Google Business Profile Setup: Claim, Verify and Complete Your Listing

When someone searches for a plumber, a cafe or a dentist near them, Google often shows a panel with a name, opening hours, a phone number, photos and reviews. That panel is usually a Google Business Profile. It is free, it lives outside your website, and you control much of what it says once you have claimed and verified it. Without a claimed profile, customers see whatever Google has gathered from other sources.

This guide walks a business owner through the whole job: checking that you are eligible, claiming or creating the profile, verifying it, filling in each field to Google's guidelines, choosing categories, adding photos and keeping it current. Google's screens change often, so follow the current on-screen prompts where they differ from the button names below. A complete, accurate Google Business Profile can help customers find and contact you; it does not secure any place in map results.

Short answer: To set up a Google Business Profile, confirm your business is eligible, go to business.google.com/add (or claim an existing listing from Google Maps), enter accurate details, complete the verification method Google offers, then add hours, categories, a description and photos. Keep the information current and follow Google's guidelines.

Before you begin

Gather these before you start:

A Google Account the business controls. Avoid tying the profile to one employee's personal account, so access survives staff changes.
The business name exactly as it appears on your signage, website and invoices.
A precise street address, or, for a business that travels to customers, the area you serve and a way to receive verification.
A phone number you answer, or an email address Google can send to, since several verification methods use them.
Opening hours, a website address and a few clear photos.

Set aside about an hour, plus waiting time for verification. Errors in the name or address can cause trouble later, and Google reviews changes before they go live. Google's guidelines say to create only one profile per location.

Who can have a Google Business Profile?

Google says only eligible businesses can add or claim a location, that Business Profiles are not for online-only businesses, and that eligibility requires face-to-face contact with customers. A shop, clinic or restaurant where customers come to you qualifies, as can a service-area business that visits customers. An online shop with no in-person contact does not.

Some addresses are excluded too. P.O. boxes and remote mailboxes are not acceptable. Virtual offices are not eligible. A co-working space office qualifies only if it has clear signage, in-person service during business hours and your own staff on site. If your situation is borderline, read the current guidelines on Google's page for representing your business before you submit.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Check whether a profile already exists

Search Google Maps for your business name and city. If a listing exists and is not yet verified, you can claim it. If it already has a verified owner, you cannot claim it directly. Google's page says you can request ownership from the current owner if you are authorised to manage the business, and links to a separate article on that process. If nothing exists, you add a new business.

This check avoids duplicates, which split reviews and information.

What success looks like: You know whether you are adding a new profile, claiming an unverified one or requesting ownership of a verified one.

Step 2: Add or claim the business

To add a new profile, go to business.google.com/add, choose to add your business, and follow the on-screen instructions. To claim an unverified listing on a computer, open Google Maps, search for the business, choose "Claim this business" and then "Manage now". On the Maps mobile app, open the listing, tap About, then "Claim this business" and "Manage now". Adding or claiming is free.

Enter the name, address or service area and contact details following the rules in Step 4, then choose a verification option.

What success looks like: The profile appears in your Business Profile manager, marked as needing verification.

Step 3: Verify the profile

Google chooses which verification methods you are offered; you cannot change them, and some businesses need more than one. The methods described on Google's verification page are:

Method	How it works	Notes from Google
Phone or text	You receive a code and enter it on the profile	Automated phone systems cannot receive the code
Email	You follow steps in an email sent to an address you can access	Google decides who is offered it
Live video call	A support representative guides you while you show your location and proof you manage the business	Not available to all businesses; only during your business hours
Postcard	Google mails a 5-digit code to the business address	Not available to all businesses; usually arrives within 14 days; code expires after 30 days
Video recording	You follow the on-screen instructions	Google recommends it if your business is eligible

Verification can be instant for businesses that verify through Search Console website verification or bulk verification. After you finish, review can take up to 5 business days, occasionally longer.

Three cautions from Google's page. While you wait for a postcard, do not edit your business name, address or category, and do not request a new code, or the mailed code may stop working. Keep the code private: Google never asks for it, and you should not share it even with people who help manage your profile. And you must sign in to the account associated with the profile to find it.

What success looks like: The profile shows as verified and the status no longer asks you to confirm ownership.

Step 4: Enter the name, address and hours correctly

Google's guidelines for representing your business are specific, and breaking them can lead to a suspended profile.

Name. Use the real-world name as it appears on your storefront, website and stationery. Do not add taglines, store codes, trademark symbols, hours, phone numbers, URLs, service descriptions or location details such as "near the station". Do not use fully capitalised words. Legal terms like "Ltd" or special characters are allowed only when real-world proof, such as signage or invoices, shows them as part of the name. "Smith & Daughters Plumbing - Best Emergency Plumber London" would break these rules; "Smith & Daughters Plumbing" would not.

