Setting up your Google Business Profile: step by step

When someone searches for "hairdresser Ansbach" or "roofer near me", Google first shows a map with three businesses. You only appear there with a well maintained Google Business Profile (formerly "Google My Business"). It is free.

Step 1: Create or claim your profile

Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account. Often there is already a listing for your business that Google created automatically. In that case you claim it instead of creating a second one. Duplicate listings hurt.

Step 2: Verify

Google checks that you really are the owner. Depending on the business, this happens by postcard to your business address, by phone, by video or by email. It takes a few days, but you only do it once.

Step 3: Fill in everything

• The exact business name, as it appears on your sign and in your legal notice.
• Category: the main category as precise as possible, for example "Electrician" instead of "Tradesperson".
• Address, or a service area if you travel to customers.
• Opening hours, including public holidays.
• Phone number and website.
• Services with a short description.
• Photos: outside, inside, team, work. Your own photos, no stock images.

Step 4: Collect reviews

Actively ask satisfied customers for a review. Google provides a link for this that you can send by WhatsApp or put on your invoice. Reply to every review, including bad ones, briefly and factually.

Step 5: Connect it to your website

Add your website to the profile and make sure that name, address and phone number on the website are written exactly the same way as in the profile. Google compares them. On the websites I build, I also store this data as structured data in the code so Google can read it reliably.

Maintenance

Check in once a month: new photos, changed hours, answering questions. A profile that has not been touched in two years slips down.

Common mistakes

• Adding extras to the business name, such as "Painter Miller Ansbach cheap". Google only allows the real name, extras can lead to suspension.
• The wrong category or too many categories.
• Different spellings of your address or phone number on the website, the profile and in directories.
• No response to reviews and questions.
• Stock photos instead of your own pictures.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Google Business Profile cost anything?

No. The profile is free. Calls or emails offering a paid "optimisation" or "renewal" do not come from Google.

I have no shop address, only a service area. Is that possible?

Yes. When you create the profile, you choose that you visit customers and enter a service area. Your address is then not shown publicly.

How long until the profile appears?

Usually a few days after verification. Ranking well in searches takes longer and depends on reviews, completeness and your website.