Short answer: To add your business to Google Maps, sign in to a Google Account, go to business.google.com/add and select Add your business to Google. Enter the name, the category, where customers find you or the area you serve, and your phone or website. Then choose a verification option. It costs nothing.
Search Google Maps for your business before you start: it may already be there, and then you claim it instead. If you only want to put a place on the map that you don’t run, Google has a shorter route for missing places.
Who can be on Google Maps
Google gives a Business Profile to businesses that make in-person contact with customers during their stated hours. That covers a shop or office people walk into and a service that goes to its customers, such as a plumber or a cleaning company.
Some cases get in with conditions:
- ATMs, video-rental kiosks and express mail drop boxes. Allowed, with contact details so customers can get help.
- Seasonal businesses. An ice rink that only opens in winter qualifies if it keeps a permanent sign at the location all year.
- Delivery-only food. Allowed under Google’s rules for virtual food brands.
And some don’t qualify at all:
- Homes or apartments for rent or for sale. A sales or leasing office can have a profile.
- A class or service held at a place you don’t own or have the authority to represent.
- Lead generation agents and companies.
- Brands, organizations, artists and other businesses that only work online.
- An address that is a P.O. box, or a rented mailing address you don’t work from.
- Businesses that sell alcohol, cannabis, weapons or anything else with a minimum age, unless they have a storefront.
An online-only business can still advertise on Google: the help sends it to Google Ads instead.
You’ll also need a Google Account, with a Gmail address or any email you already use. If your business has its own email address, Google suggests linking it to that account, which makes the profile easier to manage.
Look for an existing listing first
Open Google Maps, search for your business name and city, and see what comes up:
- Nothing. Create the profile, as the next section explains.
- A listing nobody has verified. Claim it, with the three steps below.
- A listing someone else verified. Ask that owner for access. Our guide to managers and owners covers how to request ownership.
To claim a listing nobody has verified:
- Open it. On a computer, select it on the map. In the Google Maps app, open it and tap About.
- Claim it. Select Claim this business, then Manage now. To pick a different business, choose I own or manage another business.
- Verify. Pick a verification option and follow the instructions.
Don’t create a second profile when one already exists. Google allows one per business, and a profile it treats as a duplicate doesn’t show on Search or Maps. Our guide on duplicate profiles explains how to fix one.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help on getting started, business eligibility and ownership, adding or claiming a profile, and duplicate profiles. Read October 25, 2026.
Add it on a computer
- Open the form. Signed in to your Google Account, go to business.google.com/add.
- Start. Select Add your business to Google.
- Enter the details. Follow the on-screen instructions to add the name, category, location and contact details.
- Pick how to verify. Select a verification option and follow the steps.
Google’s help doesn’t list those screens. Its guidelines say what each detail should hold:
- Name. The name customers know, as it appears on your storefront, website and stationery. No slogans, store codes, phone numbers, hours or neighborhood. Our name guide covers what Google rejects.
- Category. One primary category, as specific as the list allows: “Nail salon” rather than “Salon”. You can’t invent one. Google’s test is what your business is, not what it has. Our categories guide helps you pick.
- Location. If customers come to you, the complete street address, with the suite or floor. Google expects a permanent sign with your name there. When the map can’t find the address, you can drop a pin where the business is.
- Service area. If you go to your customers, hide the address and list the cities or ZIP codes you cover, up to 20. Google wants that whole area within about 2 hours’ drive of your base. A business that serves people at its address and also visits them can show both, if staff receive customers there during your hours.
- Phone and website. A number that reaches your own business, under your control, and a local one rather than a call center when possible. The website should be the one for that location, with no redirect to a page that isn’t your business’s own.
The last step asks you to verify. Google picks which methods you see, and you can’t change them. Our guide to the verification methods explains each one and what to have ready.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help on adding or claiming a profile, the guidelines for representing your business, categories, the business address and service areas. Read October 25, 2026.
Add it from your phone
For a new profile, Google’s help gives one starting point: business.google.com/add. Its Maps help says you can claim and verify your business on a computer, a phone or a tablet. On a phone, open that address in your browser and follow the same steps as on a computer.
The Google Maps app is where you claim a listing that already exists, with the About tab described above. Once you manage a profile, the app opens it from the Business tab at the bottom right.
A missing place or a profile you run
Anyone can add a missing place to Google Maps: a landmark, a coffee shop or another local business. On a computer, search for the address and click Add a missing place. In the app, tap Contribute, then Add place, and follow the instructions. Google says the place shows publicly once it’s added.
Adding a place doesn’t give you control of it. Google’s help points owners to a Business Profile, where you manage the hours, address and photos once you claim and verify it. If the business is yours, create or claim the profile.
