Lesson 1 of 10 · 6 min read

How to get your business on Google

By the ContentMetric team · Checked against Google's help pages on 28 September 2026

It works the same for a plumber in Leeds, a cafe in Austin or a salon in Melbourne.

What you need before you start

• A Google account you will keep, not a staff member's personal one.
• Your details, written down exactly: name as on your sign, address, phone number, opening hours.
• A phone that records video. Google often asks for a short video to prove you are real.
• A few real photos of your premises, your work or your products.
• About an hour, plus a few days of waiting while Google checks things.

Step 1: Create or claim your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is the box that shows your business on Google Maps and on the side of Google Search. Google says you can add or claim it "at no charge".

Check if you already exist. Search for your business on Google Maps. If it shows "Claim this business", click it. If someone else already controls it, you can request ownership through Google.

If you are not there, go to business.google.com/add and fill in:

1. Business name. Exactly as on your signage, website and stationery. No extra words like "Best Plumber London". Google's rules forbid this.
2. Primary category. The one label that finishes "this business IS a...", for example "Plumber". Google asks you to use as few categories as possible.
3. Address or service area. If customers visit you, enter your real street address. PO boxes and virtual offices are not allowed. If you travel to customers, hide your address and list up to 20 service areas, within about two hours' drive of your base.
4. Phone. A local number that reaches this business, not a call centre.
5. Hours. When customers can actually reach you.
6. Photos. Real photos, not stock images.
7. Services or products, in the words your customers use.

Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results, so fill in every field you can.

Step 2: Verify your business

Verification proves you are the real owner. Google picks which methods you are offered, based on your business type and location, and you cannot change them. You may see:

• Video recording. A continuous, unedited video of at least 30 seconds, recorded live in the Google Business Profile app on your phone. Show your location (street sign, building number), your business (sign or work equipment) and that you run it (unlocking a staff area, doing the work). Do not film bank, tax or ID numbers, or other people's faces.
• Live video call with a Google support person, while you are at your business during opening hours.
• Phone or text. A code sent to your business phone. Automated phone menus will not pass it on, so answer yourself.
• Email. A link sent to the address shown on the verification screen.
• Postcard. A code posted to your address. Most arrive within 14 days and expire after 30 days. Not available everywhere.

Google's review can take up to 5 business days. If a video is rejected, Google tells you what to fix.

Step 3: Get a website Google can read

A profile alone is not enough. It tells Google you exist. A website tells Google, and AI search tools, what you do, which searches you should appear for, and why people should trust you. Links to your website are also one of the signals Google uses to judge how well known you are. Google turned off the free websites it used to build inside Business Profiles in 2024, so you need your own.

Your homepage must say three things clearly, near the top:

1. What you do, in the words customers type: "emergency plumber", "family dental clinic".
2. Where you do it: your town or service areas.
3. How to contact you: phone, address or booking link, the same as on your profile.

Then add your website link to your Business Profile.

Step 4: Tell Google your website exists

Google finds most new sites on its own, but it can take a few weeks. Google Search Console, a free Google tool, speeds this up and shows problems.

1. Add your site at search.google.com/search-console and prove you own it, usually by adding a short code to your domain settings (a "DNS record"). Your web host can show you how.
2. Submit your sitemap, a list of your site's pages. Most website builders create one, often at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. Google calls this a hint, not a guarantee.
3. Request indexing. Paste your homepage address into the "URL inspection" bar and click "Request indexing". Indexing means Google adding your page to its search results. There is a daily limit, so ask once.

Google says indexing typically takes a day or so, but can take a week or two. To check, search Google for site:yoursite.com. If your pages appear, you are in.

Step 5: Get your first reviews

Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.

How to ask: your Business Profile gives you a review link and QR code. Text the link after a job, or put the QR code at your counter. Ask every customer: "If you were happy with us, a Google review really helps." Reply to reviews too, good and bad.

Never:

• Pay for reviews, or offer discounts or freebies for them.
• Ask only happy customers and steer unhappy ones away (called "review gating").
• Write reviews yourself or ask staff to.

Google's policy forbids all three, and it can remove reviews or restrict your profile.

How long it takes

• Profile setup: under an hour.
• Verification: minutes for phone or email, up to 5 business days for video, up to 14 days for a postcard.
• Website in Google: usually a day to two weeks after you request indexing.
• Ranking well: weeks to months. Google says some changes take hours, others several months.

Common mistakes

• Keywords in your business name. It breaks Google's rules and risks suspension.
• A virtual office or PO box as your address. Not allowed.
• Different details in different places. A different phone number on your site and profile confuses Google and customers.
• Stopping at the profile. Without a website, Google and AI search have little to work with.
• Buying reviews. Prohibited, and it can undo all your work.

Common questions