Address. Use a precise address for the physical location. Do not put URLs or keywords in the address lines. If the address has no street number or Google cannot find it, you can pin the location on the map. A business that shows its address should keep permanent business-name signage at that address.

Service area. If you serve customers at their location, use one profile for the central office and set a service area. If you do not serve customers at a staffed location, hide your address. Hybrid businesses can show a storefront address and a service area if the location is staffed and can receive customers during stated hours. Google says a service area should not extend more than about two hours' drive from the base, though some businesses may justify larger areas.

Hours. Give regular, customer-facing hours, and add special hours for holidays and events. For a seasonal break, mark the business temporarily closed and restore regular hours when you reopen. Some business types, such as hotels and schools, should not list hours.

What success looks like: Your name, address and hours match what a customer would see at your door and on your invoices.

Step 5: Choose categories

Categories tell Google what kind of business you are. Google's advice is to use the fewest categories needed to describe your core business, and to make each as specific as possible while still representing the main business. Choose categories that complete the sentence "This business IS a", not "this business HAS a". Do not use categories as keywords or to describe attributes. Google automatically adds more general categories when you pick a specific one, so you can skip overlapping ones. The page gives no numeric limit, and available categories change, so choose from the list Google shows you now.

What success looks like: One main category that names your core business, plus only those extra ones that describe distinct core activities.

Step 6: Add the description, website, phone and attributes

Your business description appears in the "From the business" section. Google's limit is 750 characters. Avoid URLs and HTML code, and describe the business rather than promotions, prices or sales. Add your website address and a phone number that you answer. Attributes, such as "Has outdoor seating", tell customers more; you can edit factual attributes, but subjective ones depend on feedback from Google users who have visited.

Keep the details identical to those on your site; NAP Citations for Local SEO: Audit and Fix Inconsistent Listings explains why consistency matters, and Local Business Schema: Mark Up Your Address, Hours and Location shows how to state the same facts in markup.

What success looks like: The description, website and phone number are filled in, within limits, and match your website.

Step 7: Add photos and videos

Photos help customers recognise the place and see what you offer. Google's requirements: photos in JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, with a recommended size of 720 by 720 pixels and a minimum of 250 by 250. They should be in focus and well lit, with no major alterations or heavy filters. Videos can be up to 30 seconds and 75 MB at 720p or higher. New media can take 24 to 48 hours to appear, and is not visible to customers while pending. Use real photos of your premises, team and work.

What success looks like: Your uploads are live on the profile and show your real premises, products or work.

Step 8: Handle reviews and keep the profile current

Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, ties prominence to links from other sites and review counts and ratings, and says you cannot pay for a better local ranking. It recommends keeping information complete and accurate, replying to reviews and adding photos and videos.

Reply politely and briefly, and avoid identical generic thank-yous. Never offer discounts or free goods in exchange for reviews; Google prohibits it. How to Get Google Reviews Without Breaking Google's Review Policies covers the policy in more detail. Update hours before every holiday, change the profile when you move or rebrand, and check it every month or so for edits suggested by others. Local SEO Checklist: Site and Off-Site Tasks for a Local Business puts the profile in the context of the rest of local work.

What success looks like: A monthly reminder to check hours, photos and reviews, and a second person with access.

Final verification checklist

The business is eligible and has only one profile for the location.
The profile is verified, and more than one trusted person has access.
The name matches the real-world name with no extra keywords or taglines.
The address is a real, precise location, or the address is hidden for a service-area business.
Regular and special hours are correct.
Categories describe what the business IS, with as few as needed.
The description is within 750 characters and free of URLs and promotions.
Website and phone details match your site.
Photos meet Google's file requirements and show the real business.
A routine exists for reviews and updates.

Common mistakes to avoid

Adding keywords or a tagline to the business name. Use the real-world name only.
Using a P.O. box, virtual office or home address you do not want public. Hide the address if you are a service-area business without a staffed location.
Creating a second profile when verification is slow. It can produce duplicates; wait for the first to complete.
Editing the name, address or category while a postcard is on its way. Google says this can invalidate the code.
Sharing the verification code. Google never asks for it.
Offering rewards for reviews. Google prohibits it.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Google Business Profile free?

Yes. Google's page on adding or claiming a profile says it is free.

How long does verification take?

It varies by method. Postcard codes usually arrive within 14 days, and review after you finish can take up to 5 business days, occasionally longer. Some businesses can verify instantly through Search Console or bulk verification.

Can I have a profile without a storefront?

Possibly. A service-area business that visits customers can be eligible, but online-only businesses are not. Hide your address if you do not serve customers at a staffed location.

Does a Business Profile replace my website?

No. The profile holds basic facts; your website holds the detail.

Official references

Next step: Try the free website sample to see how your own site does on a few of these checks. This guide provides technical information, not a guarantee of rankings, traffic or index inclusion.