How to add your business to Google.

Last updated: July 2026

First, check if a listing already exists

Before you create anything, search your business name and address on Google Maps, signed out, from a private/incognito window. Google auto-generates listings for many businesses, and old owners or past staff sometimes create one you don’t know about. If a listing exists, claim itinstead of making a new one — duplicates split your reviews across two listings and confuse Google’s ranking signals, and merging them later is a slower process than claiming correctly the first time.

To claim an existing listing: open it on Google Maps, select Claim this business(or “Own this business?”), and follow the verification flow below. If it says the business is already claimed but you have no idea by whom — a past owner, an old employee, an agency you no longer work with — use the “Request access” option rather than trying to create a duplicate; Google will notify the current owner and grant you access if they don’t respond within the stated window.

Step 1 — Start the profile

Go to Google and, signed in to the Google account you want to own the business long-term, search “add my business to Google” or start from the business panel and choose Add your business to Google. Use a company account you control — a shared team inbox address, or your own — not a personal account tied to an employee who might leave, since ownership transfers are a multi-step process, not an instant handoff.

Step 2 — Enter your exact business name

Type your business name exactly as it appears on your real-world signage. Do not add city names or keywords (“Joe’s Plumbing Austin Emergency 24/7”) — that violates Google’s guidelines and is one of the most common reasons verifications get rejected and existing listings get suspended later. Your name is a relevance signal only when it matches reality; padding it doesn’t help you rank and actively puts the listing at risk.

Step 3 — Choose the right primary category

Category is the strongest relevance lever you set here — it determines which searches you’re even eligible to appear in. Pick the single most specific category that describes your core service, then add secondary categories for everything else you offer. This choice matters enough that we wrote a whole guide on it — how to choose your GBP categories.

Step 4 — Storefront or service area?

If customers come to you (a salon, a clinic, a shop), add your street address. If you go to customers (a plumber, an electrician, a mobile service), set a service area instead of, or in addition to, an address — list the cities or regions you actually serve. Service-area businesses can hide the street address entirely.

Don’t list an address you can’t back up. A virtual office, a mailbox service, or a home you’re not willing to show on a verification video will get flagged — Google increasingly cross-checks address claims, and a mismatch here is one of the top causes of both rejected verifications and later suspensions.

Step 5 — Add contact details and website

Add your public phone number and website. Use a number that’s already associated with your business online where possible — it makes phone verification more likely to be offered, and it keeps your NAP (name, address, phone) consistent with your citations elsewhere. No website yet? A simple, fast local landing page is enough to satisfy this field and gives Google somewhere to cross-reference your business details.

Step 6 — Verify

Google now confirms you control the business before the listing goes live. Depending on your business you’ll be offered postcard, phone, email, video, or live-call verification — you don’t get to pick which. This step trips up the most people, so we walk through every method, typical timelines, and how to fix a failure in how to verify your Google Business Profile.

Step 7 — Complete every field before you stop

The mistake almost everyone makes is stopping at “created and verified.” A bare profile doesn’t rank. The moment you’re live, fill in hours, services with descriptions, products, attributes, and a full description; add real exterior, interior, and team photos; and start asking customers for reviews. Work the optimization checklist top to bottom — that’s the difference between a listing that exists and one that wins the map pack.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add my business to Google Maps?

Search “add my business to Google” while signed in to the Google account you want to own the listing, enter your exact business name, choose your primary category, set your address or service area, and complete verification. Once verified, your business appears on both Google Maps and Search.

Is adding a business to Google Business Profile free?

Yes, creating and verifying a listing costs nothing. Google Business Profile is a free product; there is no fee to claim, verify, or maintain a listing.

What if my business already has a listing I didn’t create?

Claim the existing listing rather than creating a new one — search for your business first, and if a listing already exists, select “Claim this business” and verify. Creating a duplicate splits your reviews and confuses your ranking.

Can I list an address I don’t have a storefront at?

No — Google requires a real, staffed location for a street address, and increasingly checks this during verification. If you don’t have a public-facing storefront, set up the listing as a service-area business instead.

How long does it take to get my business on Google?

Creating the profile takes minutes. Verification is the variable part — from instant (phone, text, email) to 5–14 days for a postcard, or up to 5 business days for video review. Budget about a week end-to-end.