How to create a Google Business Profile: adding your business to Google Maps step by step

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps: your name, address or service area, phone number, opening hours, photos and reviews all live there. When people search for how to add a business to Google Maps or open a Google business account, this profile is what they are looking for. In this article we explain how to create the profile from scratch, how verification works, which fields to complete and which mistakes can get the profile suspended. Ranking higher in map results once the profile is live is a separate job, covered in our article getting into the top three on Google Maps.

What is a Google Business Profile, and who can create one?

Formerly known as “Google My Business”, the service is now called Google Business Profile, and it is free to use. To create a profile you need to be a real business that has in-person contact with its customers. Google distinguishes two basic cases:

• Businesses that serve customers at their address: shops, clinics, restaurants, offices. The address appears on the map and customers can get directions.
• Service-area businesses: businesses that go to the customer, such as plumbers, cleaning companies, removal firms and locksmiths. These businesses can hide their address and show only the areas they serve.

Businesses that both receive customers and visit them can show both. On the other hand, businesses that only sell online and never meet customers in person are generally not eligible for a business profile under Google’s guidelines.

Before you open a Google business account, prepare this

Setup takes a few minutes, but if information is missing it stalls or needs fixing later. Before you start, have the following ready:

• The real name the business uses on its signage, invoices and documents
• The full address, or the districts and cities you serve
• The business phone number and, if you have one, the website
• Opening hours and known holiday closures
• A logo and a few real photos of the exterior, interior, team and your work
• A Google account owned by the business to manage the profile

The last point looks minor but often causes trouble. If an employee or an outsider creates the profile with a personal account, access becomes a problem when that person leaves. Let the business own the profile; you can add other people as managers later.

Adding your business to Google Maps: step by step

Google’s interface changes from time to time, so button and menu names may look slightly different on your screen. The general flow for adding a business to Google Maps is:

1. Check whether your business is already listed. Search for your business name and address on Google Maps. A customer or Google itself may already have added it. If a listing exists, do not create a new profile; request ownership of the existing one.
2. Start from the Google Business Profile page. Sign in with the business’s Google account and choose to add a new business. You can also start adding a place from the Google Maps app; either way you end up with the same profile.
3. Enter the business name. Use the name you use in the real world, nothing more. We explain why this matters in the mistakes section below.
4. Choose the primary category. Pick the category that most accurately describes what your business is; you can add more categories later.
5. Enter your location. If customers come to your address, type it in and check that the map pin sits in the right spot. If you go to your customers, specify your service areas.
6. Add contact details. Phone number and, if you have one, website address.
7. Move on to verification. This step is needed for the profile to become public and for edits to go live.

Verification: which method will you get?

Verification is how Google confirms that the business really exists and that the profile is managed by an authorised person. Information you enter on an unverified profile may not be visible to everyone.

Google, not you, decides which verification method is offered. It can vary by business category, location and the profile’s history; two profiles created on the same day may see different options. Methods you may encounter include a code by phone or text message, email, a video recording and a live video call; in some cases a code by post may also be requested.

If you get video verification, you are generally expected to show where the business is (the street, signage or surroundings), the business itself (interior, equipment, vehicle) and proof that you manage it (opening the till or the door, or a document issued in the business’s name). Because expectations can change over time, follow the instructions Google shows on screen and read them before you start recording.

After verification, the review can take a few days. During this time, do not repeatedly change the business name, address or category; frequent edits can trigger additional review.

Complete the profile: categories, services, hours, photos

A verified but half-finished business profile does not build trust. Fill in these fields completely:

Categories

The primary category is the field that most influences which searches you appear in. Make the category that describes your main source of revenue your primary category, and add your other genuine service areas as additional categories. Do not add categories for work you do not do.

Services and products

List each service as a separate item with a short description. Businesses that sell products can also add their featured products.

Opening hours

Besides regular hours, update special hours for public and religious holidays. Showing as “open” while you are closed is one of the easiest ways to collect negative reviews.

Photos and description

Use real photos rather than stock images: the exterior (so customers can find you), the interior, your team and your work. In the business description, explain in plain language what you do, who you serve and what sets you apart.

Hiding your address: for service-area businesses

If you work from home and travel to customers, you do not need to show your address to everyone; in fact, showing an address where you do not receive customers goes against the guidelines. When you set the profile up as a service-area business, the address is hidden and the map shows the area you serve. Google may still ask for your address during verification, but it is not published on the profile.

Keep the service area realistic. Instead of entering the whole country, choose the districts and cities you actually travel to; Google expects the service area to be within a reasonable distance of where the business is based.

Reviews and responding to them

Reviews affect both a new customer’s decision and the visibility of your profile. The right approach is simple: after completing the job, send customers your review link and ask them to leave a review.

• Ask everyone, do not be selective. Asking only customers you think are happy is considered a breach of Google’s policies.
• Do not offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, and do not arrange fake reviews. Such reviews can be removed and your profile can be restricted.
• Reply to every review. A short thank-you is enough for positive reviews. For negative ones, stay calm, acknowledge the problem and offer a way to resolve it. Do not share the customer’s personal details in your reply.

You can report a review that violates the policies (fake, abusive or off-topic) to Google. However, there is no guarantee that a review will be removed just because you do not like it.

Common mistakes that can get your profile suspended

• A business name stuffed with keywords: writing “Star Plumbing Boiler Repair Radiator Cleaning London” instead of “Star Plumbing”. Under Google’s guidelines the business name must match the name you use in the real world. A non-compliant name can be changed through edit suggestions from competitors or lead to suspension of the profile.
• More than one profile for the same business: Creating a new profile when verification runs into trouble produces a duplicate. Duplicates may be merged or removed, and they can increase the risk of suspension. If there is a problem, solve it through the existing profile.
• A virtual office or PO box address: An address where you are not actually based causes verification problems and is a reason for suspension.
• Inconsistent information: Different phone numbers or addresses on your website, your profile and other directories confuse both customers and Google.
• Constantly changing details during verification: It prolongs the review.

If your profile is suspended, do not create a new one. Use the appeal process Google provides and prepare documents that show your business is real.

When should you get help?

A business with a single address and a smooth verification can comfortably set up its own profile. Getting help saves time when verification is rejected again and again, when the profile has been suspended, when an old listing is stuck in another account, when there are several branches, or when a duplicate listing exists.

AGO Dijital Medya’s Google Maps listing service costs 2.000 ₺ as a one-off fee; it covers creating the profile, managing the verification process, setting up categories and services, and uploading the first images. For those who want more visibility in map results after the profile is live, monthly Google Maps SEO packages cost 2.000, 2.500 and 3.000 ₺. Prices are as of September 2026, VAT included; the current price is on the Google Maps and local SEO page. Because Google makes the verification decision, no agency can guarantee approval; what can be done is to manage the process properly and avoid the common mistakes that lead to rejection. To discuss the right approach for your business, you can request a quote.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Google Business Profile cost money?

No, creating and using the profile is free. Be wary of callers who claim to represent Google and ask for a fee for your profile; a fee only applies when you buy a service from an agency.

Can I create a Google Business Profile without a website?

Yes, a website is not required. However, a website where visitors from your profile can see your services in detail noticeably increases trust and conversions.

How long does verification take?

It depends on the method and the review. Some profiles are verified the same day; for others the review can take several days or longer. It is not possible to give an exact timeframe.

I work from home. Will my address appear on the map?

If you set the profile up as a service-area business, your address is hidden and only the area you serve appears on the map. Google may ask for your address for verification but does not publish it on the profile.