How to Set Up a Google Business Profile Step by Step
By Clay Lawrence, Review Harvest · · 13 min video
The short version
Sign in to Google with an email you will always have access to, search for Google Business Profile, and click Get listed on Google. Then work through the setup screens in order: business name, business type, main category, address, phone and website, verification, services, hours, description and photos. Your main business category and your business name are major ranking factors, so match your category to the one your top competitors use.
Do this, in order
- 1
Sign in with an email you will keep, then click Get listed on Google
The email you sign in with is the one that manages the profile, so if you cannot get into it later you cannot manage the profile. Type Google Business Profile into Google, click Get listed on Google, and get started.
- 2
Enter your business name
If your main keyword, such as plumbing or pet sitting, is part of your real business name, make sure it is in the name you enter. Adding a keyword that is not part of your real name is technically keyword stuffing, so make it official with a DBA and use the same name everywhere on your website. If your business already shows up in the list and it is yours, click it and claim that profile.
- 3
Choose your business type
Online retail is for businesses that only deal with customers online. Local store is for a brick-and-mortar location customers visit, like a barber or a dentist. Service business, also called a service area business, is for companies that go out to the customer's home, like HVAC and plumbing.
- 4
Pick the main business category your competitors use
Search Google for the keyword you want to rank for, such as pet sitting in your city, and look at the category highlighted on the businesses that come up. Choose that same category as your main one.
- 5
Add your address
A local store enters the address customers visit. A service area business enters the address the business is registered under, so you can prove it to Google if they ask. If Google shows existing profiles and asks whether one is yours, and none are, say so and continue.
- 6
Add a phone number and a website that is not a redirect
Both are shown publicly, so use a phone number you can answer and the website you want customers sent to. Do not enter a URL that redirects to a different URL where the site is hosted: the mismatch can be a red flag to Google.
- 7
Agree to the terms and choose how to get verified
The options can be a phone number, an email code, or a business video, and which ones you are offered comes down largely to your main business category. Competitive industries such as HVAC and law are stricter and will probably require a video.
- 8
Record the verification video if Google asks for one
Show three things: you are a legitimate business that actually operates, you are located where you said, and you own the business. Film the surrounding area, your business name on permanent fixtures such as signage, and yourself unlocking the door or a branded vehicle. You can click Verify later and finish the rest of the setup first.
- 9
Add every service you offer
You can add unlimited services, including custom ones you type in yourself, so add as many as are relevant. To find more ways to say what you do, give ChatGPT your main business category and ask for 30 or 40 adjacent services.
- 10
Set the hours you are really open
Hours are a ranking factor, because a business that is open when someone searches is more likely to show up. If you list hours you do not keep, or 24/7 when Google knows your kind of business probably is not, Google can restrict your account. Keep your hours the same on your website and on other listings such as Yelp.
- 11
Write a description for customers and upload real photos
The description has nothing to do with ranking, so do not stuff it with keywords. Ask ChatGPT for a Google Business Profile description under 750 characters about your business, with your category, location and services. For photos, skip stock images and use your phone to take pictures of your branded truck, your shirt, or you doing the job.
- 12
Skip the offers, then add more categories from Edit profile
Google will offer $500 in free ads if you spend $500 on Google Ads, and a Google Workspace sign-up. You can skip both. To manage the profile later, sign in with the same email, type my business into Google, click Edit profile, and add up to nine additional categories.
What do you need before you start?
You need one thing: a Google account with an email you will always be able to get into. That email becomes the login that manages the profile. If you lose access to it, you lose the ability to manage your Google Business Profile.
Sign in, type Google Business Profile into Google, and click Get listed on Google. You will hear both Google Business Profile and Google My Business. Google renamed it a couple of years ago and they are the same thing.
What should you enter as your business name?
Enter your real business name, and if your main keyword is part of it, make sure the keyword is there. A plumbing company wants plumbing in the name. A pet sitting company wants pet sitting in the name.
This is one of the largest ranking factors. Clients have gone from ranking nowhere on the first page of Google to ranking on the first page across 85% of their service area within a couple of hours of adding their main keyword to their business name.
Adding a keyword is technically considered keyword stuffing unless it is the legitimate name of your business. To make it official, get a DBA, and list the business name the same way everywhere it appears on your website.
Your name may already pop up as you type. Either another business has the same name, or Google generated a profile for you automatically because you have been around a while. If it really is your business, click it and claim that profile.
Which business type and category should you choose?
