Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps: address, phone number, opening hours, photos, reviews and directions all in one place. The profile, formerly called Google My Business, takes three things to open: add your business at business.google.com, enter your details and verify it with the method Google offers. In this guide we cover every step, from setup and verification to what to do to stand out on Maps.
What is a Google Business Profile and why does it matter?
When someone searches for “cafe near me,” “Kadıköy dentist” or your business’s name directly, Google shows a map and business listings at the top of the results. These listings are fed by Google Business Profile. If you have no profile, or an incomplete one, customers can’t find you or they click on your competitor’s listing.
Through a Google Business Profile, your customers can:
- Get directions to your address and call you with one tap,
- See your opening hours, menu, products and services,
- Decide by looking at your photos and other customers’ reviews,
- Go to your website or your booking or ordering page.
Opening and managing a Google Business Profile is free. For restaurants, cafes, hotels, clinics, shops, beauty salons and any business that works within a service area, it is the most important visibility space in local searches.
What should you prepare before opening the profile?
Setting up a Google Business Profile takes a few minutes; what takes time is gathering the details correctly and completely. Have these ready before you start:
- The Google account that will manage the business: If possible, use an account that belongs to the business rather than a personal one; an agency or employees can be added later as managers.
- The real business name: Whatever is written on your sign, invoice and website. Adding keywords or a city to the name goes against Google’s rules.
- Category: The primary category that best describes your work (e.g., “Restaurant,” “Dental Clinic,” “Advertising Agency”).
- Address or service area: A full address if customers come to you; if you go to the customer, the districts and cities you serve.
- Contact details: Phone number and website address.
- Opening hours and changes on special days.
- Images: Logo, cover photo, exterior, interior, team and product photos.
How do you create a Google Business Profile? (Step by step)
- Go to business.google.com and sign in with the Google account that will manage the business. You can also start with the “Add your business” option in Google Maps.
- Type your business name. If Google suggests your business in the list, it means someone has already added a listing before; request ownership of that listing instead of opening a new profile. Opening a second profile for the same business causes problems.
- Choose the primary category. You can add secondary categories later.
- Enter the location. If you have a place customers can visit, add the address and move the pin on the map right in front of your door. If you provide service from home or at the customer’s address, hide the address and enter only your service areas.
- Add the phone number and website. You can open a profile even if you don’t have a website; however, a website helps Google recognize your business and helps your ranking.
- Complete verification (details below).
- Complete the profile: opening hours, business description, products and services, attributes (e.g., “women-owned,” “wheelchair accessible”) and photos.
Adding a business to Google Maps: starting from Maps
You can also start adding a business to Google Maps from your phone, in the Google Maps app, instead of a computer. The add-business option in the app takes you through the same steps above; whichever way you start, you end up with the same Google Business Profile.
Maps also has a feature anyone can use, adding a missing place. A customer or you can add your business to the map this way, but this listing does not give you management of the profile. After the place appears on the map, you need to claim and verify ownership.
If the profile is managed by someone else
When you try to add your business, you may see that the profile has already been verified by another account. This is usually a listing opened by a former employee, a previous agency or a family member, often back when the name Google My Business was still in use. In that case you use the request access step Google offers; if the current owner doesn’t respond within a certain time, Google may direct you to its own verification options.
Who should you share access with?
Google Business Profile has owner and manager roles. Ownership should stay with the business; it is enough to add your agency, employees or freelancers as managers. That way, when you stop working with someone, you can remove their access easily and you don’t lose control of the profile.
How do you verify a Google Business Profile?
Verification is the step where you prove that the Google Business Profile really belongs to you; changes you make to an unverified profile don’t go live. You can’t choose which method is offered; Google decides based on the business’s category, location and history. The method new profiles most often encounter today is video verification.
- Verification by video: You record one continuous, unedited video. The video must show the exterior and sign (or the street you are on), the interior or your equipment, and proof that you run the business (e.g., access to the register or workplace, a document belonging to the business).
- Phone, SMS or email: Appears only if Google offers it; you enter the code sent to you.
- Code by mail: In some regions a card with a code is sent to your address. It is offered less often today.
Video review usually takes a few business days. If your video is rejected, you can record it again while following the same rules. If you work in an office without a sign, planning in advance the elements that will prove your address and your business makes verification easier.
How do you optimize the profile to stand out on Maps?
