Google My Business—now called Google Business Profile—allows business owners to reach customers via Google Search and Google Maps.

Maintaining a Business Profile helps you increase your visibility on Google, gain credibility with reviews, and control your business information.

In this article, we’ll cover:

Why you should have a Google Business Profile for your business
How to set up your Google Business Profile
How to optimize your Google My Business profile
Frequently asked questions
To start, let’s cover the basics of Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business.

What Is Google My Business (Now Known as Google Business Profile)? 
Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free tool that allows you to influence how your business appears on Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping.

Using this tool lets you connect with customers, post business updates, list products or services, and more.

Here’s what GBP looks like:

Thierry Alberni business profile
Even if you don’t have a storefront, you can still have an account so long as you have contact with customers.

For example, if you’re a plumber, you may only see customers at their homes. But you can still have a Google Business Profile. 

Is Google Business Profile Free?
It’s 100% free to create and manage your Google Business Profile.

And you can get a lot out of it without paying a cent.

What Are the Benefits of Google My Business? 
There are three main benefits of maintaining a Google Business Profile:

Increase visibility on Google
Gain credibility with reviews
Share business information with customers
Let’s look at each one in more detail.

Increase Visibility on Google
When you search for a business in Google, you’ve probably noticed the map and accompanying list of businesses that can appear at the top of the search results. This is called the "local pack" or “map pack.”

Here’s what it looks like:

grocery stores map pack in Google
The local pack appears for location-specific queries (or search terms that suggest location, like “restaurants near me”). It includes Google Maps results and business information.

local search results
Businesses with well-optimized Google Business Profiles are much more likely to appear in these results.

Mobile searches that include phrases like “where to buy” and “near me” have increased over 200% in recent years.

These are considered “discovery searches.” Instead of looking for a particular brand, users are looking more generally for a category. 

So if a user is physically near your business and searches for a general term like “restaurant,” your business is more likely to pop up as a geolocated result if it’s well-optimized (we’ll get into more optimization tips later).

Like this:

restaurant map
Gain Credibility with Reviews
98% of users read online reviews for local businesses. 

The star rating next to business names on Google Maps (which ranges from 1-5) is a cumulation of reviews.

reviews for Miku Vancouver
Reviews provide valuable feedback about your business. You can reply to reviews, which can help build trust with your customers.

Customers don’t expect 100% perfect reviews, though. According to Google, a mix of positive and negative reviews is actually more trustworthy.

Responding to reviews—both good and bad—is a great way to build trust and credibility with your current and future customers.

Share Business Information With Customers
You can display your business hours, contact information, services, and more through your Google Business Profile.

Additionally, you can update your customers about temporary changes. For example, you can display holiday hours or mark your business as temporarily closed or fully reopened.

How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile From Scratch
If your Business Profile already exists and you only need to claim it, skip these steps and head to the next section. If not you’re starting from scratch—follow along:

Step 1: Go to Google Maps and Add Your Business
To get started, navigate to Google Maps and open the menu by hitting the button on the top left corner of the page.

Google Maps dropdown
On the menu, look for the “Add your business” button.

Add your business button
Step 2: Create Your Business Account
If you already have a business account, simply sign into your account and skip this section.

If you don’t have an account, follow along to create a new one.

Click on the “Create account” button and choose “To manage my business” from the drop-down menu.

Sign into Google to manage your business
Then, fill out your information (e.g., your name, preferred username, etc.), and click the “Next” button.

Create your Google account
After that, you’ll need to verify your identity with a phone number.

Verify your phone number
Google will ask for a few more details, then send you to their terms and conditions page.

Google Business Profile setup
Hit the “Agree” button on the terms and conditions page to start setting up your profile.

agree to combining data
Step 3: Fill Out Your Business Name and Category
Now it’s time to set up your Business Profile. The first step is to choose your business name and category.

Start building your business profile
First, type out your business name. As you type, Google will show you a list of existing businesses in its database.

Adding business name
If your business is on the list, skip to the next step to learn how to claim your business. If it’s not, fully type out your business name.

Write your business name exactly as is. (Don’t try to stuff your business name with keywords, as Google may suspend your account. You’ll add relevant keywords in your Business Description later.)

Next, start typing out your business category and choose one from the list:

business category search
Your business category tells Google what kind of business you have, making it more searchable.

You can always change your business category or add more categories later.

Step 4: Add Your Location
Next, add a location if you have a physical location. While this is usually an optional step, some business categories, like “Restaurant,” require you to add a location.

If you don’t have a storefront, choose “no” to skip this step.

add a location
If you choose “yes,” Google will ask you for your location’s address. Searchers will see your address on Google Maps, so make sure you enter an accurate location.

add your address
Google also uses your address to give you a list of potential duplicate listings.

If one of the duplicate listings is yours, skip to the next step to learn how to claim your business. If not, select “None of these.”

None of these button
Step 5: Choose Your Service Area
This step will look different based on whether you added a business address.

If you added a business address, this step is optional. Google will ask you if you provide deliveries or home and office visits. 

Adding business delivery information
Choose “Yes” to tell searchers what areas are within your reach.

Choose “No” to skip to the next step.

search and select business areas
If you didn’t add a business address, then you can’t skip this step. Simply choose an area from Google’s suggestions or start typing the name of the area you serve.

search and select business areas from Google's suggestions
Step 6: Add Your Contact Information
Next, add your phone number and website URL, if you have one.

add contact info
Searchers will find and contact you through your provided contact information, so double check that it’s correct.

Step 7: Opt In to Updates and Recommendations
Google will now ask if you’d like to opt in to updates and recommendations for your GBP. We recommend selecting “yes” so you can hear about best practices directly from Google.

Selecting "yes" or "no" for Google recommendations
Step 8: Verify Your Listing
Your Business Profile won’t become searchable until you verify it. So while you have the option to skip business verification during your initial setup, you’ll need to verify your listing eventually.

There are five ways to verify your listing:

By phone. You’ll receive a Google automated call or text with your verification code.
By email. You will receive an email containing your verification code.
By postcard. You will receive a postcard at your registered address containing your verification code.
By video recording. Record a video that shows proof of location, your business equipment, and that you are indeed an authorized manager of the business.
By live video call. Show the same proof for the video recording, but on a live call with a support representative.
Your verification options change depending on whether or not you’ve added a location. If you have a physical location, then you need to verify your business by postcard.

select postcard by mail
The postcard contains a five-digit code, which you’ll enter when logged into your account.

If your business doesn’t have a physical location, you will need to enter your personal address for verification purposes.

Verify mailing address
After which, you can choose between receiving a phone call, text message, or one of the “Other options.”

more verification options
If the available verification options for your business don’t work for you, you can contact the Google Business Profile team through their help center.

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