How do you create a Google Business Profile?
To create a Google Business Profile, sign in to a Google Account, go to business.google.com/add, enter your business name and category, add your address or service area, phone number and website, then verify. Google chooses which verification methods you see, such as phone, text, email or video, and reviews can take up to 5 business days.
Filling in the form is quick. Getting it right takes a little more thought, because a few choices you make here, like your category and whether you show your address, shape where you can appear on the map. This guide follows the steps in Google's own help center, with notes on what owners most often get wrong.
What do you need before you start?
Have these ready before you open the sign-up page. It saves you from stopping halfway.
- A Google Account the business controls. Google recommends that a new account use your business email domain. Avoid using a staff member's personal account.
- Your real-world business name, exactly as it appears on your signs, truck wraps and paperwork.
- Your main category. Think about what you mainly do, such as "Roofing contractor" or "Dentist."
- Your address. Service-area businesses hide it from customers, but have it handy for verification. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not allowed.
- Your service area, if you travel to customers: the cities or ZIP codes you serve.
- A local phone number that rings at your business, not a remote call center.
- Your website address, if you have one.
You also need to be eligible. Google says Business Profiles are for businesses that meet customers in person, either at a location or by traveling to them, and are not for online-only businesses.
Step by step: how to create a Google Business Profile on a computer
These steps follow Google's sign-up instructions for a new profile.
- Sign in to your Google Account, or create one.
- Go to business.google.com/add and click Add your business to Google.
- Enter your business name. As you type, Google may suggest matching businesses. If yours appears, select it. If Google says someone else has already verified it, request ownership instead (see below).
- Search for and choose your business category, then click Next.
- Answer whether you have a location customers can visit. Click Yes if you have a storefront staffed during business hours, then enter your address or place the marker on the map and click Next. Click No if you go to your customers.
- Enter your service area if you travel to customers. You can add up to 20 cities, postal codes or other areas. Google suggests keeping the whole area within about 2 hours of driving from your base.
- Enter your phone number and website, then click Next. Google recommends the number for that specific location, not a remote call center.
- Click Finish.
- Choose a verification option. Click Verify now in the banner at the top, or choose Verify later if you need to come back.
Review your details before you request verification. Google's verification help warns that changing your name, address or category while waiting for a postcard code makes that code stop working.
Storefront or service-area: which setup is right?
Choose the setup that matches how customers actually reach you. The wrong choice is one of the most common reasons profiles get flagged.
| Your business | How to answer "location customers can visit?" | Address shown? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customers come to you during staffed hours | Yes | Yes | Dental office, auto repair shop, med spa |
| You go to customers | No, then add service areas | No, hidden | Plumber, roofer, house cleaner |
| Both | Yes, then also add service areas | Yes | A shop that also does on-site repairs |
Google also says to create only one profile for the metro area you serve, and warns that multiple profiles for the same business in the same area can get your account suspended. For example, a roofer based in Mesa who also works in Phoenix and Scottsdale needs one profile with three service areas, not three profiles.
How do you verify a Google Business Profile?
You verify a Google Business Profile by completing one of the methods Google offers on your profile. Google decides which methods appear based on your business type, public information, region and business hours, and you cannot change them. Customers can only find a new profile on Google after it is verified.
| Method | How it works | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or text | Google calls or texts a code to your business number | Automated phone menus cannot receive the code |
| You follow the steps in an email Google sends | You must have access to the address shown | |
| Video recording | You record a short video of your location and business | Google recommends it when you are eligible |
| Live video call | You show your location and proof you manage the business to a Google support rep | Only available during your business hours |
| Postcard | Google mails a 5-digit code to your address | Not offered to every business; most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30 |
After you finish, Google reviews the information, which takes up to 5 business days and occasionally longer. Some businesses are verified instantly, for example when the website is already verified in Google Search Console. Google never asks you for your verification code, so do not share it with anyone.
What if your business is already on Google?
If your business already appears on Google Maps, claim it instead of creating a new profile. Creating a second one causes duplicate problems.
- Unclaimed profile: Open Google Maps, search your business name and city, select the listing, then choose Claim this business and Manage now. In the Maps app, tap About first. Then pick a verification option.
- Profile verified by someone else: Go to business.google.com/add, find the business and select Request access when it says someone else may manage the profile. The current owner is emailed and has 3 days to respond. If they do not respond, you may be able to claim it from the confirmation email.
This often happens when a former employee, a past agency or a previous owner set up the listing years ago.
What should you do right after your profile is verified?
A new profile is a blank page, so fill it in before you expect calls. Google says complete, accurate information helps your local ranking.
- Add your hours, including holiday hours.
- Add real photos: your team, vehicles, storefront and finished jobs.
- List your services and write a plain description of what you do and where.
- Ask your first customers for reviews. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews shows how to ask without being awkward.
- Add managers instead of sharing your login. Keep yourself as the primary owner, and give staff or an agency manager access.
Then keep it fresh. Our guide on how to optimize your Google Business Profile covers categories, posts and photos in detail, and what a Google Business Profile is explains each part of the listing.
What mistakes should you avoid when creating a profile?
These setup mistakes cause most of the suspensions and verification failures owners run into:
- Adding keywords or a city to the business name. Google's guidelines say the name must reflect your real-world name.
- Using a virtual office or mailbox address. Not eligible under Google's guidelines.
- Showing a home address you do not serve customers at. Service-area businesses must hide it.
- Editing the name, address or category while waiting for a postcard code. The code will not work.
- Letting someone else own it. If an agency sets it up, make sure you are the primary owner.
Want help setting it up right?
Setting up and fine-tuning Business Profiles is a core part of our local SEO service, and you always stay the owner. If you already have a profile and want to know how it stacks up against the top three competitors near you, request the Free Missed-Lead Audit. You get a recorded walkthrough within 2 business days.