How to Add Your Business to Google Maps (July 2024)

Sara MacQueen • May 14, 2024

If you’ve ever wondered how to get listed on Google Maps, you’re in the right place.

A Google Maps business listing is one of the best ways to put your local business in front of potential customers.

It’s also a great way to improve your local SEO and boost your online presence.

And the good news is - a google maps listing is entirely free!

Google Maps examples of what business profiles look like

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through how to create your Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business or GMB listing).

And, so that everything is super clear, I'm including screenshots and photos for each step of adding your business to Google maps!

When we’re done, Google will have the business information they need to add your business profile to Google maps.

This step-by-step guide is current as of July 17, 2024

I’ve included lots of screenshots, but what you see might look a little different. In my experience, Google makes small adjustments to this process often.

With that said, let’s get ready to create your Google business listing so your small business gets found on Google maps.

Who should create our Google business listing?

The business owner is the ideal person to set up your free business profile and add your business to Google maps. Here’s why:

If you enlist an employee to create your profile there is a risk that you’ll lose access to it when that employee leaves (especially if under poor circumstances).

Unfortunately this is something I’ve seen happen.

The same advice goes for having a third party consultant or marketing agency create your business profile. I know it’s tempting. You’re busy and may not enjoy this sort of thing, but the 45 minutes you’ll spend today is worth your peace of mind.

Step-by-Step Process to Add Your Business to Google Maps

First, go to this page to get started.

If you have a google account that you already use professionally (ex. you@yourcompany.com or yourcompany@gmail.com), sign in with it.

If you don’t have a business account, use your personal account (ex. you@gmail.com).

If you’re already signed in, be sure you’re signed in with the account you want your google business profile created under. You can check this by looking at the icon in the top right corner of the page.

Step 1: Business Details

a. Enter your business name

The first step to add your business to Google maps is providing your business name as you want it to appear on the map. You do not necessarily need to include the incorporation identifier (i.e. Inc or Ltd) after your name.

Screenshot of adding your business to google maps - the business name field

For example: Taylor Air and Heating, Ltd. could be just Taylor Air and Heating

And if you do business as a shorter version of your official company name, you can use the short version you’re known by instead.

For Example: Smith Legal Group, Inc. could be Smith Legal if that’s the name you publicly do business as.

Important Tip

It’s good practice to use the same business name that you’re already using in other places that your company is represented on the web. This includes your website, business directories and social media.

Your Google business profile is part of your company’s digital footprint. It’s important that the name of your business is consistent so that search engines recognize your company everywhere it is on the web.

This builds trust and authority.

b. Choose your business type

Be sure to select ALL that apply. Here is an overview of your options:

Online retail

If your business sells products that can be purchased directly through your website - select “Online retail”. If customers can not purchase products through your website, do not select Online Retail.

If you select online retail, you’ll be asked to provide the URL of your website on the next page. Enter the URL where customers can purchase products. If you don’t have a website yet, it’s OK to skip that step for now.

Screenshot of adding your business to google maps - this is where you add your online store's website URL

Local store

You're a Local Store if you have a storefront or office that customers can visit in person. This includes restaurants, law firms, retail stores and any business that has a physical office space or shopfront.

Service business

If your business does not have a physical location, or you don’t accept in person visits from customers AND you’re not an online store, you’re probably what Google considers a service business.

As a service business, your employees go to your customers’ location rather than having customers visit you. Or you may provide your services virtually.

Examples of a service business are: house cleaners, some real estate agents, companies with an all-remote workforce and no office.

c) Choose a business category

Next you’ll choose a category for your business. Start typing what you think your category is (for example: HVAC, restaurant, pool cleaning) and Google will show options to select.

You won’t be able to create your own category. Find the best match from those that Google provides, or try different search terms if you aren’t finding a good match.

You’re allowed one category for now and can change it or add more after your business profile is published.

d) Business address or business area

Business address

If you selected online retail or local store as your business type, you’ll be asked for your physical address.

Provide your street address here. This address will be published publicly on Google Maps.

