How to add your business to Google Maps (step by step)
First search for your business on Google Maps. If it's there, select Claim this business. If it isn't, go to business.google.com/add, select Add your business to Google, fill in your details and choose a verification method. Once Google verifies you, your profile can appear on Maps and Search — and it's free.
Sources checked 8 November 2026. Written by Firstcliq, which sells automatic review replies — so every claim about Google links to Google or to the article it comes from.
Your listing on Google Maps is called a Google Business Profile (it used to be Google My Business). It's what people see when they search for you or for “near me”: your address, hours, phone, photos and reviews. This guide takes you from nothing to a verified profile, with every step checked against Google's own help pages.
From nothing to a verified profile
Four steps: 1 check whether your business is already on Google Maps, 2 claim it or add it, 3 fill in the details, 4 verify.
Before you start: can your business be on Google Maps?
- You meet customers in person. Google's rules cover businesses that have a location customers can visit, or that travel to their customers. Purely online businesses aren't covered.
- A real address. A virtual office or rented mailing address where you don't work isn't eligible, and P.O. boxes aren't accepted.
- One profile per business, one per location. Don't create a second profile for the same place.
- A Google Account you'll keep — ideally a business one, not a staff member's personal account.
Which kind of business are you?
Two options. Customers come to you: show your address, for shops, restaurants, clinics, salons and offices. You go to customers: hide your address and set a service area within about 2 hours' drive, for plumbers, cleaners and mobile services.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Google
Step 1: check whether you're already on Google Maps
Customers, Google or a previous owner may have added your business already. Creating a second profile makes a duplicate, so always search first.
If you find it — claim it on a computer:
- Open Google Maps and search your business name and city.
- Select your business, then Claim this business → Manage now.
- Choose a verification option and follow the steps on screen.
Or in the Google Maps app:
- Search the business name and open the right result.
- Tap About, then Claim this business → Manage now.
- Choose a verification option and follow the steps.
If you don't see “Claim this business”, someone has already verified the profile. You can request ownership from them: Google emails the current owner, who has three days to respond.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — How to add or claim your Business Profile on Google · Google Business Profile Help — Request ownership of a Business Profile
Step 2: add your business to Google
- On a computer, go to business.google.com/add and sign in with the Google Account you'll use for the business.
- Select Add your business to Google.
- Enter your business details, following the steps on screen (the fields are explained below).
- Choose a verification option and complete the steps.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — How to add or claim your Business Profile on Google
Step 3: fill in each field the right way
Details that break Google's guidelines can make verification fail or get a profile suspended. Get these right first time:
The fields that matter most
Business name: your real-world name only, no keywords or city. Category: the main thing you do. Location: an exact address customers can visit, no virtual offices or P.O. boxes. Service area: only if you travel to customers, then hide your address. Phone and website: a number answered during your hours and your own site.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Google · Google Business Profile Help — Verify your business on Google
Step 4: verify your business
Google picks which methods you can use, based on your business type, public information, region and hours. You can't choose one that isn't offered.
Verification methods Google may offer
Phone or text: enter the code you receive; a phone menu can't receive it. Email: follow the steps in the email. Live video call: during your business hours, at the location. Video recording: film your location if eligible. Postcard: usually arrives within 14 days, code expires after 30 days.
While you wait
- Don't edit your business name, address or category — it can invalidate a postcard code.
- Never share your verification code, even with people who manage your profile. Google will never ask you for it.
- If Get verified appears again, Google couldn't verify you: try again or use another method offered.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Verify your business on Google
After you're verified: make the profile work
- Complete everything: hours, photos, a description and your products or services. Check yours with our free Google profile check.
- Ask every customer for a review with a Google link or QR code. Google forbids offering discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews.
- Reply to every review. See our review reply examples.
- Working with an agency? Add them as a Manager, never share your password — here's how.
- More than one branch? Read how to manage several locations from one account.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — Tips to write better review replies · Google Business Profile Help — Third-party policies
If something goes wrong
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Claim this business" isn't there | Someone already verified it. Request ownership — the owner has three days to respond. |
| "Get verified" came back | Google couldn't verify you. Try again, or choose another method if one is offered. |
| My video verification shows "Review issues" | The video wasn't accepted. Select Review issues and follow the steps on screen. |
| The postcard never arrived | Allow 14 days. Don't request a new code early: it cancels the first one. |
| The verification code didn't come by phone | A phone menu (IVR) can't receive it. Use a line someone answers, or another method. |
| I work from home | If customers don't visit you, set up a service-area business and hide your address. |
Sources: Google Business Profile Help — How to add or claim your Business Profile on Google · Google Business Profile Help — Verify your business on Google · Google Business Profile Help — Request ownership of a Business Profile
Once you're live, keep up with reviews
A new profile gets its first reviews quickly, and how you answer them is public. Firstcliq connects to your verified profile and answers every review in your tone and your customer's language, while 1–2★ reviews wait for your approval. It's free for one location — see how it works.
