Substantively updated October 9, 2026. Original publication date retained.
Google Business Profile gives eligible businesses a way to manage local information on Google Search and Maps without paying a listing fee. It can help customers find your hours, contact details, photos, and reviews. It does not guarantee a particular position in local results. Explore Google’s Business Profile service.
For a local business owner, the first priority is accuracy: can someone find the right business, understand whether you can help, and reach you?
Check eligibility before creating a profile
Businesses generally need in-person contact with customers during their stated hours to qualify. Online-only businesses are not eligible under the standard rules. Google also lists exceptions and specific restrictions, so check the rules for your business type. Read the eligibility guidelines.
A storefront and a service-area business are different setups. If customers do not visit your business address, use the appropriate service-area setup and hide the address. A hybrid business that receives customers and travels to them can have both an address and a service area when it meets Google’s requirements. See the service-area guidance.
Do not create extra profiles just to appear in more towns. Check for an existing profile and resolve ownership before adding another.
Set up the information customers need
Use a Google account the business can retain access to. Keep ownership with the business and arrange appropriate access for anyone helping manage the profile.
Search for your business in Google Search or Maps. If a profile exists, follow the claim or ownership process. If it does not, start the add-business flow.
Use the name customers know in the real world, rather than adding search phrases to it. Select the fewest categories needed to describe your core business. Add an accurate phone number, website, applicable hours, and location or service area. Google’s business representation guidelines explain the details and exceptions.
Check the customer journey after saving: does the website link open the right page? Can someone reach your team through the phone number? Do appointment-only or seasonal arrangements need clearer explanation?
Use the verification options Google offers
Verification methods are determined by Google and vary by business and circumstances. They can include phone or text, email, video recording, live video, or mail when offered. You may need more than one method. A paid Google Workspace subscription is not a prerequisite stated in this process. Follow Google’s verification instructions.
If video is offered, read the instructions for your business type before recording. Prepare the evidence Google requests for location, business operations, and authority to manage the business. Do not assume every applicant needs exactly the same footage.
Allow time for review and respond to any request for more information. Verification helps establish management authority; it is not a purchase of visibility or a guarantee of ranking. A business may already appear on Google before an owner claims it, so do not mistake an existing public listing for proof that you control it.
Add useful information without chasing an activity quota
Write a clear description of what you do. Add applicable services, products, and attributes using the options available for your business. Check prices and links before publishing them.
Use current photos that help customers recognize your premises or understand your work. For a contractor, a well-captioned project image may be more useful than another logo upload. For a storefront, show the entrance customers should use. There is no photo quota in this guide that promises better ranking.
Use posts for meaningful updates, offers, or events. Google’s current documentation says posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set. They do not universally expire after a week. Review dated offers so customers are not relying on stale terms. See how Business Profile posts work.
Ask for honest reviews
Make it easy for customers to share their experience, without incentives or pressure. Do not screen requests so only happy customers are invited to post publicly. Google’s review policy prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews.
Respond professionally and protect customer privacy. If a concern needs account or project details, invite the customer to discuss it privately. You can disagree with a review without publishing their personal information.
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, alongside other factors. It does not publish a rule that 50 recent reviews always outrank 200 older ones. Its main local factors are relevance, distance, and prominence. Read the local ranking guidance.
Keep business details factually consistent
Check the website, Business Profile, and other important listings for outdated numbers, locations, hours, or services. Fix details that could send a customer to the wrong place or prevent contact.
Use a consistent internal reference for your team, but avoid treating cosmetic punctuation as a proven ranking issue. The local ranking guidance above supports complete, accurate information; it does not establish that “Suite” versus “Ste” or phone-number punctuation causes a ranking penalty.
If your business moves or changes its name, review the relevant profile instructions and update affected listings deliberately. Keep a record of what changed and who owns each account.
Read performance metrics by their definitions
Open your profile’s Performance area and select a comparison period. The available metrics depend on the business and its features. Google’s documentation says the report can include activity from both organic results and Google Ads. Review the performance definitions.
In particular, the Calls metric counts clicks on the call button; it does not confirm a completed phone conversation. Website clicks are also actions, not customers. Compare those figures with actual inquiries and bookings before concluding that an increase created more business.
For example, if call-button clicks rise but answered inquiries do not, first inspect phone routing and the measurement definitions. Do not immediately assume either the profile or your staff caused the difference.
A manageable maintenance routine
Choose an owner for the profile. Check upcoming special hours, contact links, service changes, new reviews, and any pending edits. Add photos or posts when you have useful information to share.
Review performance at an interval that gives your business enough activity to interpret. Record seasonal changes and advertising alongside profile edits. That makes later comparisons more useful than judging success from a single search on your own phone.
Your profile and website should support the same next step. Our getting-online guide explains how to connect the listing with your domain, website, email, and inquiry process.