To put your business on Google, create a free Google Business Profile at business.google.com, add your business name, category, location or service area and contact details, then verify that you run the business. Once verified, your business can show up on Google Search and Google Maps when people nearby look for what you do. The setup takes about 30 minutes, plus however long Google takes to verify you.
Below is the full process, plus what to do after you are listed so the profile actually brings in calls. It is the checklist we use for local clients, including a US moving company whose monthly leads grew from 17 to 133 with local SEO and Business Profile work.
Is it free to put your business on Google?
Yes. A Google Business Profile costs nothing to create or keep. Google sells ads, but you never have to pay to be listed. Be wary of calls claiming your listing will be removed unless you pay. Google does not make those calls.
Step 1: Check whether your business is already on Google
Search your business name and suburb on Google and on Google Maps. Customers, past owners or data providers sometimes create a listing before you do. If one exists, open it and choose “Own this business?” to claim it, rather than creating a duplicate.
Step 2: Create your Business Profile
- Go to business.google.com and sign in with the Google account that should manage the profile. Use a business account you will keep, not a personal account a staff member controls.
- Enter your business name exactly as customers see it on your signage and invoices. Do not add keywords or suburbs to the name. Google can suspend profiles for that.
- Choose your primary category. This is the single biggest setting for which searches you show up in. Pick the most specific match, such as “Roofing contractor” rather than “Contractor”. You can add secondary categories later.
- Choose your business type:
- Storefront: customers come to you, like a shop, practice or office. Add your street address.
- Service area business: you go to customers, like plumbers, electricians, movers and pest control. Hide your address and list the suburbs or cities you serve.
- Hybrid: both, if customers can visit you and you also travel to them.
- Add your phone number and website. If you do not have a website yet, you can still create the profile.
Step 3: Verify your business
Google needs proof that you run the business before your profile goes fully live. Depending on your business, Google will offer one or more of these: a short video recording, a live video call, a phone or SMS code, an email code or a postcard.
Video verification is the option most businesses now get. In one continuous clip, show:
- Your street signage or branded vehicle, so Google can match the location
- Proof you manage the business, such as unlocking the door, opening the till or showing your tools and equipment
- The surroundings, such as the street or neighbouring shops
Verification can take anything from a few minutes to a few weeks. If it is rejected, do not keep creating new profiles. Fix what was missing and resubmit from the same one.
Step 4: Complete every part of your profile
- Hours, including public holiday hours.
- Services or products, with short descriptions in the words customers use.
- Business description: what you do, where and for whom, in up to 750 characters. No links or sales gimmicks.
- Photos: real ones. Your team, vehicles, finished jobs and premises. Not stock images.
- Attributes that apply to you, such as wheelchair access or online appointments.
- Booking or quote link if you take bookings online.
Step 5: Get reviews and reply to every one
Reviews affect both where you show up and whether people call. In your profile, find the option to ask for reviews and copy your short review link. Send it by WhatsApp or SMS straight after a job, while the customer is happy. Reply to every review, good and bad, within a few days. A calm, specific reply to a bad review often wins more trust than the review loses.
Never buy reviews or offer discounts in exchange for them. Google removes fake reviews and can restrict profiles that collect them.
Step 6: Make your details match everywhere
Google cross-checks your business name, address and phone number across the web. Use exactly the same details on your website, your Facebook page and South African directories such as Brabys, Snupit and Cylex. Old numbers and mismatched addresses confuse both Google and customers.
Step 7: Get your website on Google too
Your Business Profile and your website are listed separately. To make sure Google finds your site:
- Search
site:yourdomain.co.zaon Google. If nothing shows, Google has not indexed your site yet. - Add your site to Google Search Console and verify that you own it.
- Submit your XML sitemap. Our guide to XML sitemaps explains how.
- Use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for your most important pages.
- If pages still do not appear, check for a noindex tag, or work through our guide to pages that are crawled but not indexed.
To check your page speed, titles, sitemap and structured data in one go, run our free SEO checker.
How Google decides who shows up on Google Maps
Google says local results are based on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher, or from the area in the search) and prominence (how well known your business is, from reviews, links and mentions across the web). You can read this in Google’s own guidance on local ranking.
You cannot change distance, but you can work on the other two. A complete profile with the right category improves relevance. Reviews, local links and consistent listings build prominence.
Why is my business not showing on Google?
- Not verified yet. Unverified profiles may not appear in search.
- Wrong primary category. You will not show for “electrician” if your category is “Contractor”.
- Too far from the searcher. On Maps, a business across town often loses to one nearby.
- Suspended profile. Usually caused by keywords in the business name, a virtual office address or duplicate listings.
- Too few reviews compared with the businesses that do show.
- A new website that is not indexed yet, or one blocked by a noindex tag.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my business on Google Maps?
Creating and verifying a Google Business Profile puts you on Google Maps. There is no separate sign-up for Maps.
How long does it take for my business to show on Google?
Once verified, a profile can appear within days. Showing up for competitive searches like “plumber near me” takes longer and depends on your category, reviews, distance and website.
Do I need a physical address to be on Google?
No. Service area businesses can hide their address and list the areas they serve. You still need a real location to verify, and you should not use a virtual office or a PO box.
Can I put my business on Google without a website?
Yes. A Business Profile works without a website, but a site with a page for each service helps you rank and gives Google more reasons to trust you.
Want more calls from Google?
Getting listed is step one. Ranking in the map pack for your best searches takes local SEO. We do this for service businesses as an SEO company in Cape Town working across South Africa, and for home service businesses in the US and UK. If you want leads this week while SEO builds, read how to advertise on Google, or book a discovery call.