How to List Your Business on Google (Step-by-Step, 2026)

To list your business on Google, you create a free Google Business Profile. That profile is what shows up in Google Search and Google Maps with your name, address, phone number, hours, photos and reviews. Google's official help page says you can add or claim your Business Profile "at no charge", and the whole process usually takes less than an hour, plus a wait for verification.

This guide walks through each step, explains the verification options, and covers the mistakes that cause profiles to be suspended or rejected. Menu names change from time to time, so where a screen differs from what you see, follow the on-screen prompts and Google's official help page.

Why a Google Business Profile matters

Most local searches end at Google Search or Google Maps. A profile lets you appear in the map results, show hours and photos, collect reviews and let customers call or request directions without visiting your website. For a local business, it often generates more calls than the website itself.

Customers are using more places than before. BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 found Google's share as a place to read reviews dipped from 83% to 71%, but 71% is still the largest. And the same report notes research that just 35% of small businesses have a Google Business Profile. Setting up a complete profile puts you ahead of many competitors, while the rest of this site covers the other platforms. Our list of free business listing sites shows where else to appear.

Before you start: what you need

• A Google account. A dedicated company account is better than a personal one, so ownership does not depend on one person.
• Your exact business name, as used on your sign and website.
• Your address if customers visit you, or the areas you serve if you travel to them.
• A phone number that customers can call, ideally with a local area code.
• Your website, if you have one.
• Your business category, hours and a short description.
• A few photos: your storefront, your work, your team.

Write these in one document first. It saves time and keeps your details identical everywhere, which matters for NAP consistency.

Is your business eligible?

Google's guidelines require a real business that either has a physical location where it meets customers or travels to customers within a service area. Typical eligible examples are a dental clinic, a plumber, a salon, a restaurant and a locksmith. Not eligible, in general, are businesses that exist only online, rental properties that are not staffed, and virtual offices with no one present. Read Google's current guidelines in the Business Profile help center before you submit, because rules and examples are updated.

Home-based businesses are allowed, but think about privacy. If customers do not come to your home, set up a service-area profile and hide the street address, where the option is available.

Step 1: Check whether your business is already on Google

Many businesses already have an unclaimed profile, created from public data or by a customer. Creating a second one leads to duplicates.

1. Open Google Maps and search for your business name and city.
2. If a profile appears and you own it, open it and look for the option to claim or manage it. Google's help page describes this as "Claim this business" or "Manage now".
3. If the profile is already verified by someone else, you can request ownership. The current owner gets a notification, and if they do not respond, Google has a process to review your request.
4. If nothing appears, continue to Step 2 and add your business.

Step 2: Add your business

1. Go to business.google.com/add and sign in with your Google account. You can also start from Google Maps and choose the option to add a missing place or business.
2. Choose Add your business to Google.
3. Enter your business name. Use the real name only, with no keywords or slogans.
4. Choose your primary category. Pick the most specific one, such as "Plumber" rather than "Home services". You can add secondary categories later. Category is one of the most important settings on the profile.
5. Say whether customers visit your location. If yes, enter the full address, including suite or unit. If you travel to customers, enter your service areas, such as cities or ZIP codes.
6. Add a phone number and website address.
7. Follow the prompts to choose a verification option.

Step 3: Verify your business

Verification proves you are connected to the business. Until it is complete, your profile does not appear publicly in the usual way. Google decides which options you see. Depending on your business and account, they can include:

• Phone call or text with a code
• Email with a code or link
• Video call or recorded video showing your location, signage, equipment and proof that you manage the business
• Postcard mailed to your address with a code, which usually arrives in about a week

If you are asked for a video, be ready to show the outside of your building and street, any signage, the inside space where you work, and documents or tools that prove you operate there. Follow the on-screen instructions exactly, and do not edit or cut the recording.

If you wait for a postcard, do not change the name or address while waiting, since the code is tied to the information you submitted. If a code does not arrive, request a new one rather than creating a new profile.

Step 4: Complete the profile

A verified but empty profile is a missed chance. Fill in every field that applies:

• Hours, including special hours for holidays.
• Services or products with short descriptions. Use words customers use, such as "water heater repair" rather than internal jargon.
• Business description. Write what you do, who you serve and where, in plain language. Do not include links, phone numbers or promotions.
• Photos and logo. Real photos of your premises, work and team. Add new ones regularly.
• Attributes such as wheelchair access, online appointments or women-led, where they are true.
• Messaging and booking links, if you can respond quickly.

