If you run a local business and you're not on Google Maps, you're invisible to 90% of potential customers searching for what you offer. This isn't hyperbole—it's the reality of local search today.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP)—formerly known as Google My Business—is the free listing that appears when someone searches for businesses like yours on Google or Google Maps. It's the panel that shows your address, phone number, opening hours, photos, and reviews. For local businesses, it's more valuable than any paid advertising, because it appears exactly when customers are ready to buy.
This guide walks you through claiming, verifying, and setting up the foundational data for your Google Business Profile. This is the first critical step in local SEO—a critical step in local SEO that ensures you exist in the eyes of Google's local search algorithm.
What You'll Have When Done:
A verified Google Maps listing that appears when customers search for your business name, ready for optimization.
Time Needed: 30 minutes (setup) + 5-14 days (verification wait time)
Difficulty: Beginner
Prerequisites:
Jump to:
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Before You Start—Prerequisites Check:
☐ You have a physical business address OR you operate as a service area business (you visit customers at their locations)
☐ You can receive post at this address (verification usually requires a postcard)
☐ You have a professional business email address using your domain (not Gmail or Hotmail)
☐ You have a Google account (create one specifically for your business if you haven't already)
☐ Your website is live (builds on Launch Your Website)
Are all your basics—domain, professional email, and key details—consistent across your existing online properties? Not sure you've covered the prerequisites? NetNav's audit checks the fundamental structure of your online presence in 60 seconds.
Step 1: Go to business.google.com and sign in with your business Google account.
Step 2: Click "Add your business to Google" and enter your exact, official business name (no keywords, no taglines—just your registered trading name).
Step 3: Choose your business type:
Step 4: Enter your complete business address. If you're a Service Area Business, you'll hide your street address and define the areas you serve (postcodes, towns, or radius).
Step 5: Select your Primary Business Category from Google's list. This is the single most important categorisation decision—choose the category that most accurately describes your core service.
Step 6: Add your phone number and website URL, then choose your verification method (usually postcard by mail) and submit.
Quick Validation Checklist:
✓ You've submitted your business information to Google
✓ You've selected a verification method and requested your verification code
✓ You know where the verification postcard is being sent
✓ You've noted the estimated arrival time (usually 5-14 days)
✅ Completed the quick version? Your verification is now in progress. While you wait, move on to Create a Google Business Profile Strategy to prepare your optimization plan, or continue below for the detailed walkthrough that explains the critical decisions you just made.
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This section explains the why behind each decision and ensures you avoid the common mistakes that lead to verification delays, suspensions, or poor local rankings.
Before you touch Google Business Profile, you need to ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data is consistent everywhere it appears online.
Why this matters: Google validates your business information against other sources. If your business name is "Smith Plumbing Ltd" on your website but "Smith Plumbing Services" on your Facebook page, Google sees conflicting signals and may delay verification or lower your ranking.
What to check:
These four pieces of information must match exactly across:
This is critical NAP consistency—the foundation of local SEO trust signals.
[MEDIA:SCREENSHOT:gbp-start-screen]
The initial setup screen requiring your Business Name and Category choice.
Your Business Name:
Enter your exact, official business name as it appears on your signage, letterhead, and Companies House registration (if you're a limited company).
Do NOT:
Why: Google's guidelines explicitly prohibit keyword stuffing in business names. Violations can result in suspension. Your business name should be recognisable to customers who already know you.
Your Location Type:
Choose carefully between:
Critical decision: If you operate from a home address but visit customers, you're a Service Area Business. You'll hide your street address and define service areas instead.
For Storefront Businesses:
Enter your complete street address exactly as it appears on official documents and your website. This address will be publicly visible.
For Service Area Businesses:
[MEDIA:SCREENSHOT:service-area-map]
Visualising the difference between a physical store and a Service Area Business (SAB) radius.
Why hiding your address matters: If you're a home-based service business, showing your home address:
Ensuring NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency is critical. Errors here confuse Google and impact rankings. This is one of the many core data integrity checks NetNav runs automatically across your whole site and linked external assets to ensure local search readiness.
Your Primary Business Category is the single most important ranking factor in local search. Google uses it to determine which searches your business should appear in.
How to choose:
Examples:
You can add secondary categories later, but your primary category cannot be changed without potentially affecting your rankings. Choose carefully.
For detailed guidance on category strategy, see Understanding Google Business Profile Categories.
Phone Number:
Use your primary business phone number—the same number that appears on your website and other listings. Mobile numbers are acceptable for small businesses.
Website URL:
Enter your homepage URL (e.g., `https://www.yourbusiness.co.uk`).
Pro tip: Once your profile is verified, you can add specific service page URLs in the Services section. This allows you to link your website service pages directly from your Google listing.
Business Hours:
Add your regular opening hours. You can add special hours (bank holidays, seasonal changes) after verification.
Accuracy is critical: Incorrect hours are the number one complaint in negative reviews. If you're closed when Google says you're open, customers will be frustrated.
Google offers several verification methods, but most businesses will use postcard verification.
Verification Methods:
[MEDIA:SCREENSHOT:verification-options]
Examples of common verification methods offered by Google (phone, mail, video).
What to do while you wait:
After you receive your code:
Verification Complete Checklist:
✓ Your Google Business Profile shows "Verified" status in the dashboard
✓ Your business appears when you search "[Your Business Name] Google Maps"
✓ Your business information (address, phone, website) displays correctly
✓ You can access the full management dashboard to add photos and posts
🎉 Completed? You've successfully claimed your Google Maps territory. Your business is now visible in local search results. You're ready to Create a Google Business Profile Strategy and optimize your listing for maximum visibility.
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Common Problems and Fixes:
Problem 1: Verification postcard never arrives
This is the most common issue. Possible causes:
Fix:
Problem 2: Google rejects your location or suspends your listing
This usually happens when:
Fix:
Problem 3: An old or duplicate listing already exists
This happens when:
Fix:
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You've completed the foundational step of claiming and verifying your Google Business Profile. Your business now exists in Google's local search index.
Your next priority: Create a Google Business Profile Strategy
In the next guide, you'll:
Before you move on, ensure you've completed the foundational SEO checklist to ensure your website is ready to support your local search efforts.
For a complete review of all foundational elements your website needs before optimising for search:
→ The Ultimate Small Business Website Audit Guide (Action Checklist)
To understand the broader strategy around local search and how GBP fits into the overall picture:
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Continue building your local search presence with these related guides:
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You've successfully claimed and verified the most crucial local asset. NetNav can audit your entire site across 9 pillars in 60 seconds—see what else needs attention before you move on to advanced optimisation.
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