To appear on Google Maps and in local search, create and verify a free Google Business Profile, fill in every field, and link it to a website with the same name, address and phone number. Then collect reviews and keep your details up to date.
Here is how to do each step properly.
Step 1: Create your Google Business Profile
- Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account you will keep long term.
- Search for your business name. If a listing already exists, claim it instead of making a new one.
- Choose your primary category. Pick the most specific one that fits, for example "Barber shop" rather than "Beauty salon". This choice matters a lot for which searches you appear in.
- Add your address if customers visit you. If you go to customers, add the areas you serve and hide your address.
- Add your phone number and website.
Step 2: Verify it
Google needs to confirm the business is real before your listing appears fully. Google chooses which methods you are offered. Common ones are a phone call, a text, an email or a short video showing your location and signage. Verification can take anything from minutes to several days.
Step 3: Fill in everything
Profiles that are complete tend to perform better. Add:
- your hours, including holiday hours when they change
- photos of the outside, the inside, your team and your work
- your services or products, with prices where possible
- a plain description of what you do and who you serve
- attributes Google offers for your category, such as wheelchair access or online booking
Step 4: Link it to a good website
Google uses your website to understand your business. Make sure:
- your business name, address and phone number are exactly the same on the site and the profile
- each page has a title that includes your service and city, for example "Barber shop in Brooklyn | Fade and beard trims"
- the site loads quickly on phones and covers the basics in our website checklist
- the site includes structured data for a local business, so Google can read your hours and location directly
Step 5: Get reviews and reply to them
Reviews are one of the strongest signals for local search. Ask happy customers in person and send them a short link afterwards. Reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and politely.
Mistakes that hold listings back
- Adding keywords to your business name. "Joe's Barbers Best Haircuts NYC" breaks Google's guidelines and can get your listing suspended. Use your real name.
- Using a PO box or a mailbox service as your address. Google does not allow it.
- Duplicate listings for the same location. Merge or remove them.
- Wrong hours. People who arrive to a closed door leave bad reviews.
- No website, or a website that does not work on phones.
How long does it take?
The profile can appear within days of verification. Ranking higher takes weeks to months and depends on how relevant you are, how far the searcher is from you, and how well known and well reviewed your business is.
If you want a website that is set up for Google from the start, Stackmane builds it in and makes you a free preview first.