Updated October 2026
In short
- A Google Business Profile is free. You need a Google Account, your real business name, an address or service area, and a phone number.
- Search Google Maps for your business first. If a listing already exists, claim it instead of creating a duplicate.
- Start at business.google.com or from Google Maps, enter your details, then verify using a method Google offers you.
- Once verified, fill in every field: hours, description, photos, services and attributes. A complete profile gives customers reasons to choose you.
What you need before you create a Google Business Profile
Start with the correct Google Account and a clear view of which business or location is involved. Platform interfaces can change, so use Google’s current Help instructions for sensitive account, policy or verification decisions.
The setup itself only takes a few minutes if you have everything ready. Gather these first:
- A Google Account the business controls (you can use an existing work email address; it doesn't have to be Gmail)
- Your business name exactly as it appears on your signage, shopfront, stationery and website
- A permanent address customers can visit, or a list of the areas you serve if you go to your customers
- A local phone number that you or your staff actually answer during opening hours
- Your website address, if you have one (it's optional)
- Your regular opening hours, plus any holiday hours coming up
- A short description of what you do, up to 750 characters, with no links
- A square logo (720 × 720 px recommended) and a few real photos of your premises, team or work
- A list of your main services or products
- Access to your premises, signage and tools in case Google asks for a verification video
Which Google Account to use
Create the profile with an account that belongs to the business, not to an employee or to your web designer. Whoever creates it becomes the primary owner. You can add other people as owners or managers later, and the primary owner can hand over primary ownership if needed. Our guides explain how to add a user and how to transfer ownership.
Check whether your business is already on Google Maps
Google often creates listings from public information, and customers can add places too. Search for your business name and town on Google Maps before you start. If a listing appears with a link such as "Own this business?" or "Claim this business", claim your existing listing rather than creating a second one. You keep its reviews and photos, and you avoid a duplicate that Google might later remove.
How to create a Google Business Profile page, step by step
Creating a Google business listing works the same way on a computer or a phone. These steps follow Google's setup at business.google.com, which works in any browser. Google changes the wording and order from time to time, so if a screen looks slightly different, look for the closest option.
Go to business.google.com and sign in
Open Business Profile Manager and sign in with the Google Account the business will own. Choose the option to add or create a new Business Profile.
Enter your business name
Type the name exactly as customers see it in the real world. If Google suggests a matching business as you type, select it: the listing already exists and you'll be taken through claiming it instead.
Choose your business type, if asked
Some versions of the setup ask whether you have a shop or office customers visit, whether you visit customers, or both. Choose what describes how you actually meet customers.
Choose your primary category
Start typing what you do and pick the most specific category that fits, such as "Indian restaurant" rather than "Restaurant". You can add up to nine more later. Our Google Business Profile categories guide helps you choose.
Add a location customers can visit
If customers come to you, choose yes and enter your full address. Check that the map pin sits on your actual entrance and drag it if it doesn't. If you only visit customers, choose no.
Add your service areas, if you travel to customers
List the towns, cities, postcodes or regions you serve, up to 20 areas. Service-area businesses can keep their address hidden from the public; see how to hide your address.
Add your phone number and website
Enter a local number that's answered during opening hours. Add your website if you have one, or choose the option that says you don't have one.
Choose whether to receive updates
Google asks whether you'd like tips and recommendations by email. This is optional and doesn't affect your listing.
Verify your business
Google shows the verification methods available for your business, such as a phone call or text, email, video recording, live video call or postcard. Choose one and follow the instructions. Our Google business verification guide covers each method.
Add hours, a description and photos
Google prompts you to add opening hours, a description, photos and more. You can skip these and come back, but a profile with these gaps gives customers less reason to pick you, so fill them in now if you can.
How to add your business to Google Maps
There's no separate registration for Google Maps. Your Google Maps business profile is your Google Business Profile: when you create one, the same listing appears on Google Search, Google Maps and the Maps app. So whether you typed "how to add business to Google Maps", "how to put my business on Google Maps" or "how to get your business on Google Maps", the answer is the same: create and verify a Business Profile.
From Google Maps on a computer
Open Google Maps, sign in, and open the main menu (the three lines in the top-left corner). Choose "Add your business" and follow the steps above. In some versions you can also right-click the spot on the map where your business is and choose to add your business there.
From the Google Maps app
In the app, tap your profile picture and look for the option to add your business or your Business Profiles. The menu has moved between app versions, so if you can't find it, open business.google.com in your phone's browser instead. It leads to the same setup.
Adding a missing place vs adding your own business
Google Maps also has an "Add a missing place" option. That lets anyone suggest a place, but it doesn't make you the owner. For your own business, always use the add-your-business route so you can verify and manage the listing, reply to reviews and post updates.
A Google Maps listing isn't company registration
Searches for "Google Map company registration" sometimes come from people who think a listing is a legal step. It isn't. Registering a company is done with Companies House in the UK or the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in India. A Google Business Profile is simply your free listing on Google, and you don't need to be a limited company to have one. To add your company on Google Maps, the profile is all you need.
