How to get your business on Google Maps

The five steps at a glance

A Google Business Profile is free, and it’s what puts your business on Google Maps and in the map results on Google Search. Most businesses can do the first three steps in an afternoon.

1. 1
   CheckSearch your name and town on Google Maps

   You may already be listed. If so, you claim that listing instead of starting again.

2. 2
   Addbusiness.google.com/add

   Your real name, main category and where you serve customers.

3. 3
   VerifyGoogle picks the method

   Video, phone, email, a live video call or a postcard. Then a review of up to 5 business days.

4. 4
   Fill inHours, services, photos

   The details that decide which searches you show up for.

5. 5
   Keep it activeReviews, photos, holiday hours

   A profile that looks looked-after gets chosen.

What is a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile is your free business listing on Google Search and Google Maps. It shows your name, location or service area, phone number, hours, photos and reviews, and you control it once it’s verified.

It used to be called Google My Business. Google renamed it in November 2021, so older guides and some sales emails still use the old name. It’s the same thing.

Step 1: Check whether you’re already on Google

Search for your business name and town on Google Maps. Google sometimes creates a listing from public information. And a previous owner, a web designer or an old agency may have set one up years ago.

• Found it, and nobody manages itSelect “Claim this business”, then “Manage now”, and follow the steps. You can do this in the Google Maps app too, under the listing’s About tab.
• Found it, but someone else manages itRequest ownership through Google. The current owner is asked to respond. If it’s an old agency or a former employee, contact them as well, since that’s often quicker.
• Not there at allGo on to step 2 and add it.

Don’t create a second profile to get around an old one. Google’s rules allow one profile per business, and duplicates split your reviews.

Step 2: Add your business

Go to business.google.com/add, select “Add your business to Google” and sign in. You need a Google Account, but it doesn’t have to be a Gmail address: your business email works.

• Business nameExactly as it appears on your signage, van and invoices. Google asks you to represent your business the way it’s known in the real world. So adding towns or services to the name breaks the rules.
• Main categoryThe one that best describes your business. It has a big effect on which searches you show up for. See choosing your Google Business Profile category.
• LocationIf customers come to you, add your address. If you go to them, don’t show your address: list the areas you cover instead. See Google Business Profile without a shopfront.
• Phone and websiteThe number customers should ring, and the page on your site that best matches the profile.

Step 3: Verify your business

Google decides which verification methods you’re offered, based on your business type, public information, region and opening hours, and you can’t change them. Sometimes you’ll need more than one.

If you’re offered video

Film in one continuous take, and show three things:

1. Where you are: your sign, the street or nearby businesses, or your van parked outside.

2. What you do: your tools, equipment, stock or branded materials.

3. That it’s yours: opening the premises with your keys, an employee-only area, or business paperwork with nothing sensitive on it.

If you get a postcard

1. Day 0

   Request the code. Check the mailing address first, with your Eircode.

2. Day 14

   Most codes have arrived. Until then, don’t edit your name, address or category, and don’t request a new code: either one cancels the code that’s on its way.

3. Day 30

   The code expires. Enter it on your profile before then.

4. Then

   Google reviews your details, which takes up to 5 business days. You’ll get an email when you’re verified.

Three things worth knowing

• Search Console can speed it upGoogle says it sometimes verifies a profile instantly when your website is already verified in Google Search Console with the same account.
• Never share your codeGoogle says it will never ask for your verification code. Anyone who rings asking for it isn’t Google.
• Video rejected?Our free Profile Rescue Kit tells you what was probably missing and writes a shot-by-shot script for your next video.

Step 4: Fill in what matters

Once you’re verified, add your opening hours, and every service you offer in plain words. Then add a short description, and real photos of your team, premises, van and finished work. These details decide which searches you show up for and whether people pick you.

Our Google Business Profile guides cover each part. And how to rank higher on Google Maps covers what moves you up once you’re on the map.

Step 5: Keep it active

Reply to every review, add new photos now and then, and keep your hours right, including bank holidays. A profile that looks looked-after gets more calls than one last touched years ago. For a steady flow of new reviews, see how to get more Google reviews.

Why isn’t my business showing on Google Maps?

Usually because the profile isn’t verified yet, is still being reviewed, or has been suspended. Check these in order:

1. Search your business name and town in a private window. If you show up, you’re on the map. Not showing for a search like “plumber cork” is a ranking problem, not a listing problem.

2. Check you’re verified. Google only shows verified businesses’ information on Maps and Search.

3. Give it time. Google’s review after verifying takes up to 5 business days. Edits can take up to 3 days to appear. And Google says rankings for a new business can take up to a month to appear in search results.

4. Check for a suspension. If your profile breaks Google’s guidelines, it’s suspended or disabled and hidden until you fix it. You’ll get a notification in the Google Account that manages the profile. Our free Profile Rescue Kit finds the likely cause and writes your appeal.

5. Check the pin. If your business shows in the wrong place, add your Eircode and drag the pin to your door. If Google Maps can’t find your Eircode at all, see Eircode not showing on Google Maps.

Getting it right in Ireland

A few things trip up Irish businesses in particular.

• Put your Eircode in the addressIt helps the postcard arrive and the pin land in the right place. Rural addresses often share a townland name, so check the pin and drag it to your actual door if it’s wrong. Use the same address on every other listing too: see the best business directories in Ireland.
• Use a number someone answersVerification calls and texts go to your business number, and automated phone menus won’t receive the code. An Irish mobile is fine if that’s what customers ring.
• Describe your work the Irish wayYour services and description should use the words people here search: “boiler service”, “immersion repair”, “end of tenancy clean”, not wording borrowed from American templates.
• Set special hours for every public holidayCustomers who turn up to a closed door leave reviews. Ireland has 10 public holidays, listed below. Good Friday isn’t one, but if you close, set special hours for it too.

Public holiday dates from Citizens Information.

Mistakes that cause problems later

All of these are common, and all of them are easier to avoid than to fix.

When to get help

Setting up a profile is free, and most people can do it themselves. It’s worth getting help in four cases. Verification keeps failing. Someone else controls your listing and won’t hand it over. The profile has been suspended. Or you’re on the map, but never for the searches that bring in work.

That’s what our Google Business Profile management covers, and the free Google profile check will tell you which of these applies to you. If you only need the profile sorted once, the one-off profile fix-up is €149 on our pricing page.

Questions people ask

Something else on your mind? Email info@leadsireland.com.