How to set up a Google Business Profile

If you run a local service business, people already look you up on Google Search and Maps. A Business Profile is the listing they see: your name, whether you are open, a phone number, and the reviews next to it.

How to set up a Google Business Profile is three jobs, in order. Add the listing or claim the one that already exists. Verify it. Then fill the fields a stranger actually uses before they ring.

You can add or claim a Business Profile at no charge. Google is also clear that not every activity qualifies. A business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours. A virtual office that nobody visits usually does not.

Check whether a listing already exists

Search your business name and town on Google and on Maps before you create anything. Google’s guidelines say there should only be one profile per business. A second listing for the same van and the same number is a duplicate, not a shortcut.

You will land in one of three places:

1. Nothing useful comes up. You add a new profile.
2. A listing exists but is unverified. You claim it.
3. A listing exists and someone else already manages it. You request ownership.

Do not invent a second name to get around an old listing. Fix the one that is already there.

Add a new profile, or claim the one you find

If Search and Maps have no profile for you, Google’s add-or-claim help is the official path.

1. Go to business.google.com/add.
2. Choose Add your business to Google.
3. Follow the on-screen steps for the details Google asks for.
4. Select a verification option and complete it.

You need a Google Account to sign up. You can create one with a Gmail address or with the email you already use. Get the address right on this first pass. Google asks you to meet its address guidelines. A post office box, or a remote mailbox that is not where you work, is not acceptable.

You may already have a listing you never opened. To claim an unverified profile on a computer, open Google Maps, search your name and town, select the correct business, then choose Claim this business and Manage now.

If the profile is already verified and someone else manages it, request ownership. Go to business.google.com/add, enter the name and address, choose the listing, then Request Access. The current owner has 3 days to respond. If they do not, you may be offered a chance to claim and verify. Google notes that the claim option is not always available.

Verify so you can edit the listing

Google’s verification help says you need to verify before you can edit details such as the name and hours, or interact with customers. Verification is how you gain ownership of the profile.

Google chooses the methods it offers. You cannot pick a different one because it looks easier. The options depend on your business type, public information, region, or hours.

The methods Google documents are phone or text, email, a live video call, or a postcard. For a phone or text code you must be able to answer the business number or receive an SMS. For a postcard, most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30 days. Do not change the name, address or category while you wait. Google also recommends video recording verification when that option is available.

After you finish the steps, Google reviews what you sent. Verification reviews take up to 5 business days. Some profiles verify instantly. You get a confirmation email when it is done. If a Get verified button comes back, try again with the options still on the profile.

Fill the fields that actually get used

Once the profile is verified, edit it on Search or Maps. Sign in with the same Google Account, choose Edit profile, change a field, and save. Google reviews edits before they go live. You do not need every optional box. You need the facts a stranger uses to decide whether to call.

Enter the name exactly as it appears on your real-world signage, stationery and other branding. Google’s representation guidelines do not allow taglines, opening hours, phone numbers or extra service words in the name field. If customers know you as the name on the van, use that. Changing the name after verification can mean you have to verify again.

The primary category should be a specific match from Google’s list. Google’s example is to choose Nail salon rather than Salon. You cannot create your own category. You can add up to 9 more, but use as few as it takes to describe the core business. The first category is the primary one. Pick the work people usually hire you for.

If customers visit you, enter the full street address. If they do not, you can choose not to show the address. Google’s service-area help lets you set up to 20 areas by city, postal code, or other place you serve. You cannot set a radius around the pin. List the towns you actually cover. The guidelines say a plumber who works from a home address should hide that address.

Set regular customer-facing hours. Use main hours for a normal week, and special hours for a holiday or a short closure. Put the number you answer. Google lets you add up to 2 more numbers besides the primary one. They can be mobile or landline, not fax. The number must be under the direct control of the business and must not redirect people to a different business or a social page.

If you have a site you control, add the full URL, including https, and do not block Googlebot.

Google says photos of the storefront, products and services help complete the profile. An exterior photo helps people recognise the place when they visit. For a van-based trade, use photos of real jobs and the van, not a stock picture of a stranger. Photos should be in focus and well lit. Google asks for JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB.

The description appears in the From the business section. Google’s edit help says to write what you offer, what is distinctive, and how long you have been going, in no more than 750 characters. Do not add URLs or HTML, and do not turn it into a sale. If the services editor is available, list the jobs you actually take.

Keep the facts the same everywhere

The name, address or service area, and phone number should match the van, the invoices, and any simple website you already have. When those facts disagree, people hesitate. A live RippleKeep website is £95 a year. It is a place you control for services, towns covered, and a number that is easy to tap, plus a link back to the same Business Profile.

Reviews still live on the profile, not on the site. A free Google review health check is a 30-minute look at your rating, how recently reviews arrive, how you reply, and who appears nearby. If you already know you want help after the listing is live, Google reviews is the offer. Send a message if you would rather write than book a time.

A straight answer

How to set up a Google Business Profile is not a paid listing and not a ranking trick. Search first. Add or claim the one real profile. Verify it with the method Google offers. Then fill the name people already use, a specific category, honest hours, a phone you answer, a service area or a real address, and photos of your own work.

Leave unused boxes empty. The fields a customer reads before they call are the ones that matter.