category finder.
- Your address, written as it is on a utility bill or shop licence. If customers don't come to you, have a list of the areas you serve instead.
- A phone number that someone answers during your hours, and your website if you have one.
- Your regular hours. Google asks you to "Provide your regular customer-facing hours of operation".
- A Google account that you, the owner, control. Don't use your agency's account or a relative's account. The account that creates the profile becomes its owner. You can add managers later.
The 7 steps
- Open business.google.com/add on a computer or phone. Sign in with the owner's Google account.
- Type your business name. If Google suggests an existing listing with your name, stop and claim that listing.
- Choose your primary category.
- Google asks if customers can visit a location. Answer Yes to add your address and place the map pin. Answer No if they can't. You then become a service-area business, and your address stays hidden.
- If you also travel to customers, add your service areas.
- Add your phone number and website.
- Choose a verification option and complete it. See how to verify your profile.
The wording on each screen changes a little by device and country. This order is the usual one, based on our experience with Google Business Profile.
Do you have a shop with a counter, or do you work at the customer's place?
| How you serve customers | What to do |
|---|---|
| Customers come to you | Show your address |
| You go to customers (plumber, home tutor, AC repair) | Hide your address and add service areas |
| Both (a salon that also does bridal makeup at home) | Show your address and add service areas |
If you only serve customers at their location, Google requires you to hide your address.
What happens after verification?
Your business doesn't appear right away. Google says "Rankings for new businesses can take up to a month to appear in search results", and edits can take up to 3 days to appear.
Use that time to complete the rest of your profile: description, photos, hours and special hours. These guides help:
Common mistakes that cause trouble later
These mistakes come from our experience with Google Business Profile:
- Keywords or a city name added to the business name. This can get your profile suspended.
- Creating the profile with an employee's or agency's Gmail. If that person leaves, you can lose access.
- Showing your home address for a home-based service business. Hide it and add service areas.
- Creating a second profile because you lost the password for the first. This makes a duplicate. Claim the original profile instead.
Worked example (illustrative)
Meera runs "Meera's Tiffin Service" in Indore. She cooks at home and delivers lunch boxes to offices in Vijay Nagar and Palasia. No customers visit her.
- She signs in with her own Gmail.
- She searches for her business name. Nothing comes up, so she continues.
- She uses the free category finder and picks the closest meal-delivery category.
- She answers No when Google asks if customers visit.
- She adds Vijay Nagar and Palasia as service areas.
- She adds her mobile number, which also has WhatsApp. She has no website, so she skips that field.
- She picks the verification option that Google offers her.
Her home address stays hidden. If she later opens a counter where people can collect their food, she turns the address on.
Free website from your profile
FAQ
- Is a Google Business Profile free?
- Yes. Google lets you add your business "at no charge". Google Ads is a separate paid product.
- Can I create a profile without an address?
- Yes, if you serve customers at their location. Hide your address and add service areas, as Google's rules require.
- Can I create it from my phone?
- Yes. The business.google.com/add page works in a phone browser. The Google Maps app also has an option to add a business.
- I created my profile, but it doesn't show on Maps. Why?
- First, complete verification. After that, new businesses can take up to a month to rank. See why your profile isn't showing on Maps.
- My business already shows on Maps, but I never created it. What do I do?
- Claim the existing listing. Don't create a new one. See how to request ownership.
- Can someone else create the profile for me?
- They can, but the profile should be under your own account. Create it yourself, then add the other person as a manager.
After verification, fill the profile in one sitting
With Reach
Reach by Locus doesn't create or verify profiles. You do that step directly with Google. After verification, connect your profile to Reach.
The Reach dashboard scores your profile out of 100. It also lists what's missing, such as a cover photo, description, services, recent posts or unanswered reviews.
On the Presence page, you can add the missing details: description, additional categories, regular and special hours, attributes, services, service areas, phone numbers, links, logo, cover and photos. Reach saves them to Google, then shows which fields Google applied.