How to set up a Google Business Profile, step by step

Setting up your Google Business Profile, step by step

Sign in to Google, go to business.google.com/add, enter your business information, then verify. Google lets you add your business at no charge.

A Google Business Profile is the listing that shows your business on Google Maps and in the map results on Google Search. For an installer, it's often the first thing a homeowner sees when they search "solar panels near me" or "heat pump installers" with a town name. Here's how to create one properly the first time, in the order Google asks for it.

1. Sign in to Google with the business's Google account

   Use a Google account the business controls, ideally one tied to your business email. Avoid an employee's personal Gmail. The account you use becomes the profile's owner, and you don't want that access to leave when a person does.

2. Go to business.google.com/add

   Google's own steps are short: go to business.google.com/add, click "Add your business to Google", enter your details by following the on-screen instructions, then choose a verification option. Before you create Google Business Profile listings, search Google Maps for your business name. If a listing already exists, claim it instead of creating a second one (more on that below).

3. Enter your real business name

   Type the name on your van, your invoices and your signage. Google's guidelines say your name should reflect your business's real-world name, and adding unnecessary information to it isn't permitted. So "Example Solar Ltd" is right. "Example Solar Panels and Batteries Doncaster" is a keyword-stuffed name that can get a listing suspended.

4. Choose your primary category

   Start typing and pick from Google's list. You can't invent your own. Choose the category that finishes the sentence "This business IS a". For a solar and battery installer that's usually a solar category; for a heat pump and heating business, a heating one. There's a full section on categories below.

5. Say whether customers visit you

   Google asks if you have a location customers can visit. Most installers don't: you go to the customer's home. If nobody comes to your address, don't add it. Your profile becomes a service-area business, and your home or unit address stays private.

6. Add your service areas

   List the towns, cities or postcode areas you work in. Google allows up to 20, and the whole area shouldn't be more than about two hours' drive from your base. You can't draw a radius around your postcode, so name the places.

7. Add your phone number and website

   Use a local number that the business controls, not a call centre line, and make sure calls connect to someone who answers. Link to your own website, ideally the page that best matches your main service. Google's guidelines say not to use links or numbers that redirect people to other landing pages.

8. Verify your business

   Google then shows you the verification options it has chosen for your business. Where you're eligible, it recommends a video recording. Once you're verified, you control what shows on your listing. Our Google Business Profile verification guide covers every method.

The business information you need before you start

Have your business information ready before you sign in, so the details are consistent from day one.

You'll learn quickly that Google cares about consistency. Businesses whose name, address and phone number match everywhere are easier for Google to trust.

Everything you enter should match your website, your invoices and your van. Google is checking that your business is real, and consistent details help. Gather these first:

• A Google account the business controls. Sign in with it, not a personal one.
• Your exact trading name. As it appears on paperwork and signage.
• Your business address. Even if you'll hide it from customers, a verification video is filmed near it.
• A phone number you control. A local number is best.
• Your website address. The page that best matches your main service.
• The towns you want work from. Up to 20, all within about two hours' drive.
• A list of your services. Solar panels, batteries, EV chargers, heat pumps, boilers: whatever you actually install.
• Your own photos. Finished installs, your van, your team, and a square logo.
• Proof for a verification video. Branded van, tools and a business document in your trading name.

Choosing the right business category

Your primary category is one of the biggest choices you'll make. Google says the categories you select affect your local ranking.

Google's guidance is to pick a primary category that best describes your business, and to choose the most specific one that fits. Add a few additional categories only for real parts of your business. Google says not to select a category for every product or service.

Category names change, so always choose from the list Google shows you when you type. If nothing specific fits, Google says to choose a more general category. And keep in mind that adding or editing a category later can mean you're asked to verify your business again.

Address or service area: the installer's choice

If customers don't come to your premises, remove your address and set service areas instead. That's how most installers should set up.

Google's guidelines say that if you don't serve customers at your business address, you should hide it. This is what Google calls a service-area business. It's normal for installers, and working from home is fine.

How service areas work

• You can set up to 20 service areas, based on cities, postcodes or other areas you serve.
• The overall area shouldn't be more than about two hours of driving time from where you're based.
• You can't set a radius around your business. Name the places instead.
• Without a shop front, you're allowed one service-area Business Profile.

If you have a showroom

A business that serves customers at its address and also visits them is a hybrid business. You can show your address, set opening hours for when staff are there, and add a service area too. Google says that location should be staffed by your team. A unit you only store stock in doesn't count.

Which towns should you pick? The ones you actually want installs in, closest first. A solar installer based near Doncaster, for example, might list Doncaster, Rotherham, Worksop, Retford and Barnsley before reaching for cities further out. Service areas tell Google where you work. They don't guarantee you'll rank there; distance still matters, as the section on how a profile brings in enquiries explains.

Verifying your new profile

You have to verify before you can manage your listing. Google chooses which verification methods you're offered, and you can't change them.

The options depend on your business type, public information, region and hours. They can include a video recording, a live video call, a phone or text code, email, or a postcard. Some profiles are verified instantly. Where you're eligible, Google recommends the video recording.

What to show in a verification video

For a service-area business, Google asks for three things in one continuous, unedited recording of at least 30 seconds:

• Where you are: a street sign or landmark near your business address.
• That the business exists: the professional tools, equipment or products you use. Branded clothing or business cards work too.
• That you manage it: something only the business can do, like unlocking your branded van, or a business document such as an invoice in your trading name.

