How to get your business on Google Maps

To get your business on Google Maps, you create a free Google Business Profile, verify that you run the business, and fill the profile in properly. It takes about half an hour of your time, then a few days while Google checks it.

The map results are often the first thing people see when they search for a local service, above every website. Here’s how to get on them, step by step.

Before you start

Have these ready:

• A Google account you’ll keep. Use a business email if you have one, not a personal account you might lose access to.
• Your business name exactly as it appears on your signs, van or paperwork.
• Your address, or the towns you cover if customers don’t come to you.
• A phone number and your website, if you have one.

Step by step

1. 01
   Go to Google Business Profile. Visit google.com/business and sign in with your Google account.
2. 02
   Search for your business name. If it’s already on Google Maps (someone may have added it, or Google created it), you’ll claim the existing listing rather than making a new one.
3. 03
   Choose your main category. Pick the most specific one that fits. “Plumber” beats “Contractor”. You can add more categories later.
4. 04
   Add your location. If customers visit you, enter your address. If you go to them, like a gardener or electrician, choose to list the areas you serve instead, and your home address stays hidden.
5. 05
   Add your phone number and website.
6. 06
   Verify the business. Google needs proof you run it. It will offer one or more options: recording a short video on your phone, a live video call, or a postcard with a code. Video verification is the most common now. It has to be recorded live from your phone, at least 30 seconds long, showing your street or signage and proof you trade, like your tools or equipment.
7. 07
   Wait for the review. Google says reviewing a video can take up to five business days.

Once it’s approved, your business can appear on Google Maps and in the map results on Google Search.

Fill in everything

A bare profile gets verified and then sits there. A complete one gets shown. Go through each of these:

• Opening hours, including bank holidays and seasonal changes.
• Photos. Your work, your premises, your van, you. Real photos, not stock images.
• Business description. Up to 750 characters. Say what you do, where, and for whom, in plain words.
• Services or products, with prices if you’re comfortable sharing them.
• Attributes, like wheelchair access or card payments, if they’re offered for your category.

Why you might not show up on the map

Being on Google Maps and showing up when someone searches are two different things. Google ranks local results on three things:

1. 01
   Relevance. How well your profile matches what someone searched for. This is why categories and a clear description matter.
2. 02
   Distance. How far you are from the person searching, or the place they typed. You can’t change this one.
3. 03
   Prominence. How well known and trusted your business looks, from reviews, how often you’re mentioned around the web, and your website.

So after verifying, the things that move you up are the ones you control: a complete profile, a steady trickle of genuine reviews, and a website that clearly says what you do and where.

Common mistakes

• Stuffing keywords into the name. Calling yourself “Smith Plumbing Best Emergency Plumber Barmouth” breaks Google’s guidelines and can get the profile suspended. Use your real business name.
• Using a PO box or virtual office as your address. Google doesn’t allow it.
• Mismatched details. If your phone number or address differs between your profile, your website and directories, it muddies the picture for Google. Keep them identical everywhere.
• Setting it up and forgetting it. Out-of-date hours and a handful of photos from years ago make the business look closed.

How to get more reviews

Reviews are the part most businesses find awkward. The easiest way is to ask at the moment the customer is happiest, usually just after the job’s done, and to make it one tap. Your profile has a “Ask for reviews” option that gives you a short link. Send it by text with a one-line thank you. Reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and politely.

Rather have it done for you?

Setting up a Google Business Profile is part of my £350 Local SEO pack, along with Google Analytics, Search Console, page titles and descriptions, and the technical setup that helps Google understand your business. It’s done once, not a monthly fee. Details are on the pricing section.

If your profile is live but your website isn’t turning up on Google, read why your website isn’t showing up on Google, or run a free website check to see how your site measures up.