Google offers three business types:
- Online retail: you only deal with customers online and have no physical location.
- Local store: you have a brick-and-mortar location people travel to, like a barber or a dentist.
- Service business: also called a service area business. Customers do not visit you, you go to their home. HVAC and plumbing companies belong here.
The main business category comes next, and it is a huge ranking factor because it tells Google which keywords to rank you for. Some businesses have one obvious choice. Others, like a lawyer, have several.
If you are not sure, search Google for the keyword you want to rank for, for example pet sitting in your city. Look at the category highlighted on the businesses that come up. Those are the businesses that have your customers, so match your main category to theirs.
What address, phone number and website should you use?
A local store enters the address customers visit. A service area business enters the address the business is registered under, so it can send Google proof if asked.
The phone number and website are shown publicly. Use a number you can actually answer and the website you want customers to land on.
Make sure the website is not a URL redirect, where a click takes the customer to a different URL where the site is hosted. Google sees a mismatch between what is listed and where people end up, and that can look like someone has hijacked the listing to steal traffic.
How do you get the profile verified?
Google gives you a way to verify after you agree to its terms. The options can be a phone number, an email code, or a business video. Which ones you see depends heavily on your main category. Competitive industries such as HVAC and law are stricter and will probably need a video.
A verification video has to show three things:
- You are a legitimate business that actually operates.
- You are located where you said you are.
- You own the business.
Google asks you to show the surrounding area and your business name on permanent fixtures such as signage. To show ownership, unlock the door or a branded vehicle, go behind the counter, or walk into areas that are employees only.
If you are not ready to record, click Verify later and keep going.
What should you put in services, hours, description and photos?
Services. You only get one main category, but services are unlimited, and you can type in custom ones. Add as many as are relevant. In a search for an 18-wheeler accident lawyer, a law firm’s listing showed that it provides semi-truck accident lawyer services, because the firm had added that as a service. To get a long list, give ChatGPT your main business category and ask for 30 or 40 adjacent services.
Hours. Hours are a ranking factor. If you are listed as open at midnight and your competitors are closed, you are more likely to show up for a midnight search. But if you are not really open and Google catches on, it can restrict your account, and listing 24/7 when your kind of business probably is not carries the same risk. Keep your hours identical on your website and on other listings such as Yelp.
Description. This has nothing to do with ranking, so do not keyword stuff it. It is there to make the person reading it more likely to choose you.
Photos. Do not use stock photos. People want to support local businesses owned by people like them, and they want to see who is going to show up at their home.
What should you do after the setup is finished?
Google will offer $500 in free ads if you spend $500 on Google Ads, then a Google Workspace sign-up. You can skip both. Your edits become visible once you are verified.
To manage the profile later, sign in with the email you created it with and type my business into Google. A dashboard appears where you can edit the profile, add photos, and finish verification.
Click Edit profile and add additional categories. You can have up to nine besides your main one, and they help Google understand what your business does.
As soon as the profile is verified, grab your Google review link and start asking for reviews. Getting high-quality reviews consistently is one of the easiest ways to rank above your competitors. Review Harvest connects to your CRM and automates that asking.
Common questions
How do I create a Google Business Profile?
Sign in to Google with an email you will always have access to, type Google Business Profile into Google, and click Get listed on Google. Google then walks you through your business name, business type, main category, address, phone number, website, verification, services, hours, description and photos. Your edits become visible once the profile is verified.
Is Google My Business the same as Google Business Profile?
Yes. Google changed the name from Google My Business to Google Business Profile a couple of years ago. The two names are used interchangeably and mean the same thing.
Which Google Business Profile category should I choose?
Choose the main category your top competitors use. Search Google for the keyword you want to rank for in your city and look at the category highlighted on the businesses that show up, then pick the same one. After setup you can add up to nine additional categories from Edit profile.
What address should a service area business use on Google Business Profile?
Use the address the business is registered under. That way you can send Google verification that you are a business and are located there if they ask for it. A business with a storefront that customers visit enters that location's address instead.
What do you have to show in a Google Business Profile verification video?
Show that you are a legitimate business that actually operates, that you are located where you said you are, and that you own the business. Film the surrounding area and your business name on permanent fixtures such as signage. To show ownership, unlock the door or a branded vehicle, or go into areas that are for employees only, like behind the counter.
Does the Google Business Profile description help you rank?
No. The description has nothing to do with your Google ranking, so there is no reason to fill it with keywords. It is a conversion factor: write it so it is accurate and makes a customer reading it more likely to choose your business.
