To add your business to Google Maps, create a free profile on Google, verify that the business is yours and complete your details. You can then appear in local results when people nearby look for what you offer.
When someone types “electrician near me” or “emergency plumber Valencia”, Google often shows a map with a few nearby businesses, their ratings and a button to call. Getting into that block is free, but Google first needs to know where you work and that you run the business.
What is Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is a free tool for managing how your company appears on Google Maps and in Google Search. It powers your business listing, which shows your name, address and phone number, opening hours, photos and reviews.
You don't need a website or a store to have one.
Why should your business be on Google Maps?
Because many of your customers will look you up online before getting in touch. A complete Google Maps listing gives you:
- Visibility: you can show up in local search results for terms like “hairdresser in Elche”.
- Calls and visits: potential clients can call you directly, get directions or open your site in one tap.
- Trust: a verified business with recent activity looks real and reliable.
How to add your business to Google Maps
Creating your profile only takes a few minutes:
- Go to business.google.com, click “Manage now” and sign in with your Google account.
- Search for your business name: if it's already on Google Maps, claim it; if not, create a new profile.
- Enter your business name and pick the category that best describes your main activity.
- Enter your address if customers visit you, or the towns you cover if you travel to them.
- Include your phone number and website, then follow the steps to verify.
If your business is already listed
Users can suggest missing businesses, so yours may already have a Google Maps listing. Open it and select “Claim this business”. If a former employee or an old agency manages it, request ownership: Google asks the current owner to respond, and you can find the status of your request in your account. Don't create a duplicate: Google allows one profile per location.
Who is eligible?
Google's eligibility and ownership guidelines say you must make in-person contact with customers during the opening times you show, at your premises or at theirs. Online-only companies aren't eligible, and only the owner or someone they authorise should manage the profile.
Business name and categories
Use the name on your shopfront and invoices, without extra keywords or towns: “Fontanería López” is fine, but “Fontanería López cheap plumber Alicante” breaks the guidelines and can lead to suspension. Choose the most specific primary category, then secondary ones only for related work you really do (see how to choose your categories).
Address or service area
If customers come to you, as at a shop in Elda, enter the full address with the postcode. If you work at their homes, hide it and list the towns you really serve, such as Elche, Santa Pola and Crevillent.
How to verify your business
Verification is the next step: it proves to Google that you run the business. Until then, you can't edit your information or reply to customers, and new images won't appear on your listing. The methods on offer depend on your type of business and its location:
- a phone call or text message with a code;
- an email with a code;
- a short video, recorded or live, showing your location, your business and proof that you manage it;
- a postcard with a code, sent to your address.
A postcard can take some time to arrive: while you wait, don't change your name, address or category, and don't request a new code. Sometimes verification is instant, for example if you've already verified your site in Google Search Console.
Complete your profile
Google says complete and accurate information makes it easier to match your business with the right searches, so fill in every section you can.
Hours and consistent details
Use a local phone number you answer, enter your web address and update your opening hours for public holidays, the Fallas or an August closure. It's important to write your name, address and phone (your NAP) the same way everywhere, which makes your business easier to trust.
Description, services and products
Describe what you do and where in plain words, say if you work in English, and leave out links and price offers, which aren't allowed there. Then list your services, your products if you sell any, and attributes such as wheelchair access. Learn more with our tips to optimise your profile.
Photos and videos
Good photos help customers recognise you and decide. Upload real images, without stock pictures or heavy filters:
- your logo and a cover photo;
- your shopfront and the inside of your premises;
- your team and your van at work;
- finished jobs or products.
Short videos help too; learn what to upload in photos and videos on your Google listing.
How to get reviews and reply to them
Reviews help customers choose and count towards prominence: Google says more reviews and positive ratings can improve your local ranking.
Ask every customer
Copy the link to your review form, or print it as a QR code for the counter or invoices, and send it by WhatsApp or email when the job is done. Don't offer discounts in exchange or ask only happy customers: Google's policies forbid both. More ideas in how to get more Google reviews.
Reply to reviews
Your reply is public. Say thank you for positive reviews; with a negative one, stay calm, acknowledge the problem, give the facts and offer to talk it through privately. See how to reply to negative Google reviews.
Keep your business active on Google
Creating your profile is only the first step. Update your opening times, upload fresh pictures and check the Performance section each month: it shows your views, the searches that found you, calls, direction requests and website clicks.
Publish updates, offers and events
Posts are a free marketing tool: they share news, offers or events on your listing. Google doesn't list them among the ways to improve your position, but they can boost engagement; see publishing updates on your listing. Google is also changing how Questions and Answers work on listings: here's what changes.
How does Google decide which businesses to show?
Google ranks local results mainly by relevance, distance and prominence, and there's no way to pay for higher local rankings.
- Relevance: how relevant your business is to the search, helped by accurate categories, services and description.
- Distance: how far you are from the searcher or from the place named in the query.
- Prominence: how well known your company is, including your number of reviews, your rating and links from other sites.
That's why the Local Pack, also called the Google Map Pack, changes with the searcher's location. Learn more in how to rank in the Google Map Pack.
Why is my business not showing on Google Maps?
The usual causes are a missing verification, wrong information or a duplicate. Check these points:
- the profile isn't verified yet, or Google is still reviewing it;
- the name, address or type of business doesn't match reality;
- there's a duplicate listing of the same business;
- directories or other pages show different details;
- the profile was suspended for breaking the guidelines, for instance with keywords in the name;
- you're searching from too far away: try from the towns you serve.
Search for your exact business name first and check the results. If you still can't find it after fixing these points, the help centre lets you post in the help community or contact Google support.
Beyond Google Maps: website, NAP and local SEO
Your listing is only one part of your online presence. Many customers check your website before calling, so ensure it shows the same information. At WebAutonomos we prepare your site from your Google listing and your own pictures, with basic SEO: titles and texts that mention your service and area.
Directories, social media and email
Keep your NAP identical on directories such as Páginas Amarillas and on social media (see local citations). Social media marketing and email marketing then keep you in touch with customers who already know you: read which social media to use and our beginner's guide to email marketing.
If you'd rather not do it yourself
WebAutonomos can manage your profile for €29/month, plus a one-off €49 to create and verify it if you don't have one yet: we optimise it, publish four posts a month and reply to your reviews. You can buy this service without a website from us; see our services page.
Adding your business to Google Maps gives you free visibility, as long as your listing stays accurate: verify it, complete every section, ask each customer for a review and check your information from time to time.