First, check whether your business can have a profile
Google Business Profile (formerly “Google My Business”) is the listing that appears on Maps and in the Search panel. It is not for just any website: Google requires the business to have premises that customers can visit, or to travel to where its customers are.
Put plainly: if your business has no in-person contact with customers (for example, you only sell online, work only remotely, or only have a mailbox or a virtual office), you do not meet the requirements to create a profile. In that case your visibility comes from your website’s SEO, not from Maps.
- With premises open to the public: the profile shows your address and you must be able to receive customers during the stated hours.
- Home-visit service business: you can have a profile with a service area and hide the address.
- Mixed (for example, a garage that also offers roadside assistance): you can show the premises and a service area.
- Not valid: virtual offices, PO boxes and remote mailboxes, and professionals who are only support staff.
Each business should have only one profile. And for a service area, Google says it should not extend much beyond about two hours' travel from the base.
How to create and verify your profile
Search for your business on Google Maps in case a profile already exists that you can claim.
If none exists, create the profile from your Google account with your business’s real details.
Choose the primary category that best describes you and add any secondary ones that apply.
Enter the address or service area, the phone number and the website.
Set your customer-service hours.
Verify it using the method Google offers you.
The methods available depend on your type of business and your region, and Google decides which ones you can use: phone or text message, email, live video call, video recording or postcard. For postcards, Google says most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30. Do not edit the name, address or category while you wait, and do not request another code, or the one you received may stop working.
After you complete the steps, the review can take up to five working days or more.
Name, address and hours: mistakes that do get penalised
The name must be the same one you use in the real world: the one on your sign, your invoices and your website. Google prohibits adding slogans, store codes, trademark symbols, hours, phone numbers, URLs, service descriptions or location details to the name.
- Use a precise, real address; if you have an office or flat number, put it on the second line.
- If you show your address, the business must have a permanent sign with its name there.
- Enter your regular customer-service hours.
- Keep the same information on your profile, your website and your other listings.
Stuffing keywords into the name
It is tempting to add “Plumber 24 Hours Madrid” to the profile name. It goes against Google’s guidelines if it is not your real name, and it can lead to the profile being rejected or corrected.
What makes a profile rank higher
Google explains that local ranking is based mainly on three factors:
| Factor | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | How well your profile matches what is being searched | Complete profile, correct category, clear description and services |
| Distance | How far your business is from the person searching | Nothing: you do not control it; just make sure your location is correct |
| Prominence | How well known your business is | Genuine reviews and replies, links from other websites, good reputation |
Google adds that businesses with complete, accurate information are more likely to appear, and that more positive reviews and ratings can help. And it is blunt: you cannot request or pay for a better local ranking.
Your website and reviews count too
- Reviews: ask real customers, naturally, and reply to every one respectfully. Do not buy them or make them up.
- Your website: a clear page per service, with your area, your contact details and the same information as the profile. It is what Google reads to understand what you do.
- Links: mentions on local websites, associations or local press add prominence if they are genuine.
Keeping the profile up to date also helps AI assistants have consistent details to cite you, as we saw in how to get your business to appear in ChatGPT. Work on the profile, website and local details is part of our SEO service, without promising positions.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a profile if I work from home?
Yes, if you serve customers in person or travel to their homes. You can set it up as a service-area business and hide the address. If you only work remotely, with no in-person contact with customers, you do not meet Google’s requirements for a profile.
How much does it cost to appear on Google Maps?
Creating and maintaining a Google Business Profile is free. Google says you cannot pay to improve local ranking. There may be a cost in the time to manage it, in professional support, or in Google Ads local ads, which are a separate service.
What do I do if someone has already created my profile?
Find it on Maps and claim it. To change owner, the previous owner must add you as an owner first. Google allows only one profile per business, so claim the existing one rather than creating a new one with the same details.
Can I have several profiles for several areas?
Not freely. Google allows one profile per real location and, for service businesses, one service-area profile. Virtual addresses are not valid under the guidelines. If you have several real premises, each can have its own.
Sources4
- Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Googlesupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
- Google Business Profile Help — Tips to improve your local rankingsupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
- Google Business Profile Help — Verify your businesssupport.google.com (opens in a new tab)
- Google Search Central — Get your website on Googledevelopers.google.com (opens in a new tab)
