How do I get my business on Google?

Covent Market Amber

Create a free Google Business Profile, verify it, pick the right category and fill in every field to appear on Maps and in local results. Give Google a website it can index, submit it in Search Console, and ask customers for reviews. The profile, Search Console and reviews are free; the only cost is the website itself, and at least its domain name.

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Start with a Google Business Profile

Go to business.google.com and create a profile with your business name exactly as customers know it, with nothing added. If you work from home or travel to customers, choose the option for delivering services to customers and hide your address, or your home address is published on Google Maps.

Google then verifies you. Google picks the method, and for many businesses it is now a video: at least 30 seconds, filmed live on your phone in one unedited take. It has to show where you are (street signs or nearby landmarks), that the business is real (your sign, or for a service business your tools, equipment or branded vehicle) and that you run it (unlocking the premises or van, or a document such as an invoice in the business name). Google says the review can take up to five business days. Until the profile is verified, it does not show on Maps or Search.

Pick the primary category carefully

Google says the categories you choose affect your local ranking. Choose the most specific primary category that describes your business as a whole, not the one service you most want more of. Google's own example is Nail salon rather than Salon. Add a secondary category only for a real part of the business, not one for every service you offer, and changing a category later can mean verifying again. The answer on ranking higher on Google Maps covers this in more detail.

Get your website into Google Search

A profile gets you onto the map. The regular search results come from your website, and only once Google has indexed it. Add the site to Google Search Console, submit its sitemap and request indexing for the homepage. A new site usually takes days to a few weeks to appear, and longer to climb.

Ask for reviews, and answer every one

Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and it lists replying to reviews among the ways to improve it. The businesses that collect them ask in person, straight after the job, with a link ready to send. Reply to every review, good or bad; people read the replies too.

Where on Google you appear, and what gets you there

To appear in	You need
Google Maps and the map pack	A verified Business Profile
The regular search results	A website Google has indexed
Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode	Pages Google has indexed and can show with a snippet, plus your Business Profile for local searches
Higher in Maps and the map pack	The most specific category, complete and accurate details, and more reviews; how close you are to the searcher also counts
Higher in the regular results	Pages that answer what people search for, and links from other sites

Questions people ask

Is it free to be on Google?

Yes. The Business Profile, Search Console and appearing in the results are all free. You only pay if you choose Google Ads, which are the results marked Sponsored.

Why can't I find my business on Google?

Often the profile is not verified yet; Google only shows verified businesses on Maps and Search. Google also says a new business can take up to a month to show in rankings, and a profile suspended for breaking its guidelines stops showing until that is resolved. If it is the website that is missing from Google rather than the profile, the answer on why your website is not showing on Google covers that.

How long until my business shows up?

A verified profile can appear on Maps within days. A new website usually takes days to a few weeks to be indexed, and longer than that to rank well.