Sharing your physical address makes it possible for Google maps to provide directions and show your location on the map.

It’s important that you have a unique address for your business that isn’t shared with other businesses on Google maps. While Google used to be quite lenient about virtual office addresses and shared spaces, this is no longer the case.

Business area

If you selected Service Business as your business type, you’ll be asked to provide the area you service. This means any cities, regions or an entire state where your employees travel to service customers.

Important Tip

You can add as many service areas (ex. Cities and towns) as needed to cover your territory. But Google advises that a service area shouldn’t extend beyond two hours of driving.

FYI - Google will not publish the exact location of your business if you select that you’re a service business

d) Contact details

What contact details do you want customers to see when they find you on Google Maps? Enter your business phone number and website (if you have one) now.

Ensure the phone number you provide here is the same phone number you use on your website and other digital properties. Just like having a consistent business name across the web is important, so is having a consistent phone number.

A website isn’t required, but it is a great way to provide potential customers with additional information about your business. If you need a website, we provide small business website design at affordable prices.

Next, opt-in or out of marketing and promotions

Here's your chance to receive marketing, tips and promotions from Google. Or not.

Step 2: Get Verified

Before publishing your business profile, Google will verify that your business is real and you’re not a robot in another country creating thousands of fake business profiles.

Google has a number of ways they verify new business profiles. They may verify your business by text, phone call, a verification pin or asking you to send them a video.

Screenshot of entering your company mailing address to get verified by Google so your business can be on Google maps

Sometimes you will verify through one method (such as a text) and then be asked to verify through another method. This can be frustrating as just when you think the first and easiest verification option worked - you’re asked to do another.

Screenshot showing some of the ways that Google might verified your identity when creating a business listing. This screenshot shows a phone call or business video.

In some cases you may have to go through ALL the verification methods.

The verification process for new businesses is sometimes instantaneous. Or if you're asked to send in a video and wait for a real person at Google to review it, it can take a couple weeks.

Step 3: Add Your Services

Next, add the services your business provides so that potential customers searching Google maps for those services will find you.

Google will make some suggestions about services based on the business category you selected earlier. Click on all that apply.

If you don’t see a service you offer, create your own by adding a custom service.

Step 4: Business Hours

Your business hours will appear front and center on Google maps. It’s important not to skip this step as potential customers may want to know if they can call or stop by - right now.

Start by selecting the toggle to indicate the days of the week your business is open. Then enter your opening hours.

Screenshot showing how to add hours to your google business listing.

If you close for lunch, then reopen, enter your morning hours then click the “Add hours” link.

Screenshot showing how to add more hours to your google maps listing

Now add your afternoon opening hours.

Screenshot showing how to add afternoon opening hours to your google business listing

Step 5: Add a Business Description

Your business description is an important part of your google business profile. This is where you describe your business, the services or products you offer and invite potential customers to visit you in person, on the web or make a phone call.

How to add a description of your business to Google maps

Having an accurate business description is also a great way to ensure you get found for local searches.

For example, if your business is a landscaping company, be sure to mention all the landscaping services you provide. When potential customers search for providers of those services, your business will get found.

If you’re short on time right now, just type in your elevator pitch. You can go back later and write a longer business description.

Step 6: Add Photos

Photos (and videos) are oh so important for enhancing the appearance of your business listing on google maps.

See the below screenshots of how some local searches appear on a smartphone.

Mobile phone screenshot showing a search for local interior designers

Mobile phone screenshot showing a search for local breweries

Not only do photos make your business profile look more appealing to potential customers, they also increase interaction.

According to Google, business profiles with photos receive 35% more clicks to their website than businesses that don’t.

Compelling research by BrightLocal which analyzed data from 45,000 businesses across 36 different industries found that:

Businesses with 1 photo get 12 website visits/month and 4 phone calls
Businesses with 6-10 photos get 26 website visits/month and 12 phone calls
Businesses with 100+ photos get 385 website visits/month and 87 phone calls

Graph from BrightLocal showing average monthly customer actions on Google maps by number of images

So how many photos should you upload? As many as possible while keeping quality and relevance in mind.

