Introduction
When people are looking for a place to go, most of them start with a Google search, glance at the business details shown next to the map, and decide right there: “Let’s go here.” The listing they’re looking at comes from a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
Registering is free, and used well, your profile becomes the foundation for attracting customers through Google Maps — MEO (map search optimization). That said, we hear the same thing from owners all the time: “I want to get registered, but I have no idea where to start.”
This article walks through the registration process step by step, split into two patterns: when your business already appears on Google Maps and when it doesn’t appear yet. We’ll also cover what to do once you’re registered, so it’s worth a read if you’re just getting started.
1. Get the Big Picture First
1.1 The Registration Process at a Glance
Before diving into the individual screens, it helps to see the whole path. There are essentially four things to do.
Set up a Google account
Check whether your business is already on Google Maps
Register your business details (owner verification if it’s already listed, a new profile if it isn’t)
Complete Google’s verification (owner verification)
The data entry itself takes about ten minutes. How many days the final owner verification takes, though, depends on the method you choose, so it’s best to start early and give yourself some breathing room.
1.2 There Are Two Registration Patterns
Here’s something a lot of people don’t realize: a business listing can exist on Google Maps even if the owner never created it. Google sometimes generates listings automatically from information it collects on its own and from user contributions.
That’s why registration splits into two patterns.
If your business already appears on the map: you claim the existing profile through owner verification (covered in section 4)
If it doesn’t appear yet: you create a new profile from scratch (covered in section 5)
Section 3 shows you how to tell which situation you’re in.
2. Set Up the Google Account You’ll Use
You need a Google account to register and manage a Google Business Profile. You can simply use your everyday Gmail account.
If you’re going to run the profile as a business, though, we recommend creating a new account dedicated to the business. There are two main reasons.
If you reuse someone’s personal account, control of the profile ends up in limbo the moment that person transfers or leaves the company
If several people manage the profile, it’s far easier to add and remove access when a dedicated account acts as the hub and you grant permissions from it to each staff member’s own account
In particular, leaving management rights sitting on the account of someone who has left the company can also become a security risk. Setting it up correctly from the start — register under a business account, then grant individual access to the people who need it — makes everything easier down the road.
3. Check Whether Your Business Is Already on Google Maps
Before you start registering anything, confirm whether a listing for your business already exists on the map. It’s simple: just search your business name on Google or Google Maps.
3.1 Search Your Business Name on Google
Try searching “business name (+ area name)” on Google. If a profile already exists, an information box summarizing the name, address, opening hours, and so on — the Knowledge Panel — appears on the right side of the results (at the top on smartphones).
3.2 Search Your Business Name on Google Maps
You can also search your business name in the Google Maps app or website. If a pin drops on the map and the business details come up, a profile already exists.
3.3 How to Tell Whether Owner Verification Is Already Done
Just because a profile exists doesn’t mean anyone has verified ownership of it. To find out, click “Own this business?” in the listing (on Google Maps it reads “Claim this business”).
If it takes you straight into the owner verification flow, nobody has claimed it yet — follow the steps in section 4. If instead you see a message like “This Business Profile may be managed by another user,” someone has already completed owner verification. If that doesn’t ring a bell, a former staff member or a web agency may have registered it, so check internally and with your vendors. If you do need management access, the on-screen prompts let you request access from the current owner.
4. Start Managing a Business Already on the Map (Owner Verification)
If a profile already exists, don’t create a new one — claim ownership of the existing profile instead. Creating a duplicate leaves you with two sets of information and makes management harder, not easier.
4.1 Open the Listing While Signed In to Your Google Account
While signed in to the Google account you set up in section 2, pull up your business listing on Google or Google Maps.
4.2 Click “Own this business?”
Click “Own this business?” in the listing (“Claim this business” on Google Maps) and follow the on-screen prompts to start the process of managing the listing.
4.3 Choose a Verification Method
Next, you choose how to prove that you really do operate the business. The options offered vary by business type and circumstances, but they generally include the following.