Choose your category carefully

The primary category tells Google what you are. If you are a dentist who also does cosmetic work, keep "Dentist" as primary and add a secondary category for the specialty. Avoid adding many unrelated secondary categories. They dilute relevance.

Write a useful description

A good description is specific: "Family-owned plumbing company serving Austin and Round Rock since 2012. We handle leak repair, water heaters and drain cleaning, with same-day appointments." That example is only an illustration for a made-up business, but the pattern works: who you are, what you do, where you serve.

Step 5: Get and answer reviews

Reviews influence how customers pick. The 2026 BrightLocal survey found that 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% only care about reviews from the last three months. It also found that an owner response makes a review more trustworthy for 37% of consumers.

• Ask every happy customer, at the moment they are most satisfied.
• Send a short direct link to your review form by text or email.
• Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly.
• Never buy reviews, offer rewards for positive ones, or write your own. These actions violate Google's policies and can lead to removed reviews or a suspended profile.

Mistakes that get profiles suspended or rejected

• Keyword stuffing the name. "Austin Best Cheap Plumber" for a company called Smith Plumbing.
• Fake or virtual addresses. Using a PO box, a coworking desk you do not use, or a friend's address.
• Duplicate profiles for the same location.
• Changing key details right after verification, which can trigger a re-check.
• Wrong category or too many irrelevant categories.
• Letting an agency own your profile. Make sure you are always the primary owner and the agency is a manager.

If your profile is suspended, read the notice, fix the issue, and use Google's reinstatement request. Do not create a new profile as a workaround. That usually makes things worse.

Adding and managing your profile from your phone

You can manage a profile from a phone as well as a computer. Signed in to the Google account that owns the profile, you can search for your business name in Google Search or Google Maps and use the management controls that appear on your own profile. From there you can edit hours, reply to reviews, upload photos and check calls and direction requests. Many owners find phone management easier for photos, because you can add a new picture the moment you finish a job. The exact buttons change as Google updates its apps, so follow the on-screen options.

A short example (illustration only)

Picture a locksmith in Chicago who serves customers at their homes and has no shop. She searches Google Maps for her business name and finds nothing, so she goes to business.google.com/add, enters her name, picks "Locksmith" as the category, answers that she does not serve customers at a location, adds the neighborhoods she covers, and enters her phone number. She chooses the verification method Google offers, completes it, and then spends twenty minutes adding hours, services and photos of her van and tools. This is a made-up example, but the order of steps is the one most owners follow.

After you are listed: keep it working

1. Add the same details elsewhere. Your Google data should match your Apple, Bing and directory listings. Our guides on Bing Places and local citations explain how.
2. Post updates and photos monthly.
3. Check insights to see calls, direction requests and website clicks.
4. Update hours before holidays.
5. Link your profile from your website and your website from your profile.

A Google profile is the center of local SEO for small business, but it should not be the only place you appear. Essential Biz Directory and similar sites give you independent listings that customers can find by category and city.

FAQ

Is it free to list my business on Google?

Yes. Google's help page states you can add or claim your Business Profile at no charge. You only pay if you choose to run Google Ads.

Do I need a website to create a Google Business Profile?

No. A website helps, but you can create a profile without one. Google also lets some businesses create a simple website from a profile in some regions, though availability changes, so check the current options.

How long does verification take?

Phone, text and email codes are usually instant. Video verification can take a few days to review. Postcards typically take about a week by mail. Timing varies, so follow the on-screen status.

Can I list a business with no physical location?

If you travel to customers, you can set up a service-area business and hide your address. A purely online business without in-person service generally does not qualify.

What if someone else already claimed my business?

Use the ownership request option. If it is a former employee or agency, contact them first, because a direct transfer is faster.

Do I need to list on other sites too?

Yes. Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp and directories all matter, and customers use them. See our guide on whether directories help SEO for an honest look at the value.

Once your Google profile is live, add another place customers can find you. List your business on Essential Biz Directory for $99, one-time.