Set up a Google Business Profile

Creating and managing your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is free and easy. Visit Google’s business page, create or claim your Google business listing, and include your business address, contact information, and business photos to help Google properly categorize your business. Then make sure to keep your information up to date and respond quickly to customer reviews to increase your visibility among local Google users.

1. Create a Google Business profile account or claim your listing

To create an account, go to the Google Business Profile page and click “Manage Now” in the top right corner. On the next screen you will be asked for the name of your company.

Enter your business name under the ‘Business Name’ tile, then find and claim your listing or create one for your business. Then add your business information, including your business category and service locations, and complete the signup by providing your business contact information.

You will also be asked if you serve customers outside of your business location. This refers to the immediate vicinity of your address. If you only serve customers locally, click ‘No’. But if you also serve customers outside of your location, you should specify where people searching for your business in those areas can find you.

Pro tip: wekreate makes managing your Google Business Profile and other business listings a breeze. We will create and update your listings to ensure your information is accurate and consistent wherever it appears on the web, monitor your brand’s reputation online, and even allow you to manage responses to all of your reviews from a central dashboard.

2. Verify your Google My Business listing

The next step is to verify your business through the mail. Alternatively, some businesses are also eligible for verification via phone, email, video recording, or Search Console. Once your business is verified, your profile will go live.

We’ll show you how to verify your business via email, as all businesses are eligible for verification this way. To do this, all you need to do is request a postcard to be sent to your business address (it will take approximately 14 days to receive it).

Once you’ve received your postcard in the mail, sign in to your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) account again. Click “Enter Code” in the left dashboard menu. Enter your postcard’s five-digit verification code in the code field. Click on ‘Send’. This will verify your account.

3. Add opening hours and description

Then add more details about your business by entering things like your hours of operation and a business description. To add hours, go to the home tab of your dashboard and click the + next to “Add Hours” under the “Complete Your Business Profile” option tile.

To add a business description, click ‘Add description’ on the same tile. Adding your hours of operation will let people know when to visit your store or call your business, while the description will help introduce people to your brand and products.

Click the “Add Hours” link on the home tab of your Google My Business dashboard. Then use the toggle button next to each weekday to indicate whether your business is open or closed.

When you set the button to “Open”, you will be given rules to enter the times you open and close. If you’re open at some set times of the day (such as 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm), you can click ‘Add hours’ next to each day to add more hours. When you’re done, click ‘Apply’.

Add a business description

Add a business description to Google My Business

Then go back to the Home tab on your Google My Business dashboard and click “Add Description” under the “Complete Your Business Profile” tile. Include a description of 750 characters or less that contains the most compelling information first, as Google only displays the first 250 characters in search results.

To make your description as effective as possible, include keywords that customers use to find your business or products online and include your mission statement as well. To gather this information, conduct search engine optimization (SEO) keyword research and outline your company’s unique value proposition (UVP). After filling in the description, click on ‘Apply’.

This business description is reviewed by Google before being approved and published. Follow Google’s best practices when writing to ensure your description gets published. These include avoiding excessive advertising, editing typos and grammatical errors, and excluding hateful or other offensive statements.

4. Add company photos and videos

Add photos to your Google Business Profile

After verifying your account, you can start uploading content, including media. Some of the options for including visuals in your Google business profile include a logo, videos, a cover photo, and business interior photos, in addition to the standard 360-degree images from Google Maps.

To upload these types of elements, simply click on “Photos” in the dashboard menu on the left. Then click “Choose Photo” under the type of photo or media file you want to add.

Here are the types of images you can add to your Google Business Profile and how to add them:

• Logo: Your logo is your avatar when you post photos or respond to reviews. Click “Choose Photo” in the Logo tile to add a logo.
• Cover: Choose a cover photo that best showcases your company’s unique brand and value. This photo appears when people see your business listing on Google search pages and Google Maps. Click “Choose Photo” in the “Cover” tile to add your cover photo.
• Videos: The video feature allows you to add a short video of up to 30 seconds. Videos appear on your listing page and are great for showing why your business is unique. To add one, click “Add Videos” in the “Video” tile.
• Interior photos: These photos show the inside of the shop or offices of your company and thus emphasize the atmosphere and the offer. Like videos, interior photos will appear on your listing page. Add interior photos via the “Add Photos” button in the “Interior” tile.
• Exterior photos: These photos should clearly show the outside of your venue so that your customers can find you in person. These will also appear on your listing page. To add exterior photos, click “Add Photos” in the “Exterior” tile.

