Goal: Create a new Google Business Profile account.
Ideal Outcome: You will successfully create a new Google Business Profile to manage your business account or your client’s business.
Why this is important: A Google Business Profile account is fundamental for businesses that have a physical presence (either in a brick-and-mortar location or by servicing an area). A Google Business Profile account allows potential customers to easily find you when performing Google Searches for businesses in an area.
Where this is done In Google Business Profile.
When this is done: Only once—the first time you set up Google Business Profile.
Who does this: The business owner/manager or the person/agency local digital marketing/SEO.
Prerequisites or requirements: Google sends a physical postcard to verify that the business really exists — even if this business doesn’t offer a location to service customers, you will need to provide an address where Google can send this postcard.
Set up Google Business Profile and request the verification postcard
If you’re setting up a Google Business Profile account for your own business:
01▸ Sign in to the Google Account you will use to manage this business account
02▸ Visit the Google Business Profile site and click “Manage now”
03▸ Next, key in your business name and select a business category to get started:
[Optional] You may want to add a physical store location or address.
04▸ Click “Yes”, if you have one and then “Next” to proceed.
Next, type in the area you provide your business at. You can add more than one area.
05▸ Enter either your business phone number and/or website link and click “Next”.
06▸ Enter your business mailing address to verify and click “Next”. You will need it for verification later.
07▸ Next, add or customize the service(s) you provide:
08▸ Then, add your business hours.
[Recommended] Ensure that you allow your profile to accept messages.
09▸ Customize your profile by adding a maximum of 750 characters about your business or a description:
10▸ Continue to add your business photos, if you have any:
Once the business details are all set up, you can view your Google Business Profile on your Google page to edit your profile and oversee your profile performance after the verification is approved. (For optimizing your Google Business Profile, you may follow SOP 101: Optimizing a Google Business Profile listing (web version)
Your Google Business Profile will not be visible until it is successfully verified.
Note: If you’re setting up a Google Business Profile account for a client, we recommend you do this through your agency’s Google Business Profile Organization account (if you haven’t set that up, follow SOP 102: Creating and managing a Google Business Profile Organization account (web version): to create a Google Business Profile Organization account.
11▸ Log into your organization dashboard. Ensure that you are on the right page labelled as “Google Business Profile Manager” and not “Google Account”.
12▸ Click on the “Businesses” tab on the left.
13▸ Make sure you’ve selected the right location group for this business and click on “Add Business” > “Add a single business”.
Google will give you two options:
If the business doesn’t have a Google Business Profile account (this will be the case for most people), create a new business.
If the business you want to manage already has a Google Business Profile account (this won’t be the case for most people), you can claim it by searching for it and selecting it from the dropdown.
14▸ Next, type the name of the business and business category and hit “Next”.
15▸ Next, you will need to choose whether to add a location to this business or not:
If you have a physical location where your potential customers can go (e.g. store, office, etc), select “Yes”.
16▸ Next, you’ll need to add the full address of this location and then choose the appropriate business already located on Google Maps.
[Optional] If you also provide services or products outside of this physical location (e.g. you do deliveries or remote visits), you can add a service area by selecting “None of these”. Click “Yes” in the following pop-up as seen below and enter the address.
[Optional] If you don’t have a physical location where your customers can go, but instead you service customers in an area (e.g., wedding photographer, locksmith, painter, etc.), you’ll select “No”.
Finally, you’ll see a success screen next.
Important: For your customers to publicly view your Google Business Profile, Google will need to verify this business is real by recording a business video.
Verifying your business
01▸ Go to your Google Business Profile dashboard and click “Get Verified”.
02▸ Select “Business video” and then click “Next”.
03▸ Before recording, you will be recommended to follow a few criteria that are required for the business video recording and tips such as the below. Take time to plan before you click “Start recording” :
04▸ Next, you will be prompted to scan a QR code using your mobile phone. Make sure to sign in using your business email account:
Note: The video recording should at least be more than 30 seconds and no more than 5 minutes. The business video recording is preferred to be at approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
After uploading the video on your mobile phone, your Google Business Profile will be reviewed, which will take up to 5 business days. Once it is verified, you will be able to manage all of your settings in the Google Business Profile.
[Optional] You can delete your video at any time. If you cancel a video upload, both you and Google lose access to the video:
05▸ On your mobile device, go to your Business Profile.
06▸ At the top right, tap “More” and then “Advanced settings”.
07▸ Tap “Video uploads” and then “Delete videos”.