Receive a verification code by phone or SMS
Receive a verification code by email
Submit a video showing the exterior, interior, and equipment of your business
Receive a verification code by postcard
If phone or SMS is available, that’s the fastest route, since you get the code on the spot. If you choose the postcard, it takes roughly one to two weeks to arrive, and the code printed on it expires after 30 days. Also, changing your business name, address, or other details while you’re waiting for the postcard can force you to start verification over, so leave your information untouched until it arrives.
4.4 Get Your Business Information in Order
Once owner verification is complete, you can edit your listing from the dashboard. Auto-generated profiles are sometimes out of date or incorrect. Go through the opening hours, address, phone number, and website, and correct anything that doesn’t match reality.
5. Register a Business That Isn’t on the Map (Creating a New Profile)
If your search turned up no profile, you’ll create one from scratch. Go to the official Google Business Profile page and click “Get started” to begin.
5.1 Enter Your Business Name and Category
The first screen asks for the name of your business and a business category. The thing to watch with the name is this: enter your actual business name, exactly as it is, and nothing more. Padding it with search keywords like “area name + industry” violates the guidelines and can get your profile suspended.
For the category, pick the one closest to what you actually do. It’s an important field because it influences which searches you show up in, but you can change or add categories later — so start with whatever matches your main line of business.
5.2 Indicate Whether You Have a Physical Location
Here you specify whether you have a storefront or office that customers can actually visit. If you say yes, your address will be displayed on the map.
5.3 Enter Your Address
Enter your street address. Because this address is used for owner verification and for how you appear in search results, get it exactly right, down to the building name and floor.
5.4 Indicate Whether You Deliver or Travel to Customers
Answer yes or no to whether you deliver goods or provide services at customers’ homes or workplaces. If you only serve customers at your location, choose no and move on.
If you do deliver or travel to customers, search for and add the areas you serve (this step is optional). The areas you add appear on your profile, so choose only the areas you can genuinely cover. You can change or add to this later as well.
5.5 Enter Your Contact Information
Enter your phone number and website URL. These are how customers get in touch with you, and they also serve as a signal of how accurate your information is, so enter the ones you’re actually using and make sure they’re correct.
5.6 Complete Owner Verification
Finally, complete owner verification the same way as in 4.3. Once verification goes through, your profile becomes officially active and you can edit your information from the dashboard.
6. Where People Get Stuck (FAQ)
6.1 The Postcard Hasn’t Arrived
If the postcard still hasn’t arrived once the expected window has passed, start by double-checking the address you entered. If the address is fine, request a new verification code, or contact support through Google Business Profile Help.
6.2 I Lost the Verification Code
If you’ve misplaced the postcard, you can request the verification code again from the dashboard. Just start the process over with the new code that’s sent to you.
6.3 The Verification Code Expired
Verification codes are valid for 30 days. An expired code won’t work, so here again, just request a new one and start over.
6.4 I Want to Change Something While Waiting for the Postcard
Changing your business name, address, category, or similar details mid-verification can invalidate the process and send you back to the start. Even if you spot something you’d like to fix, hold off until verification is complete.
7. Three Things to Do After You Register
Registration isn’t the finish line — it’s the starting line. Simply creating a profile does little on its own; it starts bringing in customers only as you keep growing it. Once you’re registered, start with these three.
Post photos: take your own photos of the exterior, interior, and products, and upload them. Whether or not you have photos makes an enormous difference to the impression customers form.
Share updates: use the Posts feature to announce things like a change in your opening hours or a new campaign, so your information always stays current.
Reply to reviews: respond to every review you receive, one by one, based on what it actually says. Avoid recycling a canned response.
It’s this everyday work, built up day after day, that lifts your visibility in map search (MEO).
In Closing
Registering a Google Business Profile is free, and once you know the steps, it isn’t difficult. The key is to check first whether your business is already on the map, then take the right path: claim it through owner verification if it’s listed, or create a new profile if it isn’t.
Once you’re registered, keep steadily at the three basics — photos, posts, and review replies. That’s the shortest path to a profile that brings customers to your door through Google Maps.