Google recommends adding photos in JPG or PNG format with a minimum resolution of 720 x 720 pixels and between 10 KB and 5 MB. Videos must be no longer than 30 seconds, have a resolution of 720 pixels or higher, and no larger than 100 MB.

5. Confirm business attributes

Add attributes to a Google Business Profile page

Attributes describe your company’s key features, features, or offerings. These include options such as Wi-Fi, female-owned, pet-friendly, and wheelchair accessible.

Based on the category you chose when you created your account, Google Business Profile (GBP) will automatically provide attributes for you to confirm. When you do this, your business listing will include a badge letting users know that this attribute applies. Access, review and confirm it via the ‘Info’ tab on the GBP dashboard.

To add a company attribute to your listing, click the “Info” tab in the left menu of your profile, then click “Attributes”. Click the plus sign next to the already set attributes that you want to confirm for your company. Then click on ‘Apply’.

Tips to optimize and manage your Google Business Profile

Even after your Google business profile goes live, you still need to actively manage it to keep your business relevant to Google. Encourage and answer reviews, answer customer questions, and update your profile with new business information and posts as needed.

Here are six key ways to optimize and manage your Google Business Profile

Benefits of a Google Business Profile

Google is the most popular search engine and therefore a very useful tool for generating leads and sales, also for local businesses. According to BrightLocal, 81% of customers use Google to evaluate local businesses.

Here are other benefits of having a Google Business Profile:

• Map exposure: 86% of people look up the location of businesses through Google Maps. That’s a huge number of potential customers, especially since Maps has a feature called Google Local Pack (GLP). The GLP is the multiple business locations a searcher sees related to their original Google search.
• Connect with customers: Your Google Business Profile allows you to interact with prospects and customers by answering questions and responding to reviews. 89% of customers are more likely to use a company that responds to their reviews.
• Cost-effective way to get more visibility: Unlike digital or traditional ads, which often cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, creating and maintaining your Google business listing is completely free. This makes it a very efficient way to boost local search engine optimization (SEO).

Is a Google business profile suitable for?

A Google business profile is best for all businesses looking to increase their visibility in Google search results. However, it’s also particularly helpful for local businesses who want to make sure nearby customers can find them through region-specific Google searches. Because Google Business Profile allows you to add multiple locations that you serve, it can also be a good option for franchisees or service organizations that travel to meet customer needs.

Here are the types of businesses that would benefit from setting up a Google Business Profile page:

• Local physical stores: Google Business Profile provides features to showcase a physical business (including location photos, videos, and customer reviews) and show local customers how to contact and visit the business (via directions to the business, phone – and address details and opening hours).
• Franchises: Franchisees can set up multiple store locations so that when people search near one of their stores for their products, brands, names, or services, the closest business location is shown.
• Service Businesses: Business owners can specify the areas they serve by entering states, cities, and zip codes. This allows them to accurately target all the potential customers who could benefit from what they offer.
• Customer-based businesses: Your profile can be optimized for online search with SEO keywords. A well-optimized Google business listing often appears next to organic search results, making it easy for customers to find your business, whether you have a physical location or offer your services to your customers (e.g., and marketing consultants and contractors).
• Media-forward businesses: The images and videos you add to your Google business profile enrich your listing (which Google loves) and are more compelling than text alone when people discover your profile in online searches. This makes it a must for local photographers and videographers.

Frequently Asked Questions

1Is a Google Business Profile free?

Yes, it’s free to create a Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business). By using the platform you can display all kinds of information. Information such as company description, photos, contact information, questions and also posts. You can also view the analysis report, in which you can mainly find out how the interaction with your visitors is going. All features are free to set up.

2How do I get my business on Google maps?

When you have correctly created the Google business profile of your company and completed all steps including the address details, your company will be shown on Google maps.

3Does every business need a Google Business Profile?

Any company that wants maximum visibility both online and offline should create a company profile on Google. Only if your business activities take place entirely online, in which case you are NOT allowed to create a Google business profile according to the guidelines.

Bottom Line

Google Business Profile (GBP) is an online business directory where companies publish business information, announcements and updates. Creating and managing a GBP is completely free and is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase visibility in online searches. Learn more about the benefits of being found on Google in our 11-key Google stats article.