How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile (2026 Guide)

The short answer: search for your business on Google Maps and claim the listing (or add it at google.com/business), verify it, choose the right main category, fill in every field, add real photos, then keep it current with reviews, replies and the occasional update. Setting it up takes an afternoon; keeping it useful takes a few minutes a week.

When people search for a business like yours, or look you up by name, the first thing many of them see is your Google Business Profile: the panel with your hours, phone, photos, reviews and a button for directions. For a local business it’s often the most viewed page you have, and it’s free. This guide walks through it step by step.

Step 1: Claim your profile

Google may already have a listing for your business, built from public information. Search your business name on Google Search or Google Maps. If a listing appears, choose the option to claim or manage it. If nothing appears, add your business at google.com/business.

Use a Google account the business will keep for good, not a personal account belonging to an employee or a web designer. If someone else set up the profile in the past, ask them to add you as an owner before anything else.

Step 2: Verify it

Google needs proof that you really run the business. Depending on your business, it may ask you to:

record a short video showing your location, signage and something that proves you run it
enter a code sent by phone, text or email
join a live video call
enter a code mailed to your address

The options vary from business to business. Follow them carefully, and make sure what Google sees matches what you’ve typed, such as the name on your door.

Step 3: Get the core details exactly right

Business name. Your real name, exactly as it appears on your sign and paperwork. Don’t add keywords or places (“Joe’s Pizza Best Pizza NYC”). It breaks Google’s guidelines and is a common reason profiles get suspended.

Main category. Pick the most accurate one; it decides which searches you appear in more than anything else on the profile. Add secondary categories only if they truly describe what you do.

Address or service area. If customers come to you, show your address. If you go to them, like plumbers, cleaners and mobile groomers, set a service area and hide your address if you work from home.

Hours. Regular hours, plus special hours for holidays set ahead of time. Wrong hours are one of the most common complaints in reviews.

Phone and website. The number customers should call, and a link to your home page or the most relevant page on your site.

Your name, address, phone number and hours should match your website exactly, word for word.

Step 4: Fill in everything else

A complete profile answers questions before people have to ask:

Description. Up to 750 characters on what you do, who you serve and what sets you apart. Plain sentences, no keyword lists.
Services or products. Your main services with short descriptions and, where you can, prices.
Menu or booking link. Restaurants can add a menu; appointment businesses can add a booking link.
Attributes. Wheelchair access, outdoor seating, payment types and similar, where they apply.

Step 5: Add real photos

Photos help people recognize you and decide to come. Add:

your logo and a cover photo
the outside of your business, so people can find the door
the inside, your team and your work
your products or dishes, if you sell them

Use real, well-lit photos of your own business. Add a few new ones every month or two.

Step 6: Ask for reviews, and reply to every one

Reviews shape both where you appear and whether people choose you.

Copy your review link from the profile and send it to happy customers by text or email right after a visit or a job.
Reply to every review. Thank people for good ones. Answer complaints calmly and briefly, and take the details offline.
Never offer rewards for reviews, post your own, or ask friends to post fake ones. It breaks Google’s review policy and can cost you your reviews or the whole profile.

Our guide on how to get more Google reviews has messages you can copy.

Step 7: Post updates and keep it current

Short posts on your profile, such as an offer, a new service, a finished job or holiday hours, show customers you’re active. Once a week or two is plenty. Make a monthly habit of checking:

hours, especially before holidays
services and prices
new photos
unanswered reviews and questions

Step 8: Connect it to your website

Your profile and website work best as a pair. The website should show the same name, address, phone and hours, with a tap-to-call number and a link to directions. The profile should link to a website that loads quickly on a phone and makes the next step obvious: call, book, order or visit.

Why Google Business Profiles get suspended

Keywords or locations stuffed into the business name.
A virtual office, mailbox or coworking desk listed as the address.
More than one profile for the same business at the same place.
Fake reviews, or reviews offered in exchange for discounts.

If a profile is suspended, fix the cause first, then request reinstatement from the profile’s support page.

How to see if your profile is working

The profile’s performance view shows how many people called you, asked for directions and clicked through to your website, and which searches found you. Check it monthly. More calls and direction requests are the result that counts.

Getting help with your profile

You can do all of this yourself. If you’d rather hand it off, our Website SEO and Google Business Profile plan is $997 a month and covers the profile set-up, regular posts, new photos, review replies and a monthly report, alongside SEO for your website. For the website itself, a site is $2,000 with every page you need, ready in 1 week. See our web design service.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Google Business Profile free?

Yes. Creating, verifying and updating a profile costs nothing.

How long does Google Business Profile verification take?

It varies by method and business. A code by phone or email can be instant; video verification or a mailed code can take days or longer.

Can I have a Google Business Profile without a storefront?

Yes. Service businesses can show a service area instead of an address, and hide their address if they work from home.

Why isn’t my business showing on Google Maps?

Usually an unverified profile, the wrong category, mismatched details or too few reviews. Our guide to why a business doesn’t show on Google Maps goes through each cause.

If you’d like a hand with any of it, tell us about your business.