How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile Step by Step (2026)

Short answer: Go to google.com/business, sign in with a Google account, search for your business name, add your category, location or service area and contact details, then verify the business (usually by recording a short video). Once verified, add photos, hours, services and a description, and start collecting reviews. It’s free.

A Google Business Profile is what shows up when someone searches your business name, or something like “bakery near me”, on Google Search and Maps. For local businesses it’s often the single biggest source of calls and directions requests. Here’s how to set it up properly.

Before you start

Keep these ready:

• A Google account you’ll keep long term. Use a business email, not an employee’s personal one.
• Your exact business name, as on your signboard, invoices or GST registration.
• Address, or the list of areas you serve if customers don’t visit you.
• A phone number someone answers, and your website link.
• A few real photos: outside, inside, your products or your team at work.

Step-by-step setup

1. Open google.com/business and choose to manage your business or add a new one.
2. Search for your business name. If a profile already exists (sometimes Google or a customer creates one), request access instead of creating a duplicate.
3. Enter your exact business name. Don’t add keywords or city names that aren’t part of your real name; Google can suspend profiles for this.
4. Choose your primary category. This matters more than almost anything else. Pick the most specific one, like “Dental clinic” rather than “Doctor”. You can add secondary categories later.
5. Choose location or service area. If customers visit you, add your address. If you go to customers or work online, choose not to show an address and list the cities or areas you serve instead.
6. Add your phone number and website.
7. Verify your business (next section).
8. Complete the profile: description, hours, services or products, photos and attributes.

How verification works

Your profile won’t appear publicly until it’s verified. Google chooses which methods to offer you:

• Video verification is the most common now. You record a short, continuous video showing your location or business: the outside with signage or street view, the inside, and proof that you run it, such as equipment, stock or opening the shop.
• Phone or SMS and email codes are offered to some businesses.
• Google may ask for more proof if details don’t match, so keep your name and address identical everywhere.

Verification can take from a few minutes to a few days after you submit.

Optimise your profile to rank higher

• Description: up to 750 characters. Say what you do, for whom and where, in plain language. No links.
• Hours: keep them accurate, and add special hours for holidays like Diwali.
• Services or products: list each one with a short description and price where it makes sense.
• Photos: add at least 10 real photos and new ones every month. Profiles with fresh photos look active.
• Posts: share offers, new products or updates every week or two.
• Attributes: tick everything that applies, like “Online appointments” or “Wheelchair accessible”.
• Messaging: only turn on chat or WhatsApp if someone can reply quickly.

Reviews: the part most businesses skip

Reviews influence both your ranking and whether people call you. Ask every happy customer for a review, send them the direct review link from your profile, and reply to every review, positive or negative, politely and within a few days. Never buy reviews or offer rewards for them; Google removes them and can restrict your profile.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding keywords to your business name
• Using a virtual office or someone else’s address
• Different name, address or phone number on your website and your profile
• Creating a second profile for the same business
• Setting it up once and never updating it

FAQ

Sources: BrightLocal – How to set up Google Business Profile