Google explains on its local ranking help page that it ranks local results by three criteria: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the person searching) and prominence (how well known your business is; reviews, mentions on the web and your website). You can’t change distance, but you can improve the other two directly in your Google Business Profile:
| Area | What should you do? |
|---|---|
| Categories | Choose the primary category from the narrowest accurate option; add secondary categories for the other services you offer. |
| Business description | Fill the 750-character field with natural text that says what you do, who you serve and what sets you apart. |
| Photos | Add exterior, interior, team, product and service photos regularly; use current, real images. |
| Products and services | List each service with its own title and a short description. |
| Opening hours | Keep them current, including holidays and special days; wrong hours are the fastest route to a negative review. |
| Posts | Keep the profile alive with posts about campaigns, new products or events. |
| Consistency of business information | Name, address and phone number should be written identically on your website, on social media and on directory sites. |
| Website | The page the link in the profile goes to should clearly show the same information, your services and your location. |
How do you choose categories, services and attributes?
The category is one of the core settings that determine which searches a Google Business Profile is associated with. Which attributes, service lists and buttons the profile offers also depends largely on the category. So don’t rush the category choice.
Primary and secondary categories
The primary category should describe your business as a whole. If there is a category that describes your work more narrowly and accurately than a general option, prefer it; the category list is set by Google, and you can’t type a category that isn’t on the list. Google recommends using as few categories as are enough to describe your main business. Unrelated categories don’t show the profile in more searches; they only blur what your business does.
Services and products
In the services section, Google lists suggested services based on your category; you can add ones that aren’t on the list as custom services. For each service, write a plain name the customer would search for and a short description. Shops can add their products to the products section with an image, a description and an optional price; restaurants can add their menus to the profile.
Attributes
Attributes are small but important details customers look at when deciding: wheelchair accessibility, Wi-Fi, outdoor seating, card payment or reservations. Which attributes are offered varies by category and country. You mark some of them yourself, and others are added to the profile through visitor feedback; make sure the attributes you enter are accurate and up to date.
How do you set up a photo and posting routine?
Filling in the profile once is not enough; a Google Business Profile looks alive through regular small updates. This doesn’t take a big team; a simple weekly or monthly routine is enough.
- Photos: After the logo and cover photo, add the exterior, entrance, interior, team, product and service moments. An exterior photo makes it easier for customers to recognize you on the street.
- Real images: Instead of stock photos, heavy filters or campaign images with text printed on them, show the real state of the venue and the product.
- Videos: Short venue and product videos can also be added to the profile; they let visitors see the inside in advance.
- Posts: When you share a campaign, new product, event or announcement, add an image and a button such as “Call” or “Learn more” to each post.
- Customer photos: Check the images customers add regularly too; report those that have nothing to do with your business or that break the rules.
Google doesn’t always choose which photo stands out on the profile based on your selection; it may show different images depending on the person searching. That is why every photo you add to your Google Business Profile needs to represent your business well on its own.
Why should name, address and phone details be the same everywhere?
Google doesn’t recognize your business only from the details in the Google Business Profile; it also takes into account information from your website, directory sites and news and articles written about you. If your name, address and phone number are written differently across these sources, neither Google nor the customer can be sure which one is correct.
For consistency, first decide on a single correct version, then use that version exactly everywhere:
- Business name: The name written on your sign and known to customers. If your trade name is different, still use the name on the sign in the profile and in directories.
- Address: Write details such as building name, door and apartment number in the same format everywhere; if you have moved, update the old address in all sources.
- Phone: Whichever number you use in the profile, write the same number on the website and in directories; give each branch its own number.
- Website and opening hours: The link and hours in the profile should match the contact page on your site exactly.
To check, search your business name and your phone number on Google separately; correct the old or wrong details in the directory, map and social media listings you find, one by one. Keep your listings on other map services such as Apple Maps, Yandex Maps and Bing up to date with the same details.
What should you watch on your website?
Write the address, phone number and opening hours as text on your contact page; search engines can’t read information that sits only inside an image as easily as text. You can embed your Google Maps location on the page and mark up your business details with LocalBusiness structured data. If you have more than one branch, opening a separate page for each branch lets you point the link in each Google Business Profile to the right branch’s page. For these setups, you can look at our user-friendly websites service.
Check the updates Google makes
You are not the only one who changes the information in a Google Business Profile. Users can suggest edits to your profile, and Google can update the profile with information it gets from other sources. When you see a notice about an update made by Google, check the information; if it is wrong, correct it and keep your own information. Opening and checking the profile at regular intervals keeps incorrect information from staying live for a long time.
How should you manage Google reviews?
Reviews affect both ranking and the customer’s decision. To ask for reviews from happy customers, you can share the review link from your Google Business Profile and put it at the register or on tables as a QR code.
- Give every review a short, polite reply, positive or negative.
- Don’t get defensive about negative reviews; acknowledge the problem and continue the resolution privately.
- Don’t buy reviews, and don’t offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews; this goes against Google policies and can lead to your profile being suspended.
How do you reply to reviews?
