How to Get Your Business on Google Maps for Free (Step by Step)

When someone near you searches “plumber near me” or “bakery open now,” the businesses that show up on the map aren’t there by luck. They have a Google Business Profile: a free listing that puts your business on Google Search and Google Maps.

If you serve local customers and don’t have one, it’s usually the single most valuable free thing you can set up this week. Here’s how, step by step.

Before you start: have these ready

• Your exact business name, as customers see it (no extra keywords stuffed in, as Google can suspend listings for that)
• Your address, or the area you serve if you go to customers
• A phone number and, if you have one, a website
• Your opening hours
• 5–10 real photos: your work, your team, your storefront or van

Step 1: Create your profile

1. Go to google.com/business and sign in with the Google account you want to manage the business from. Use an account you’ll always have access to.
2. Enter your business name. If it already appears in the list, Google may already have a listing for you. Claim it instead of creating a duplicate.
3. Choose your primary category. This matters more than almost anything else. Pick the one that describes your core service (“Plumber,” not “Contractor”).

Step 2: Add your location or service area

• Customers come to you (a shop, salon, office): add your address.
• You go to customers (plumbers, cleaners, mobile services): you can hide your address and list the towns or areas you serve instead.

Step 3: Add contact details

Add your phone number and website. No website yet? You can still finish your profile. Google lets you publish without one.

Step 4: Verify your business

Google needs to confirm you’re real before your profile appears properly. Depending on your business, it may offer a phone or email code, a short video showing your location and tools, or a postcard. Follow the option it shows you. Verification can take from a few minutes to a few days.

Step 5: Fill in everything

Profiles that are complete are easier for Google to show and easier for customers to trust. Add:

• Hours, including holidays
• Services, with short descriptions and prices if you can
• A business description (what you do, who for, where) in plain words
• Photos: real ones beat stock photos every time
• Secondary categories for other services you genuinely offer

Step 6: Start getting reviews

Reviews influence both where you appear and whether people call. The easiest way to get them is to ask: right after a job goes well, send your review link (found in your profile under “Ask for reviews”) with a short message:

“Thanks again for choosing us today. If you were happy with the work, a quick Google review would really help a small business like ours: [link]”

Reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and politely. Future customers read the replies too.

Step 7: Keep it alive

• Update hours before holidays
• Add new photos every month or so
• Use Posts for offers or news
• Answer questions in the Q&A section

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding keywords to your name (“Joe’s Plumbing Best Plumber Springfield”). It breaks Google’s guidelines.
• Choosing a vague category like “Contractor” when “Plumber” fits.
• Creating duplicate listings. Claim and fix the existing one instead.
• Using a virtual office address if customers can’t actually visit you there.

Want us to check yours?

A Google Business Profile is free to set up, but the details decide whether it brings calls. We offer a free review of your website and Google listing: what’s working, and the first three things we’d fix.

Get your free review →