The short answer
Create or claim a free Google Business Profile, verify it, and fill in every part of it. That is what puts you on Google Maps. Where you show up depends on three things Google names: how well you match the search, how close you are, and how well known you are. You can't move your shop, but a complete profile, steady reviews and the same details everywhere make a real difference.
Set it up, step by step
Before you start, check that you qualify. Google wants a real business that meets customers in person: either at your premises or at their door. A virtual office or a P.O. box doesn't count.
- Search Google Maps for your business name and town. If a listing already exists, choose "Claim this business". If not, go to business.google.com and add your business.
- Enter your business name exactly as customers know it. No extra words.
- Choose your primary category: the most specific one that finishes "This business is a …".
- Say whether customers come to you (add your address) or you go to them (set a service area).
- Add a phone number and your website, then verify the profile with the method Google offers you.
If you work from home and go to your customers, as most plumbers, electricians, cleaners and mobile mechanics do, set up a service area and hide your address. Google asks for exactly that, and it keeps your home address off the internet.
Verification proves you really run the business. You don't get to choose the method: Google decides which ones your profile can use, and sometimes asks for more than one. These are the methods it uses now:
- Phone or text
- Google sends a code to your business number.
- You follow the steps sent to your business email address.
- Video recording
- One unedited clip, at least 30 seconds, filmed on your phone in the app.
- Live video call
- A Google support person walks you through the same thing on a call.
- Postcard
- A code arrives by post. Most arrive within 14 days and expire after 30.
For a video, Google wants three things in one take: where you are (street signs or landmarks nearby), that the business exists (your signage, or your tools and branded vehicle), and that you run it (opening the till, unlocking the work van, or an invoice with your business name). Don't film ID numbers, bank details or other people's faces.
What to fill in
Verified is only the start. A half-empty profile shows up less and convinces fewer people. Go through each part below and tick off what yours already has.
The parts of your listing
Open a part to see what to fill in. Tick it if yours is done.
Fill in: Your real business name, exactly as it appears on your signage, invoices and website. Nothing else.
Why it matters: Adding extra words like "best plumber Pretoria" breaks Google’s guidelines, and anyone can suggest an edit to remove them.
Fill in: The most specific category that finishes the sentence "This business is a …". Add others only if they are core to the business.
Why it matters: It tells Google which searches you are relevant for. A vague or wrong category means you show up for the wrong searches, or none.
Fill in: Your street address if customers come to you. If you go to them, set the areas you serve and hide your address.
Why it matters: Distance is one of the three things Google uses to rank you. Working from home? Hide the address and use a service area.
Fill in: Your normal hours, plus special hours for public holidays and the December break.
Why it matters: People check hours before they drive over or call. Wrong hours lead to a wasted trip and often a bad review.
Fill in: A number your business controls and actually answers during the hours you list.
Why it matters: Many people tap "Call" straight from the listing. It should match the number on your website.
Fill in: Your own website, with the same name, address, phone number and services as the profile.
Why it matters: A website that matches the profile backs up what you claim and gives people more reasons to choose you.
Fill in: What you actually sell, in the words your customers use, with prices where you can.
Why it matters: More detail gives Google more to match against what people search for.
Fill in: A few plain sentences: what you do, for whom, where, and what makes you different.
Why it matters: It is the first thing many people read about you. Write it for people, not for search engines.
Fill in: Your real work, your premises or vehicle, your team and your logo. Add new ones every few months.
Why it matters: Photos show people what to expect, and Google lists adding them as a way to stand out.
Fill in: Ask happy customers for a review, and reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly.
Why it matters: Review count feeds prominence, and Google says replies show you value feedback.
0 of 10 done
Tick each part your profile already has.
What decides where you show up
Google says local results mainly come down to three things:
- Relevance
- How well your profile matches what someone searched for. A full, accurate profile gives Google more to match.
- Distance
- How far you are from the person searching, or from the area they searched for. You can’t change this one.
- Prominence
- How well known you are. Google counts your reviews and the links to you from other websites.
Google also says you can't pay for a better local ranking. What you can do is work on relevance and prominence:
- A complete profile
- Every part filled in, and kept up to date when your hours or services change.
- Reviews, and your replies
- Ask every happy customer. Reply to every review, including the bad ones, calmly and briefly.
- The same details everywhere
- Your name, address and phone number should match on your website, Facebook page and any directories.
- A website that matches
- The same services and area as your profile, so Google and your customers see one consistent story.
Mistakes that hold you back
- Keywords in the name
- "Joe’s Plumbing – Best Plumber Centurion" is against Google’s rules. The name must be your real business name, without taglines or service descriptions.
- Duplicate profiles
- Google allows one profile per business per location. Two listings split your reviews and confuse customers. Claim the old one instead of starting again.
- The wrong category
- Picking a broad category, or one for a service you rarely do, puts you in front of the wrong searches.
- Showing a home address
- If customers don’t visit you, hide the address and use a service area. It is safer and it is what Google asks for.
- Never replying to reviews
- An unanswered complaint stays there for every future customer to read. A short, polite reply shows you care.
Giving someone else access, safely
Never give anyone your Google password, not even your web designer. That password usually opens your email, your phone backups and more. Add them to the profile as a manager instead:
- Sign in at business.google.com with the Google account that owns the profile.
- Open your profile’s settings and go to "People and access".
- Choose Add, enter the other person’s email address and pick Manager.
- They accept the invitation by email. You can remove them again at any time.
A manager can update your details, add photos and reply to reviews. They can't add or remove people or delete the profile. You stay the owner. That is how we work with clients too: if you want help setting yours up, you add us as a manager and keep full control.
My take
Most small businesses I look at don't need tricks to show up on Maps. They need a finished profile and the habit of asking for reviews and replying to them. And the profile belongs to you, not to whoever set it up. If someone asks for your Google password to “sort out your listing”, say no and add them as a manager.
Kris, founder of TechOnEdge
Quick questions
Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?
No. Creating and running the profile is free. Google also says there is no way to pay for a better position in local results, so be wary of anyone selling a guaranteed top spot.
Can I list my business on Google Maps if I work from home?
Yes. Set it up as a service-area business: add the areas you serve and hide your home address. Your listing shows your service area instead of your street.
How long does Google take to verify my business?
Google says a verification review takes up to five business days after you complete the steps, and sometimes longer. If you verify by postcard, allow up to 14 days for it to arrive.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Add or claim your Business Profile
- Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business on Google
- Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business with a video recording
- Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
- Google Business Profile Help: Manage owners and managers