But at minimum, upload your logo and a couple pictures that capture the essence of your business.

If you don't already have photos to use, I highly recommend hiring a professional photographer.

A professional photographer, such as Headshot Love in Asheville, will travel to your place of business (or join your team in the field) to take photos that you can use on here, on your website and social media. Professional photos are a worthwhile investment.

Here are some ideas for photos:

Interior and exterior photos of your office or retail store
Street view photos of your storefront
Photos of your products (ex. restaurants can share photos of menu items)
Photos of your team at work (at your location or in the field)
A team photo (or headshot if you’re a solopreneur)
Screenshots of your work if you’re a digital creator

Step 7: Final Steps

Next, Google may present an offer to advertise your business. You can skip this for now.

Screenshot showing Google trying to sell your new business advertising

And then an FYI that your business will not be publicly visible until they verify you. Once the verification process is complete you will receive a notification.

Alert: your edits will be visible once you're verified

And that's it. Now it's just a matter of waiting for your business profile to get verified before you'll see your company on Google maps.

How long does it take to get your Google business profile verified?

The verification process for Google business profiles is sometimes instant. In my experience, if you already have a verified business profile, Google may give your new business instant approval.

But don't count on instant approval. Google warns that the verification process can take up to 5 days. And I have a business owner friend who had to go through all of the verifications options, and it took several weeks.

How to Manage Your Google Business Profile

To manage your business profile or check the status of your verification, go to Google’s dashboard and sign in with the same account as you used to create the profile.

Once signed in, click on the business profile you want to manage.

Then you’ll be able to edit your profile, add more photos, ask for reviews, view your profile’s performance and more.

The ‘Ask for Reviews’ feature is a great way to get positive reviews.

Just click the "Ask for Reviews" button and Google will generate a special link for your business. Send this to happy customers and ask them to review your business if they are completely satisfied.

About the Author: Sara MacQueen

Sara is the Owner and Creative Director at Bonfire Creative - Affordable web design for Local Businesses. Find her on LinkedIn or reach out via our contact page.

