How to add your business to Google Search and Maps

Business Profile vs website listing

How to create a Google Business Profile

1. 1Go to Google Business Profile and sign in with a Google account you will keep long term.
2. 2Search for your business name. If a listing exists, claim it; if not, create a new one.
3. 3Enter your exact business name as it appears on your signage. Do not add keywords or cities.
4. 4Choose the primary category that best describes your main service.
5. 5Add your address if customers visit you, or set service areas if you travel to customers.
6. 6Add your phone number and website address.
7. 7Choose a verification method from the options Google offers.

How to verify your business

Google needs to confirm you are the real owner. The options you see depend on your business type and location.

Verification can take a few minutes or several days. Avoid changing your name, address or category during review, as this can restart the process.

Complete your profile so it can rank

A verified profile is only the start. Complete profiles get more views and actions.

Google Business Profile setup checklist

1. 1Search Google Maps for your business to check whether a listing already exists.
2. 2Sign in to Google Business Profile with a business email you will keep long term.
3. 3Enter your exact business name as it appears on your signage, with no extra keywords.
4. 4Choose the most specific primary category, then add a few secondary categories.
5. 5Add your address, or set a service area and hide your address if customers do not visit you.
6. 6Add your phone number, website and opening hours, including holiday hours.
7. 7Verify the profile using the method Google offers.
8. 8Add services or products, a business description and at least ten real photos.
9. 9Add attributes such as accessibility, payment options and online appointments.
10. 10Share your review link with recent happy customers.

Verification methods explained

Google chooses which methods to offer, and options vary by business type and country.

Choosing the right Google Business Profile category

Your primary category is one of the most important local ranking factors. Pick the category that best describes your main service, not every service you offer. A business that mainly repairs boilers should choose a heating category rather than a general contractor category.

Check the categories used by top ranking competitors in your area for ideas, then add secondary categories only for services you genuinely provide.

Adding your business to other places Google uses

Keeping your listing healthy after it goes live

1. 1Check the profile every week for user suggested edits and approve or reject them.
2. 2Reply to every new review within a few days.
3. 3Post updates, offers or events at least every two weeks.
4. 4Add fresh photos regularly, especially of your work and team.
5. 5Update hours before holidays and special events.
6. 6Answer questions in the Q and A section.
7. 7Review profile performance for calls, website clicks and direction requests.

Mistakes that get Google Business Profiles suspended

If your profile is suspended, fix the issue first, then submit a reinstatement request with evidence such as utility bills and photos of your signage.

How to add your website to Google Search

1. 1Open Google Search Console and add your website as a property.
2. 2Verify ownership using DNS, an HTML file or your Google Analytics or Tag Manager account.
3. 3Submit your XML sitemap under Sitemaps.
4. 4Use the URL Inspection tool on your home page and click Request indexing.
5. 5Check the Page indexing report after a few days for errors.
6. 6Fix anything blocking indexing, such as a noindex tag or robots.txt rule.

How to write a Google Business Profile description

Example description
Bright Smile Dental is a family dental clinic in Kothrud, Pune, offering check ups,
teeth cleaning, implants, braces and emergency appointments. Our dentists speak
English, Hindi and Marathi, and we are open six days a week with early morning slots.

1. 1Open with what you do and where, such as 'Family run dental clinic in Kothrud, Pune'.
2. 2Mention your main services in plain language.
3. 3Add what makes you different: opening hours, languages spoken, experience or guarantees.
4. 4Keep it under the 750 character limit and avoid links or prices.
5. 5Do not stuff keywords or mention competitors.

Photos that help your listing

Use real photos, not stock images, and add new ones regularly so your profile stays fresh.

Using Google Business Profile posts and products

How to track results from your Google listing

Add UTM tags to your website link so visits from the profile show clearly in Google Analytics.

Adding a business with several locations

1. 1Create a separate profile for each staffed location that serves customers.
2. 2Use the same brand name on every profile.
3. 3Link each profile to its own location page on your website.
4. 4Use bulk verification if you have 10 or more locations.
5. 5Assign local managers to update photos, hours and replies.

See our multi location SEO checklist for the full process.

Add your business to Bing and Apple Maps too

Google is the biggest search engine, but many people use Bing, Apple Maps and voice assistants. Claiming these listings takes little time and adds consistent citations.

Why your business is not showing on Google

Getting your first Google reviews

1. 1Copy your review link from Google Business Profile.
2. 2Ask your five most loyal customers for an honest review.
3. 3Send the link by text or email right after a good experience.
4. 4Reply to each review to thank the customer.
5. 5Make asking part of your routine with every customer.

Read how to get more Google reviews for templates and timing.

Industry specific tips for Google listings

How Google decides which listings to show

Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance is how well your profile matches the search, so complete categories, services and descriptions matter. Distance is how close you are to the searcher or the area in the search. Prominence is how well known your business is, shaped by reviews, links, articles and directory listings.

You cannot change your distance, but you can improve relevance and prominence. That is why complete profiles and steady reviews often move listings up over time.

What to do if your listing is not appearing

Google Business Profile vs your website: what each does

You need both. The profile wins local visibility, while the website gives depth, trust and conversions. Our Google Business Profile optimisation service connects the two.

Keeping your business details consistent

1. 1Write down one exact version of your business name, address and phone.
2. 2Use it on your website footer, contact page and schema.
3. 3Update the same details on Google, Bing, Apple Maps and key directories.
4. 4Fix old listings from previous addresses or phone numbers.
5. 5Check details again whenever you move or change numbers.

Consistent details help Google trust your listing. See local citation building.

A 30 day plan after adding your business

Quick answers for common setup problems

How to show up higher once you are listed

1. 1Build location and service pages on your website and link them from your profile.
2. 2Keep your name, address and phone the same on every directory.
3. 3Get listed on the main directories for your industry.
4. 4Earn steady reviews and reply to all of them.
5. 5Post updates, offers and photos regularly.
6. 6Earn local links from chambers, partners and local news.

Our local SEO checklist covers each of these steps in more depth.