Updated October 2026
In short
- Google Business Profile is for businesses that meet customers in person during stated hours, at a location or within a service area.
- Online-only businesses, including eCommerce shops that post every order, aren't eligible.
- Hybrid businesses qualify for the in-person part, such as a showroom, a staffed collection point or local visits.
- Online-only businesses can still be found across Google through Merchant Center, Search Console and their own website.
Google's eligibility rule for online businesses
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.
- At your location. Customers come to a shop, office, clinic or showroom that's signed and staffed during opening hours.
- At the customer's location. You or your staff visit or deliver to customers within an area you serve, like a plumber, a mobile hairdresser or a caterer.
A business that trades only through a website, an app or a marketplace, and never meets customers face to face, fits neither model. That covers most eCommerce shops, software companies, online courses and agencies that work only remotely.
Google Business Profile for online business: who qualifies
The question to ask isn't whether you sell online, but whether customers ever meet you. Here's how common business models usually work out:
| Business model | Eligible? | How to set it up |
|---|---|---|
| Online shop that posts every order | No | Use Merchant Center and your website instead |
| Online shop with a showroom or shop customers can visit | Yes, for the physical location | A profile at the showroom address with its real hours |
| Online shop with a staffed click-and-collect counter | Usually, if it's staffed during stated hours | A profile at the collection point with its hours |
| Business that delivers locally with its own staff, such as a florist or bakery | Yes, as a service-area business | Hide the address and list the areas you deliver to |
| Consultant or tutor who works only online | No | Website, Search Console and professional profiles elsewhere |
| Consultant who also meets clients at an office | Yes, if the office is signed and staffed | A profile at the office address |
| Warehouse with no public access | No | Not eligible on its own |
Hybrid businesses: online shops that also serve people in person
Plenty of businesses sell mostly online but still meet customers somewhere. If that's you, you can have a profile for the in-person part. Before you create it, check you can honestly tick every item:
- A real address customers can visit, or a defined area where your own staff visit or deliver
- Someone available to serve customers there during the hours you publish
- Permanent signage at the premises, if customers come to you
- A phone number and website that belong to the business
- Documents showing the business name and address, in case Google asks you to verify
If you serve customers at their homes and don't want your address shown, set the profile up as a service-area business and hide your address. The profile then shows the areas you serve (up to 20) rather than a pin. To get started, follow our guide to creating a Google Business Profile, then verify it.
Don't create a profile just to appear on Maps
Virtual offices aren't eligible unless they're staffed during business hours, and co-working spaces need permanent signage and staff. Our guide to virtual addresses on Google Business Profile explains where the line falls. If a profile has already been flagged, see what to do when a profile is suspended.
Alternatives for online-only businesses
Work through the checks in order, documenting significant changes when more than one colleague manages the profile.
Google Merchant Center
If you sell products, Merchant Center lets you upload your catalogue so your products can appear in free listings on the Shopping tab and elsewhere on Google, and in Shopping ads if you choose to advertise. For an online shop, it's the closest equivalent to a Business Profile.
Google Search Console
Search Console shows how your website performs in Google Search: the searches people use, your clicks and impressions, and any problems Google has indexing your pages. Verifying your site is the first step to being found for your brand name and products.
Your website and structured data
Clear pages about who you are, with details such as your logo and contact information marked up as structured data, help Google understand your business. Google's Search Central documentation explains the options.
Reviews for online shops
Without a profile you can't collect Google reviews on Maps. Online shops can gather reviews through programmes such as Google Customer Reviews in Merchant Center, or through independent review platforms, and show them on their own site.
Track your visibility, with or without a profile
Whether you have one profile, many or only a website, it helps to see your Google performance in one place.
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