Google says verification reviews take up to five working days. Don't change your name, address or category while you wait. Our verification guide has a shot list you can follow, and what to do if Google rejects the video.

What to add once you're verified

Fill in everything. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local search results.

Verification gets you a listing. Adding business hours, services, photos and posts is what makes customers choose you from it. Most businesses stop at the basics, so this is where installers can stand out. Work through these in Business Profile.

Opening hours

Add the hours customers can reach you, including special hours over bank holidays. Google's guidelines say to provide your regular customer-facing hours. Businesses that only operate by appointment shouldn't list hours, so if every customer contact is booked, leave them off.

Business description

You get 750 characters. Google says don't include URLs or HTML, and keep it about the business rather than promotions or prices. Say what you install, who for, where, and what makes you safe to choose: for example your MCS certification, warranties or years in business, if they're true. An example for a solar installer:

Services

Choose from the suggested services for your category and add custom ones for anything missing. You can add descriptions and prices. Google rejects custom services that break its policies, and names shouldn't include prices or phone numbers. Typical services for installers:

• Solar panel installation
• Battery storage installation
• Air source heat pump installation
• EV charger installation
• Solar panel and battery servicing

Photos, logo and cover photo

Photos are the quickest way to show you're real. Google accepts JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommends 720 by 720 pixels, and wants them in focus, well lit and without heavy filters. Videos can be up to 30 seconds. Add your logo so customers recognise you, and a cover photo that best represents the business. Use your own work: panels on a customer's roof (with permission), a battery neatly fitted in a garage, a heat pump outside a home, your van on the drive. Every photo should be one you took.

Posts

Posts let you share updates, offers and events on your listing. Updates can include a photo or video and a button to your website. Posts older than six months are archived unless you set dates, so a recent post shows the business is active. A finished install with a photo and one line about the job is plenty.

Reviews

Ask every happy customer. Google suggests sharing your review link or a QR code. Reply to every review, briefly. Never offer discounts or freebies for reviews: Google calls that fake engagement and says it's strictly prohibited. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews has the wording we use.

Owners and managers: keep control of your profile

Keep yourself as the primary owner, add a second owner you trust, and give anyone who helps you manager access.

Add people in your Business Profile settings, under People and access. Each person needs their own Google account. New owners and managers wait seven days before they can do things like remove other users or transfer primary ownership.

If someone else set up your listing for you, check who the primary owner is. It should be you. Anyone helping you, including us, only needs manager access.

Already on Google? Claim it or request access

Your business may already have a listing that nobody has claimed. If it exists, claim it rather than adding a new one.

If nobody has verified it

In the Google Maps app, search for your business, open it, tap About, then "Claim this business" and "Manage now". Choose a verification option and follow the prompts.

If someone else already manages it

1. Go to business.google.com/add

   Enter your business name and address, then choose your business from the list.

2. Select "Request access"

   You'll see a message that someone else may manage this Business Profile. Fill in the form and submit it.

3. Wait three days

   The current owner has three days to respond. If they don't, you may be able to claim the profile from the confirmation email. Google says that option isn't always available.

This can happen when a former employee, web designer or marketing company set the listing up. Asking them to transfer it is quicker if you can reach them.

Setup mistakes that hold installers back

Most of these problems start on day one: a stuffed name, the wrong address setting or too many categories.

• Keywords or towns in the business name. Google doesn't permit it, and breaking the guidelines can get a listing suspended. Our guide to a suspended Google Business Profile explains what happens next.
• A PO box or virtual office as the address. Neither is eligible.
• Showing a home address customers never visit. Hide it and use service areas.
• A category for every product. Google says to use as few as possible.
• A phone number the business doesn't control. Google says it must be under the business's direct control.
• A website link that redirects somewhere else. Link to your own site.
• Stock photos. Customers can tell, and they're not your work.
• Editing details while a postcard is on its way. Changing your name, address or category, or requesting a new code, can invalidate the one in the post.
• A second profile for the same business. Claim the existing one instead.

How long Google Business Profile setup takes

Entering your details takes one sitting. Verification takes up to five working days, and occasionally longer.

Postcard codes expire after 30 days. Every edit you make afterwards is reviewed by Google before it goes live, so changes don't always appear straight away.

How a complete profile brings in more enquiries

Google ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. A complete, verified profile helps the two you can control.

• Relevance is how well your profile matches what someone searched for. Your category, services and description drive it.
• Distance is how far you are from the person searching. You can't change it, which is why your rankings vary from town to town.
• Prominence is how well known your business is. Google says it's based on things like how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have.

Google's own tips are to verify, keep your information complete and accurate, reply to reviews and add photos. It also says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Our guides to Google Business Profile optimisation and how to rank higher on Google Maps go further.

See what your listing brings in

Once you're verified, Performance in your Business Profile shows how many people viewed your profile, the searches they used to find you, and how many called, asked for directions or clicked through to your website. That data is only available for verified profiles. Check it monthly: it's the simplest way to see if your local SEO is working. If you run more than one location, Business Profile Manager lets you download these insights for all of them at once.

What happened to the Google Business Profile website?

Google used to offer a free website built from your profile. It switched those off on 5 March 2024, and the temporary redirects to profiles ended on 10 June 2024. If yours was one of them, your profile needs a real website to link to. Our renewable energy web design is built for exactly that.

Questions about setting up a Google Business Profile