How to put your business on Google Maps, step by step

Before you start: what you need

• A Google account. If you are creating a new one, use your business email.
• Your business name exactly as it appears on your sign, invoices or social media.
• The exact address of your premises or, if you visit customers, the list of cities or areas you serve.
• A phone number where you can receive calls or texts, and your website or main social profile if you have one.
• Photos of the outside, the inside and your products or services.

Step 1: create your Business Profile

1. Go to business.google.com/create and sign in with your Google account.
2. Type your business name. If it appears in the suggestions, a profile may already exist: select it to claim it instead of creating another.
3. Choose the primary category: the one that best describes what your business is, such as “Hardware store” or “Beauty salon”.
4. Indicate whether customers can visit you at a location. If so, enter the address and adjust the pin on the map.
5. If you serve customers at their location, add your service areas: cities, neighborhoods or postal codes.
6. Add your phone number and website, and finish the setup.

Do you have premises or visit customers?

Google asks for a single profile per business and service areas no more than about two hours’ drive from where you work.

Step 2: verify that the business is yours

When you finish, Google will ask you to verify the profile. Google decides which methods it offers based on your type of business and area; you cannot choose them. The most common are:

If you verify by video, show in a single take: the outside with your sign, the street or neighboring businesses; your products, equipment or work tools; and something only the owner or manager can show, such as the cash register, the stockroom or unlocking the premises with your key.

Step 3: complete your profile to show up more

• Hours: add them and use special hours on holidays.
• Photos: upload the outside, so people recognize you when they arrive, the inside, your products and your team.
• Description: explain what you do and who you serve, in plain words.
• Products or services: add the main ones, with prices if you use them.
• Additional categories: only those that describe what your business is; don’t use them as keywords.
• Updates: post offers, events or changes to show the business is active.

Step 4: ask for reviews and reply to them

Reviews influence whether a customer chooses you. From your profile you can get a link or QR code to ask for reviews: share it on WhatsApp after each sale or display it at your counter. Reply to every review, including negative ones, respectfully and with a solution. Google prohibits fake reviews and offering discounts or gifts in exchange for them.

Mistakes that can get your profile suspended

• Adding keywords or the city to the name, such as “Pérez Hardware, the best in Santo Domingo”. The name must match your sign.
• Using an address where you don’t serve customers: PO boxes, virtual offices or coworking spaces without your staff.
• Creating several profiles for the same business.
• Showing your home address if you only work at customers’ locations.
• Leaving outdated hours or phone numbers.

Frequently asked questions