Sources: Google Maps Help on adding a missing place, and Google Business Profile Help on adding or claiming a profile, finding your business on Google and editing a profile. Read October 25, 2026.
If you haven’t opened yet
You can create the profile before the doors open and tell people when and where you’ll start. Once it exists, set the date:
- Open the editor. On your Business Profile, select Edit profile.
- Add the date. Next to “Opening date”, select Edit. Only the month and year are required, and the date can be up to one year ahead.
- Save. Select Save.
Once the date is set and the business is verified, the profile shows on Google 90 days before the opening. In that time you can publish posts about the opening, add photos of the work in progress and write your description. Customers can’t suggest edits or leave reviews and photos until you’re officially open. After that, the profile carries a “Recently opened” tag for 90 days.
Source: Google Business Profile Help on adding a business opening date. Read October 25, 2026.
What to fill in next
Verification comes first: Google says only verified businesses show their business info on Maps and Search, and your photos and videos stay hidden until then. Once you’re verified, complete these parts of the profile:
- Hours. The times customers can count on in a normal week, with holidays set apart. Our guide on business hours on Google shows each option.
- Photos. An exterior photo helps customers recognize you when they arrive. Add a logo and a cover photo too, in JPG or PNG between 10 KB and 5 MB, ideally 720 by 720 pixels. Google wants them in focus, well lit and without heavy filters. New photos can take 24 to 48 hours to show.
- Description. Select Edit profile, then Edit next to “Description”. Say what you do and what sets you apart. Links aren’t allowed, nor text about sales, prices or promotions. In some regions Google offers Suggest description, which writes a draft with AI. Check it before you save.
- More categories. A few extra ones when they also describe the business, or for its departments, such as a bakery inside a grocery store. Don’t add one for every product.
Then give it time. Google says rankings for a new business can take up to a month to appear in search results. Later changes to your info can take up to 3 days to show there. Our checklist on how to rank higher on Google Maps covers what comes after.
RememberSearch Google Maps before you create anything. If your business is already listed, claim it rather than add a copy. A new profile starts at business.google.com/add, needs your real name, a category and a location or service area, and only shows once Google verifies it.
Before you submit the profile, check:
- Your business meets customers in person during its hours.
- No listing for it exists yet, verified or not.
- The name matches your sign, with nothing added.
- The address is complete and has a permanent sign, or you list a service area.
- The phone number and website are your own.
- You can complete one of the verification methods Google offers.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help on finding your business, photos and videos, the business description, categories and business hours. Read October 25, 2026.
Quick answers
My business is online only. Can it be on Google Maps?
No. Google only gives a Business Profile to businesses that meet customers face to face, at an address they can visit or at the customer’s location. An online shop with neither isn’t eligible. Google’s help sends those businesses to Google Ads, its advertising platform, so they can still reach people who search on Google.
Can I list my business at a coworking space or a virtual office?
A virtual office, meaning a rented mailing address you don’t work from, isn’t eligible. A coworking office can be listed only if it has clear signage, your own staff work there during business hours, and customers come to it during those hours. If you serve customers at their own place, Google’s route is a service-area profile with the address hidden.
Can my agency create the profile for me?
Yes, with your express consent. Google’s rules for authorized representatives say they must work with you to complete verification and keep you informed of what they do. They should also encourage you to own the profile and add them as managers, and transfer ownership to you right away when you ask.
My business opens next month. Can I add it to Google Maps now?
Yes. Create the profile, then set an opening date of up to a year ahead. Once you verify, the profile shows on Google 90 days before that date, so you can post about the opening and add photos. Customers can’t leave reviews or suggest edits until you open.
Do I need a separate profile for each service I offer?
No. Google allows one profile per business. Separate profiles for the services of one business count as duplicates, and a duplicate doesn’t show on Search or Maps. List the services on your one profile instead. Separate profiles are for distinct businesses, with different names and different signs, even when they share an address.
Want help after the profile is live?
Our local SEO service looks after your Google Business Profile every month: the name and category, 4 posts a month and a reply to every review, plus your listings and website. Miami businesses have their own page: local SEO in Miami.
Sources
- “Add or claim your Business Profile”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Get started with Google Business Profile”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Business eligibility and ownership guidelines”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Guidelines for representing your business on Google”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Resolve duplicate profiles & ownership issues”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Manage your business category”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Manage your business address”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Manage your service areas for service-area & hybrid businesses”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Verify your business on Google”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Find your business on Google”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Edit your Business Profile”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Add a business opening date”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Manage your Business Profile photos & videos”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Manage your Business Profile description”, Google Business Profile Help, read October 25, 2026.
- “Add a missing place to Google Maps”, Google Maps Help, read October 25, 2026.