Questions
Is it free to add my business to Google Maps?
Yes. Creating and verifying a Business Profile costs nothing. Google's own policy for third parties says the Business Profile is a free product, so be wary of anyone who charges you just to be "listed".
How long does it take for my business to appear on Google Maps?
Creating the profile takes a few minutes. Verification is the slow part: Google says verification reviews take up to 5 business days after you finish the steps, and a postcard code usually arrives within 14 days. Instant verification is only possible through Google Search Console or bulk verification.
Can I add my business to Google Maps without a shop address?
Yes, if you travel to your customers — for example a plumber, cleaner or mobile mechanic. Set it up as a service-area business: Google asks you to hide your address from customers and to keep your service area within about 2 hours' driving from where you're based.
Can I use a virtual office or P.O. box as my address?
No. Google says a rented mailing address where the business doesn't operate isn't eligible for a Business Profile, and P.O. boxes or remote mailboxes aren't acceptable addresses.
My business is already on Google Maps but I didn't create it. What do I do?
Open it on Google Maps and select Claim this business, then Manage now, and verify. If someone else has already verified it, request ownership instead: Google emails the current owner, who has three days to respond.
Which verification method will I get?
Google chooses the methods available to you — phone or text, email, a live video call, a video recording or a postcard — depending on your business type, public information, region and hours. You can't pick a method Google doesn't offer.
Can I put keywords in my business name to rank higher?
No. Google requires your real-world business name; adding taglines, locations or keywords isn't permitted and can get the profile suspended.
I have several branches. Do I add them one by one?
Each location needs its own profile. With fewer than 10 you add and verify them one by one; with 10 or more of the same business you can ask for bulk verification. See our guide to managing several locations.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help — How to add or claim your Business Profile on Google
- Google Business Profile Help — Verify your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help — Request ownership of a Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help — Tips to write better review replies
- Google Business Profile Help — Third-party policies
More guides
- Does Google allow AI replies to reviews?Yes — Google's guidance does not prohibit them, and Google has been testing its own AI reply button. What it checks is what a reply says.
- How to reply to a negative Google reviewReply promptly, address the reviewer and their specific complaint, own what went wrong without taking blame for what didn't, and never share private details.
- Does replying to Google reviews help your ranking?Google does not list replies as a ranking factor. It says review count and ratings help prominence — and that replies help you stand out.
- How to spot and report fake Google reviewsReport it to Google from your Business Profile or the Reviews Management Tool, reply calmly in the meantime, and never buy reviews of your own.
- How Google star ratings are calculatedGoogle says your score is the average of all published ratings. The more reviews you have, the less any single review moves it.
- What is local SEO, and how is it different?Local SEO is getting found by nearby customers on Google Maps and local results. Google ranks those on relevance, distance and prominence.
- How automatic Google review replies save you timeAutomate the routine replies, keep a person on the 1–2★ ones, and add a delay so replies read like a manager who saw the review.
- Buying Google reviews: what happens when Google catches itDon't. Google removes paid reviews, can block new reviews on your profile and warn customers that fake reviews were removed, and in the US and UK buying them breaks the law.
- Buying negative reviews for competitors: is it illegal?Don't. Fake reviews on a competitor break Google's policy, can be traced back to you through the platform, and can mean defamation, unfair-competition or criminal liability depending on the country.
- How local SEO works: the complete step-by-step guideGoogle ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, then the searcher picks one by what your profile shows. This guide covers each lever in order — profile, consistency, reviews, website, posts, tracking — with a 90-day checklist.
- How to give your agency access to your Google Business ProfileAdd your agency as a Manager under Business Profile settings → People and access. You stay the owner; the agency can reply to reviews and update the profile, but can't add people, delete the profile or take ownership.
- Several branches on Google Maps: manage every location from one accountEach branch needs its own Business Profile with the same business name and category. Manage them all from one Google account in Business Profile Manager, share them through a business group, and request bulk verification if you have 10 or more.
- Google review reply examples: 20 templates for positive, neutral and negative reviewsThank the reviewer by name, mention what they said, keep it short, apologise when it's deserved and take problems offline. Below: ready-to-adapt replies for every star rating and tricky case.