More Resources for Business Owners

How to Create a Business Email Address At Your Domain

By Sara MacQueen • June 6, 2024

If your small business is currently using Gmail for your business email address - or any other generic free email provider - I’m going to walk you through how to create a business email address that uses your company’s domain name. Having a business email address is the difference between yourcompanyname@gmail.com versus you@yourcompanyname.com . Business email = you@yourcompanyname.com Judging by the number of business cards I see with an @gmail.com email address - I presume that how to create a business address isn’t common knowledge. And when Google makes it so easy to create a generic gmail address, it’s hard to resist. But, if you’re a small business owner using gmail, I urge you to take a little extra time and get started with business email instead. And if you need some convincing, here are a few reasons why I recommend business email over generic email for small businesses. 3 Benefits of a Business Email Address 1. Builds credibility and trust A business email address brings credibility and professionalism to your business. It helps you look more established and therefore, more trustworthy. Credibility and trust are the most important of the reasons why you should have a business email address. When potential customers see a gmail address they may assume you’re just getting started…even if you actually have a decade or more of experience. Email at your domain name is an easy way to convey that you’re established from the get-go. 2. Branding Email at your company’s domain name is great for branding. Everytime you email a customer, partner or anyone else - they will see your domain name and company name. And once someone knows your email address, they’ll be able to find you on the web without separately searching for your website address. 3. Email addresses for your entire team Another reason to consider a business email address is that you can give everyone you hire their own email address at your domain name. Rather than a bunch of disparate gmail addresses. As you grow this will be incredibly important for instilling trust in people who receive email from your employees. It silently says “Yes, this is a real employee at our company”. Even if you’re just getting started in your business, and the only employee, it’s nice to hit the ground running with email at your domain name so you don’t have to change in the future when you do hire people. 5 Ways to Get Business Email (free and paid options) So what are the options for setting up a business email address. And are there free business email providers you can use? I’ll start off with what we use here at Bonfire Creative and other businesses I’ve owned. Our business email is not free, but it’s full of handy features and very easy to set up. So let's dive in! 1. Google Workspace [$6 per month] At Bonfire Creative we have our business email through a Google Workspace plan. Google Workspace costs just $6 per month per user and includes: Business email at our domain name Read our email on the web or via an app on mobile devices Google Calendar for sending meeting invites and managing our day Google Docs, spreadsheets and presentation software Google Drive folders we can share among our team and use to keep client information (ex. logos, website images) securely filed in the cloud so anyone on our team can access it Google Meet (a competitor to Zoom that saves us $15 per month per team member that we were spending on Zoom) A Google Workspace account is the professional version of Gmail and made specifically for businesses. If you have a domain name already, all you need to do is create an account and you’ll have business email the same day. And Google provides an easy step by step wizard to create an account . If you need help setting up business email, you can hire our web design company for some consulting hours and we’ll get you up and running in no time. 2. Zoho Mail [free plan available] Zoho is another provider of secure business email accounts. At the time I’m writing this, Zoho offers a free business email plan with limited features. The free business email plan includes up to 5 users and 5GB of storage per user. You’ll be able to read your email through their website or from mobile devices through their app. If you’d like more features, and storage space, you can upgrade to a paid business email plan. Paid accounts with Zoho Mail cost between $1 and $4 per user per month depending on the plan you chose and what features you need. Paid features include those that are similar to Google Workspace; such as documents, online meeting software and a company intranet. Zoho Mail is definitely an option worth considering. Personally I tried it a few years back and didn’t enjoy the user experience, so I switched to Google Workspace at that time. 3. Email provided by your web host [free with web hosting plan] Some web hosting companies, such as GoDaddy include free email as part of their web hosting plans. A free email address through your web hosting company won’t include features like calendar, document sharing and virtual meeting software - but if you don’t need these things that’s less of a draw back. Another consideration with email through your web hosting provider is that, in my experience, it’s complicated to set up. Especially if you want to use an app to read and reply to email from your smartphone. The web-based interface for accessing your email can be quite outdated and clunky as well. But that’s just my experience from years gone by. Email is not the primary business that web hosts are in, so innovation isn't a top priority. How to set up a business email address with your web host will vary by provider. I recommend reaching out to your web host directly, or consult their help documents. 4. Microsoft Outlook [starts at $6 per month] Microsoft is another company that provides business email plans under the brand name “Microsoft 365”. Their basic business email plan is $6 per month per user and includes business email at your domain name and plenty of storage. Unlike with Google Workspace, the $6 per month plan is pretty much just email. You’ll need to pay $12.50+ per month if you want extra features like Word and Powerpoint. I personally prefer the simplicity of Google Workspace, but if you want everyone on your team to have use of other Microsoft products, this upgrade option may be a big selling point. Visit Microsoft Outlook for more information. 5. Fastmail [$5 per month] If you’re leery of using the big email providers like Google and Microsoft for your business email, or just want another option - Fast Mail steps in. Fastmail's business email plans with a custom domain name cost $5 per user per month. This includes email and calendar. But you won’t get any of the document management features that their competitors like Google and Zoho provide for a similar price. My opinion on the best business email provider Personally I’m a big fan of Google Workspace and it’s what we use here at the website design company I own - Bonfire Creative. A close second is Zoho Mail. Zoho will save you a couple dollars per user per month. If their features work for you, and you like the look and feel of things, then they may be the right choice for your small business. While I’m all for saving money wherever you can, business email is one of things I consider a worthwhile investment. If you need help setting up your business email and want to hire us for some consulting hours to get you up and running, please reach out .

How to Remove Fake Google Reviews in 2024 (Free Guide)

By Sara MacQueen • May 21, 2024

If you’re here, the dreaded might have happened and you’re desperately, urgently needing to know how to remove a fake Google review for your business. If the review on your Google business profile is fake, you can rest assured knowing that Google also wants it removed. In fact, Google provides a number of steps you can take to bring the fake review to their attention and request that they delete it. In this step-by-step guide I’ll walk you through how to get fake online reviews deleted and removed from Google maps.