How to get your business on Google Maps: a Google Business Profile guide
Short answer
Create a free Google Business Profile at google.com/business, choose the most specific category for what you do, add your service area (you can hide your home address), verify the business, then fill in hours, photos, services, and your website link. Ask happy customers for reviews. It's the single most effective free step for showing up in local searches and on Google Maps.
What is a Google Business Profile?
It's the listing that appears on Google Maps and in the box on the right (or top, on phones) when someone searches for a business. For local searches like “electrician near me,” these listings often appear above regular websites.
How do I set one up?
- Start at google.com/business and sign in with a Google account you'll keep long-term. Use a business account rather than a personal one if you can.
- Enter your exact business name. Use your real name, without stuffing in keywords or city names, which can get the listing suspended.
- Pick the most specific primary category that describes what you do, like “Landscaper” rather than “Service.”
- Choose how customers reach you. If customers visit a storefront, add the address. If you go to them, set it up as a service-area business and list the cities you serve. Your home address stays hidden.
- Verify. Google may ask for a phone call, a text, an email, a short video, or a postcard. Follow whatever method it offers.
- Complete everything: hours, phone, website, services, a description, and photos of your real work.
How do I show up higher?
- Reviews: ask every happy customer, and reply to every review, good or bad.
- Consistency: use the same business name, phone, and service area on your profile, website, and other listings.
- A real website: a fast, clear site linked from your profile helps Google trust the listing. See why Facebook alone isn't enough.
- Fresh activity: new photos and occasional posts show you're open and active.
What mistakes get profiles suspended?
- Adding keywords to your business name.
- Listing a P.O. box or virtual office as a storefront.
- Creating duplicate profiles for the same business.
- Offering incentives in exchange for reviews.
Common questions
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing a profile is free. Google sells ads separately, but you don't need them for a listing.
Can I list my business without showing my home address?
Yes. Set it up as a service-area business and list the cities you serve. Your address is used for verification but isn't shown publicly.
How long does verification take?
It varies. Some businesses verify within minutes by phone or video; postcard verification can take a couple of weeks.
Founder of Hardline WebWorks in Lacey, Washington. Web developer with a background in networking and offensive security. About Isaiah