Your replies are public and appear as the business owner’s reply; that means not only the person who wrote the review but everyone who looks at your Google Business Profile reads them. A good reply is short, mentions the detail the customer raised and doesn’t read like a ready-made template.
- Positive review: Say thank you, briefly mention what the customer liked and say you look forward to seeing them again.
- Negative review: Acknowledge the problem, apologize and resolve the matter privately by giving a contact channel. Don’t share the customer’s personal information or order details in the reply.
- Rating only: Write a short thank-you for stars left without text too.
What do you do about reviews that break the rules?
Google doesn’t remove a review just because it is negative. You can report reviews that are spam, fake, off-topic, abusive or based on a conflict of interest from your profile; Google makes the decision after review. When asking for reviews, send the link to all your customers, not only to those you think are happy; collecting positive reviews selectively also goes against Google’s rules.
The most common mistakes
- Adding keywords to the business name: Names like “Agency Renaissance | Istanbul Web Design” go against the rules and raise the risk of the profile being suspended.
- Opening more than one profile for the same business.
- Using a virtual office or an address where you don’t actually work.
- Opening the profile and leaving it: if hours, photos and services aren’t updated, the profile falls into the background over time.
- Website and profile details that contradict each other.
Why is a Google Business Profile suspended?
A suspension means Google believes your profile doesn’t follow the guidelines for representing your business on Google. Management of the profile may be restricted, or the profile may be removed from searches altogether. The reason isn’t always reported in detail, but the common causes are well known:
- Adding a keyword, city name or slogan to the business name,
- Using a virtual office, a mailbox or an address where no staff are present during opening hours,
- Leaving the address visible even though you serve customers at their own address; service-area businesses should hide the address,
- Opening more than one profile for the same location,
- Making frequent and large changes to core details such as name, address or category; edits like these may require re-verification,
- Opening a profile for a business that operates only online and has no face-to-face contact with customers,
- Collecting fake reviews or offering incentives in exchange for reviews.
If your profile is suspended, don’t open a new one; this usually makes things worse. First fix the problem, then appeal through the reinstatement process in the Google Business Profile Help Center. During the appeal, keep documents that show your business is real ready, for example your tax certificate, an invoice, and photos of the sign and exterior.
How do you measure Google Business Profile performance?
Google Business Profile shows, on its own performance screen, how your profile is being found and what visitors do. This screen, which replaces the statistics in the old Google My Business dashboard, can be reached through Google Search or Maps while you manage the profile.
- Profile views: Whether your profile was viewed on Search or Maps, on mobile or on desktop.
- Search terms: The words people used to find you. Terms other than your brand name give you ideas for new services and content.
- Interactions: Actions such as calls, direction requests, website clicks and, depending on your category, reservations or orders.
If you add a UTM parameter to the website link in the profile, you can see these visits as a separate source in Google Analytics and also track whether a visitor from the profile fills in a form on your site. Look at the trend from month to month instead of one-week ups and downs. To read profile data together with website and ad data, you can use our data analysis and reporting work.
If you have more than one branch
A separate Google Business Profile is opened for each branch, and each should have its own address, opening hours and, if possible, its own phone number. If you group the branches in the same business group, you can manage them from one account and share access with branch managers. For businesses with many locations, Google also offers a bulk verification option.
Examples from our projects
At Agency Renaissance we mostly handle Google Business Profile setup together with website, photo shoot and social media work. For The Menu Cafe & Restaurant in Cappadocia and Celebrity Restaurant in Kyiv, we set up the Google listings together with the website; on the Dora Moda, diMARE and 2S Lighting projects, we did the Google My Business settings and basic SEO together. Professional photos and consistent business information give the profile a trustworthy look both on Maps and in brand searches.
Want professional support?
To set up your profile from scratch, solve verification problems or increase your visibility on Maps, you can use our digital marketing and SEO services. Venue photography that reflects the atmosphere of your space also strengthens your profile. To plan the right work for you together, get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Business Profile paid?
No. Creating, verifying and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Advertising with Google Ads to show your profile to more people is optional and paid.
Are Google My Business and Google Business Profile the same thing?
Yes. Google My Business was the former name of the service. Today the same service is managed through Google Search and Maps under the name Google Business Profile.
Can I open a profile if I don’t have a physical address?
Yes. If you serve your customers at their own addresses, you can open your profile as a service-area business, hide your address and show only the districts and cities you serve.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
The time depends on the method Google offers. Verification by phone, SMS or email can be completed instantly; review of a video verification usually takes a few business days.
How do I rank higher on Google Maps?
Google ranks local results by relevance, distance and prominence. A complete and accurate profile, the right categories, regular photos and posts, real customer reviews and a website with consistent information increase your visibility.
