November 4, 2026
Adding your business to Google Maps means creating a Google Business Profile, and Google says you can add or claim your business at no charge. This guide covers who is eligible, the steps, the naming and address rules, how verification works, and what to do first once you are live.
The short answer: first check that no profile for your business already exists, then go to business.google.com/add, enter your details, and verify the business by one of the methods Google offers. Use your real-world name and an accurate address, and do not create a second profile for the same location.
Everything below was checked against Google's own help pages. Where a point is our advice rather than a Google rule, we say so.
Yes. Google's help page says you can add or claim your business at no charge. What you create is a Business Profile, which is what appears on Search and Maps when someone looks for your business.
Be careful with anyone who offers to do it for a fee and calls it required. The setup itself costs nothing, and the work that takes time is getting the details right and verifying the business.
A business is eligible if it has a physical location customers can visit, or if it travels to customers where they are. Google also says only eligible businesses can add or claim a location.
A business that rents a mailing address without actually operating there, such as a virtual office, is not eligible. Individual practitioners such as doctors or lawyers can have their own profile if they are public-facing and can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours, but support staff and lead generation agents are not eligible.
| Situation | Eligible? |
|---|---|
| A shop, cafe or office customers can visit | Yes |
| A plumber or cleaner who travels to customers | Yes, as a service-area business |
| A virtual office or rented mailing address with no operations there | No |
| A public-facing practitioner reachable at the location in stated hours | Yes, can have their own profile |
| Support staff or a lead generation agent | No |
Source: Google Business Profile Help, guidelines for representing your business on Google. Read the full guidelines if your case is borderline.
Yes, search for your business name on Google Maps before you create anything. Google says that if a profile already exists you should not create a new one, because duplicates are not allowed for the same location.
If the existing profile is unverified, Google says you can claim it through Google Maps. If a verified profile exists and you are authorized to manage the business, you can request ownership from the current owner.
There are four steps: go to business.google.com/add, start adding your business, enter your details on screen, and choose a verification method. Most of the effort goes into the details and the verification, so have them ready first.
Sign in with the Google account you want to manage the profile from.
Choose the option to add your business to Google.
Follow the on-screen instructions. Make sure the address is correct and meets Google's guidelines.
Complete the steps for the method Google offers.
Source: Google Business Profile Help, create or claim your Business Profile.
Use the name your business really uses in the real world, on your storefront, website and stationery. Google says including unnecessary information in the name is not permitted and can lead to suspension.
Its examples of what not to add include marketing taglines, store codes, hours, phone numbers, URLs, service descriptions and location details.
| Name on the sign | Entered on the profile | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Northgate Hair Studio | Northgate Hair Studio | Matches the real-world name |
| Northgate Hair Studio | Northgate Hair Studio - Best Haircuts Near Me | Adds a tagline and keywords, which Google does not permit |
| Riverside Plumbing | Riverside Plumbing 24/7 Call 555-0100 | Adds hours and a phone number, which Google does not permit |
| Lantern Coffee | Lantern Coffee Downtown Branch | Adds location details that are not part of the real name |
Fictional businesses. Source: Google Business Profile Help, guidelines for representing your business on Google.
Use a precise, accurate address. Google says P.O. boxes and mailboxes at remote locations are not acceptable, and you should not create more than one page for each location of your business.
Co-working offices are allowed only if they have clear signage, receive customers during business hours and are staffed by your team. A business that shows its address should keep permanent signage with the business name at that address.
Then you are a service-area business, and Google says you should have one profile for your central office or location, with a designated service area. Service-area businesses should hide their address from customers.
Google also says service areas should generally not extend farther than about two hours of driving time from your base, although larger areas can suit some businesses. Businesses selling age-restricted products or services such as alcohol, cannabis or weapons are not permitted as service-area businesses without a storefront.
Google decides which methods are available for your business, and you pick one. The options it describes are video, phone or text, email and postcard, and verification can be instant if you verify through Search Console or use bulk verification.
| Method | What happens | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Video | You record a video showing your location and that you manage the business. Google recommends it when it is available. | Live video calls only happen during your location's business hours |
| Phone or text | A code is sent to your business phone number by call or text | Automated phone menus (IVR systems) will not get the code |
| Verification uses an email address you can access | Make sure you can use that address from the verification screen | |
| Postcard | Google mails a code to your listed address and you enter it in your profile | Do not edit your business name, address or category before the code arrives. Codes expire after 30 days |
Source: Google Business Profile Help, verify your business.
Google says most postcards arrive within 14 days, and that a review takes up to 5 business days, with rare cases taking longer. Plan for a couple of weeks if you choose the postcard, and avoid editing key details while you wait.
If a Get verified button reappears, Google could not fully verify the business. Try again, or use another method if more are offered.
If you chose video and see Review issues, select it and follow the instructions. If Google asks for more information, this usually follows recent changes to your business details, so provide what it asks and verify again.
Fill in the parts customers see: a clear description, accurate hours, the right primary category and a few real photos, then keep an eye on reviews. Our guides cover three of these in detail, and the order below is our suggestion.
Plain, accurate and under 750 characters, with no URLs or HTML.
The most specific one that describes your main business, plus a few additional categories only if they are real.
Customers rely on them, and special hours help for holidays.
Your storefront, your work and your products, not stock images.
Share a Google link or a QR code. Never offer a reward.
Professional, brief and personal, as soon as you can.
Look at the businesses of your type near your address, and open a few of their profiles to see how they describe themselves. The free Local Area Check shows the nearby businesses of a type around an address so you know what you are up against.
Use what you see as a reference for how to describe your business, not something to copy. Add only the services and categories that are true for you.
Most problems come from rushing the setup. The common ones are listed below with the rule behind each.
| Mistake | Why it is a problem |
|---|---|
| Creating a second profile for the same location | Google says not to create more than one page for each location |
| Adding keywords or a tagline to the business name | Unnecessary information in the name is not permitted and can lead to suspension |
| Using a P.O. box or a remote mailbox as the address | Google says these are not acceptable |
| Editing the name, address or category while waiting for a postcard | The code may not work |
| Showing a home address for a business that does not receive customers there | Service-area businesses should hide their address |
Sources: Google Business Profile Help, guidelines for representing your business on Google, and verify your business.
Yes. Google says you can add or claim your business at no charge. The setup, the profile and the verification do not cost anything.
An accurate business address that meets Google's guidelines, the real-world name of the business, and a way to verify it, such as a business phone number, an email address or a mailing address for a postcard. Have your hours and a short description ready too.
Only if it is eligible. Google says eligible businesses either have a physical location customers can visit or travel to customers. A business that rents a mailing address without operating there is not eligible, and a service-area business should hide its address.
Google says most postcards arrive within 14 days and that a review takes up to 5 business days, with rare cases taking longer. Verification can be instant if you verify through Search Console or use bulk verification.
Do not create a new profile. Google says an unverified profile can be claimed through Google Maps, and if a verified profile exists and you are authorized to manage the business, you can request ownership from the current owner.
No. Google says the name should reflect your business's real-world name, and that unnecessary information in the name is not permitted and can lead to suspension. Taglines, hours, phone numbers and service descriptions are examples it lists.
No, but you need to be eligible. A service-area business that travels to customers can have one profile for its central location with a designated service area, and it should hide its address from customers.