How to add a business location to Google Maps for another branch
Each branch needs its own profile with its own address, phone number and hours. In Business Profile Manager, add another business and repeat the steps. For 10 or more locations, you can upload them all at once from a spreadsheet and request bulk verification.
What to fill in on your new Google Business Profile
Once your profile exists, open its edit options from Google Search, the Google Maps app or Business Profile Manager. These are the fields that matter most and how to fill them in.
| Field | What to enter | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | Your real-world name | No locations, keywords or slogans unless they are part of your actual name |
| Primary category | The one category that best describes your main business | Be specific; it strongly shapes which searches you appear in |
| Additional categories | Up to 9 more | Only for things you genuinely do |
| Address | Your full street address | Must be a staffed location, not a PO box |
| Service areas | Up to 20 towns, cities or regions | For businesses that visit customers |
| Hours | Regular opening hours | Add special hours for holidays so customers aren't caught out |
| Phone number | A local number you answer | Use the same number as on your website |
| Website | Your homepage or the branch's own page | Optional, but helps customers and Google |
| Description | Up to 750 characters about your business | No links, no HTML, no offers or prices |
| Opening date | When you opened, or plan to open | Useful for new businesses |
| Logo | Square image, 720 × 720 px recommended | Minimum 250 × 250 px |
| Cover photo | Your best wide image | We recommend 1332 × 750 px (16:9) with the main subject in the centre |
| Photos | JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB | Real photos of the outside, inside, team, products and work |
| Services or products | Your main services and products | Use the names customers search for |
| Attributes | Features such as accessibility, payments and amenities | Only tick what's true |
For more detail, see our guides to the business description, profile picture size and cover photo size.
Do you need a website for your Google Business Profile?
No. The website field is optional, and many small businesses run happily on their Business Profile alone. Customers can still call you, get directions, read your reviews, see your photos and check your hours.
You may have heard of the free "Google Business Profile website". Google used to let owners build a simple one-page site from their profile, but it turned those websites off in March 2024. Visitors were redirected to the Business Profile for a few months, and after that the old addresses stopped working. If your profile still links to one of those sites, replace it with your current website or remove the link.
If you do have a website, link to the page that best represents the location: your homepage for a single business, or each branch's own page for a chain. Make sure the name, address and phone number on that page match your profile exactly. Consistent details help Google trust both.
Common mistakes when setting up a Google Business Profile
Most setup problems come from a handful of avoidable mistakes. Each one can delay verification, hide you from searches or lead to a suspension.
- Creating a duplicate. If your business is already on Maps, claim that listing. Two profiles for one place confuse customers and can be removed.
- Adding keywords to the name. "Sunrise Dental – Best Dentist in Leeds" breaks Google's guidelines. Use your real name only.
- Using a personal or agency account. If that person leaves, you can lose control of the profile. Use an account the business owns.
- Using a virtual office or PO box. These aren't eligible unless the address is staffed during business hours.
- Showing a home address you didn't mean to. If customers don't visit you, say no to a customer location and add service areas instead.
- Choosing a vague category. "Shop" or "Service" tells Google very little. Pick the most specific category that's true.
- Editing details during verification. Changing the name, address or category while Google is reviewing your profile can restart or delay verification.
- Stopping after setup. An empty profile with no photos, no posts and unanswered reviews looks abandoned to customers.
After you create your profile: the first month
Creating the profile is the start. What you do in the first few weeks decides whether people who find you actually call or visit.
Finish verification
Until you're verified, you can't use every feature, and some of your changes won't appear publicly.
Complete every field
Work through the table above. Then add attributes, services or products, and your holiday hours.
Add a second owner
Give a trusted colleague owner access so the business never depends on one login.
Ask your first customers for reviews
Share your review link or a Google review QR code and ask every customer, not just the happy ones. Here's how to ask for Google reviews.
Publish your first post
Announce your opening, an offer or an event. See our guide to Google Business Profile posts.
Check for suggested edits
Customers and Google can suggest changes to your profile. Review them so your details stay correct.
If you'd rather not do the setup yourself, the Ampli5 team can create and verify the profile for you. Talk to the team or explore the app.
Setting up Google Business Profiles for several locations
Franchises and chains need one profile per location. Customers search for the branch near them, so each one needs its own address, phone number, hours and photos.
- Use the same naming pattern for every branch: your brand name, without keywords or slogans
- To create Google Business Profile listings for 10 or more locations, use the spreadsheet import in Business Profile Manager and request bulk verification
- Organise locations into groups so regional managers only see their branches
- Link each profile to that branch's own page on your website
- Keep primary ownership with head office and give store managers manager access
After setup, the challenge is keeping dozens of profiles consistent. Our guide to Google Business Profile management covers bulk edits, posting to every location at once and multi-location reporting.
