How to get your business on Google Search and Maps
Create a free Google Business Profile at business.google.com, verify it (often with a short video), and fill in your category, service area, hours, phone number and photos. That puts you on Google Maps and in local results. Then add a website and submit it in Google Search Console, so your pages can also appear in ordinary Google search results.
Step 1: Create your Google Business Profile
Go to business.google.com and sign in with the Google account you want to manage the business from. Add:
- Your business name, exactly as customers see it on your board or bills. Don't add keywords or city names to it.
- A category that describes what you are, such as "Beauty parlour" or "Website designer".
- Your address or service area. If customers visit you, add the address. If you visit them or deliver to them, choose a service area instead. Google's own guidance is not to add an address where you don't serve customers, which also keeps a home address private.
- Phone number and website, if you have one.
A Business Profile is for businesses that meet customers in person, at your place or theirs. Businesses that only work online aren't eligible, so for them a website matters even more.
Step 2: Verify the profile
Google shows you which verification methods are available for your business. Often it asks for a short video recorded on your phone through the Business Profile. Google's rules for the video:
- Record it live, in one take, without editing, and make it at least 30 seconds long.
- Show where you are (a street sign or landmark), that the business exists (signage, equipment or branded items) and that you run it (for example, opening the shop or using your tools).
- Don't show bank, tax or ID numbers, or other people's faces.
Google says it reviews videos within up to 5 business days. If one is rejected, you can record a new one.
Step 3: Complete every section
A complete profile helps customers decide, and it helps Google show you for the right searches. Add your opening hours, a short description, your services with prices, and real photos: your shop, your team, your work. Update the hours on holidays.
Step 4: Ask for reviews and reply to them
Send happy customers your review link (you'll find it in the profile's "Ask for reviews" option) right after a good job. Reply to every review, good or bad, politely. Don't buy reviews or post fake ones: it's against Google's policies, and profiles can be suspended for it.
Step 5: Add a website and tell Google about it
Your Business Profile covers Maps and local results. A website can appear for many more searches, including "best", "price" and "near me" questions, and it gives AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity accurate facts about you. Once it's live:
- Open Google Search Console and add your website as a property. A Domain property covers every version of your address.
- Verify it. If your domain is on Cloudflare or GoDaddy, Search Console can often do this automatically; otherwise add the TXT record it gives you.
- Submit your sitemap (usually
yourdomain.in/sitemap.xml) under Sitemaps. - Use URL Inspection on your homepage and click Request indexing.
To appear on Bing too (which also supplies results to DuckDuckGo and Yahoo), sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools and import your site from Search Console in one step.
Step 6: Keep your details the same everywhere
Use the same business name, phone number and area on your Business Profile, website, Instagram, WhatsApp Business and any directories such as Justdial. Matching details make it easier for customers, and for search engines, to tell that they're all the same business.
How long it takes
Your profile appears once it's verified. A new website often shows up in Google within days to a few weeks of submitting the sitemap. Where it ranks depends on how useful your pages are and how many other businesses compete for the same searches, so be wary of anyone who guarantees a number one position.
Questions about getting on Google
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free.
Can I list my business on Google without a shop?
Yes, if you meet customers in person, for example at their home or office. Set it up as a service-area business and don't add your address. Businesses that only work online aren't eligible for a Business Profile, so a website matters even more for them.
How long does it take for a new website to appear on Google?
There is no fixed time. After you submit a sitemap in Google Search Console, new pages often appear within days to a few weeks. Where they rank depends on how useful the pages are and on the competition.
Why doesn't my business show up on Google Maps?
Common reasons are that the profile isn't verified yet, its details are incomplete, or the person searching is far from your area. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence.
Related guides
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