How to Get Your Business on Google Maps (and Actually Show Up)

How do I add my business to Google Maps?

You add your business to Google Maps by creating a free Google Business Profile at business.google.com/add, then verifying it. Google's add-or-claim instructions have four steps, and you need a Google Account before you start:

• Go to business.google.com/add.
• Click Add your business to Google.
• Add your business details by following the on-screen instructions, and check that the address meets Google's address guidelines.
• Select a verification option and follow the on-screen steps.

How do I claim a business that's already on Google Maps?

You claim an existing Google Maps listing from the listing itself, by selecting Claim this business, then Manage now. On a computer, Google's instructions are to open Google Maps, search for your business name and city, select the listing, choose Claim this business, then Manage now, and pick a verification option. In the Google Maps app, open the listing and tap About, then Claim this business, then Manage now.

Search before you create anything, because Maps listings get generated from directories, old data and user submissions, and many businesses that "aren't on Google" already are, as an unclaimed listing with half the details wrong. Creating a second listing splits your reviews and confuses the map. Google's duplicate-profile rules say you can have only one Business Profile for each business, that multiple profiles are against its policies, and that a profile considered a duplicate won't show on Google Search or Maps. If someone else has already verified the listing, request access: the current owner has 3 days to respond, and if they don't, you may be able to claim it.

What information do I need ready?

You need your exact business name, address or service area, phone, website, hours, primary category and a few real photos ready before you start. Fifteen minutes of preparation saves three rounds of edits later, and every field below follows a Google rule.

Photos deserve their own note, because they are gated: Google Business Profile Help states that your photos and videos show up on Google only after you verify your Business Profile, and that a new upload can take up to 24 to 48 hours to appear. Our own advice, not a Google rule, is to use real photos of your work, your team and your location rather than stock: customers can tell.

Can every business get on Google Maps?

Only businesses that meet customers in person during their stated hours qualify for a Google Business Profile on Maps. Google's policy overview names online-only businesses, lead-generation companies, and rental or for-sale properties among the ineligible, and says a business Google determines doesn't exist at the claimed location will have its profile disabled.

Service businesses without a shopfront still qualify. Google's service-area rules say a business that visits or delivers to customers, like a plumber or a cleaning service, should remove its address and list the areas it serves instead, with one profile for the whole area. Google's getting-started page points online-only businesses to Google Ads instead.

Why am I on Google Maps but not showing up in searches?

A business on Google Maps can still lose searches, because Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence. Google's local ranking guide defines relevance as how well your profile matches the search, distance as how far you are from the searcher, and prominence as how well-known you are, based partly on how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have. It also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

Check for a duplicate before you blame the algorithm, since a profile Google treats as a duplicate won't show on Search or Maps at all. Then give it time: Google says rankings for new businesses can take up to a month to appear, and edits can take up to 3 days to show.

This is the line between "registered" and "optimized", and it is where most do-it-yourself efforts stop. The optimization side (categories, reviews, location pages on your website) is its own discipline, covered by our Google Business Profile service and the wider local SEO program. If your listing exists but the phone stays quiet, that is the half you are missing.

How long until my business appears on Google Maps?

A new business usually needs days to weeks to appear properly on Google Maps, because verification comes first. Google's verification page says reviews take up to 5 business days once you finish a method, and that most postcard codes arrive within 14 days. Start before your busy season.

After verification, each stage has its own clock in Google's help pages. Treat these as maximums, not promises, and judge the listing only once they have passed. The verification step itself has its own walkthrough: how to verify your Google Business Profile.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to put my business on Google Maps? Yes. Google Business Profile Help states plainly that you can add or claim your business at no charge. Adding the business, claiming an existing listing, verifying it and managing the profile afterwards all cost nothing, on a computer or in the Maps app. The only cost is the time it takes to fill everything in properly.

Can I add my business to Google Maps without a storefront? Yes. A service-area business removes its address and lists the areas it serves. Google's service-area rules allow up to 20 service areas by city or postal code, keep the whole area within about 2 hours' driving of your base, and don't accept a radius around your base. Verification works the same way, with video filmed at your business address.

Can I take over a Google Maps listing someone else created for my business? Yes. If the listing is unverified, claim it. If a verified profile is owned by someone else, Google's duplicate-profile page says you can request access, the owner has 3 days to respond, and if nobody answers you may get the option to claim it. Don't create a fresh listing: that makes a duplicate.

Why does my business show on Google Maps with wrong information? The listing was probably generated from other sources and never claimed. Google's instructions are to find the business in Maps, select Claim this business, then Manage now, and complete verification. Until then, anyone can suggest an edit and you have no say in what sticks; once verified, you control the name, hours, category and photos.

What do I do on Google Maps if my business moves? Most businesses update the existing profile with the new address, and Google's duplicate-profile page says not to create a new one. Venues whose identity is tied to the location, such as restaurants, hotels or entertainment venues, are the exception: Google's policy overview says they mark the old profile permanently closed and create a new one.