Set Up and Maintain Your Google Business Profile

What is a Google Business Profile and what does it do for you?

The Google Business Profile is your free listing in Google Search and Google Maps. There customers see address, phone number, opening hours, photos and reviews before they open your website. For businesses with a fixed location, this is often the first contact: someone searching for “carpenter near me” sees the map with listings first.

According to the Google Help, creating and claiming a profile costs nothing. You only pay with time: setting up, verifying and maintaining it now and then. Important: the profile does not replace a website. It points to it, and both should show the same details.

How do you set up your business profile step by step?

You need a Google account and your business details. Plan about half an hour, not counting the wait for verification. The order is simple.

1. Create the profile

   Open business.google.com/add and choose “Add your business to Google”. Sign in with a Google account that someone at the business will still be able to access later.

2. Enter business details

   Name, category, address or service area, phone number and website. The address must be correct and comply with the guidelines, otherwise verification fails.

3. Choose verification

   Depending on the business, Google offers phone call or text, email, video call or postcard. Google decides which method is possible.

4. Enter the code

   Enter the code as soon as it arrives. Do not change the name and address again during verification.

5. Complete the profile

   Add opening hours, services, photos and a short description. Only a complete profile looks trustworthy.

Is your business already on Google Maps because someone added it? Then you do not create anything new. Find the listing in Google Maps, choose “Claim this business” and verify it. Otherwise you end up with duplicate listings.

How does verification work and how long does it take?

The fastest method is usually a code by phone, text or email. For the postcard you need some patience: according to Google, most codes arrive within 14 days, and after you enter it, Google reviews for up to five business days. The code expires after 30 days.

What belongs in a complete profile?

Google ranks local results by three criteria: relevance, distance and prominence. You have no influence on distance. You control relevance through complete and accurate details, and prominence partly through reviews and links from other websites (Google Help on local ranking). According to Google, you cannot improve your placement, not even by paying.

Name and category: keep it sober

The guidelines require the name to match the name of the real business. Slogans, phone numbers, opening hours and legal additions such as GmbH without proof do not belong in it. For the category, Google recommends focusing on specific categories. The system adds related categories itself.

Photos and opening hours: what customers see first

With photos and videos you show what you offer. Use your own pictures: workshop, practice rooms, dishes, the team at work. You can read more in our guide on whether your own photos or stock images are better. Enter the regular opening hours and change them as soon as anything shifts. A customer who stands in front of a locked door often writes the first bad review.

How do you handle reviews?

Reply to reviews, including critical ones. Google recommends replying in a constructive and friendly way. Your profile has to be verified for this, and Google checks your reply before publishing it. According to Google, this usually takes about ten minutes, in some cases longer.

The Maps policy prohibits incentives such as payments, discounts or free services for reviews. Pressuring customers on site into a review is not allowed either. What is allowed is asking for reviews that reflect an actual experience, without offering an incentive. A link or QR code on the invoice is therefore a clean way. How you can also show good feedback on your website is covered in the guide on customer reviews on your own website.

How do you maintain the profile without much effort?

Set a fixed date, for example at the start of the month, with ten minutes of tasks. A small business usually needs no more than that.

• Check opening hours, vacation and public holidays
• Read and answer new reviews
• Upload two or three current photos
• Test the phone number and website link
• Add services when you offer something new

What does the website add on top of the profile?

The profile shows the basics, the website explains you. Whoever clicks the link expects a page that loads on a phone, quickly shows phone and address, and looks up to date. If it does not, prospects drop off even though your profile convinced them. How to recognize this is explained in Outdated website? 8 signs you need a relaunch. What a new site costs is covered in our guides.

Weblift rebuilds outdated websites for small businesses. You see the finished preview before you order. The current prices are on the Pricing page, and you will find the process under How it works.

Note: The information is based on the Google Help pages, retrieved on 2026-10-05. Google occasionally changes interfaces and rules. Check the linked pages if something looks different in your profile.