How to add your business to Google Maps: 10 steps to get listed and found
If your business is not on Google Maps, customers nearby cannot find you when they search, no matter how good your work is. Getting on the map takes a Google Business Profile set up the right way from day one. Here are the steps we use.
- One business of each type per area
- No contract
- Nothing changes without your approval
10 steps to add your business to Google Maps and actually show up
Check whether a listing already exists.
Search your business name and phone number on Google Maps first. A customer or Google may have created a listing already, and adding a second one causes duplicates.
What we do: we search for existing listings and help you claim the right one instead of starting a duplicate.
Use a business Google account.
The account you create the profile with will own it. Use one you will always have access to.
What we do: we help you set up ownership correctly and add us as a manager so you never lose control.
Use your real business name.
Your name should match your sign, vehicle and paperwork. Adding keywords or cities to the name can lead to a suspension.
What we do: we check the name before anything is submitted.
Pick the primary category carefully.
The primary category tells Google what you are. It is one of the strongest signals for which searches you show up for.
What we do: we choose your primary and secondary categories by looking at the businesses that win your map.
Storefront or service area: decide up front.
If customers come to you, show your address. If you go to them, hide your address and list the towns you serve. Showing a home address as a storefront is a common mistake.
What we do: we set this up correctly and list up to 20 towns you want calls from.
Add your phone, website and hours.
A real local phone number, your website and accurate hours give Google and customers what they need to trust the listing.
What we do: we fill in every contact field and add a quote or booking link where it fits.
Verify the profile.
Google will not fully show a new listing until it is verified, usually with a short video showing your business is real.
What we do: we prepare you for verification step by step.
Google Business Profile verificationFill in services and the description.
Each service is a search. A clear list and a 750 character description tell Google what to show you for.
What we do: we write your services and description and send them to you for approval.
Add photos and a first post.
Photos of your work, your team and your vehicle or storefront make a new listing look real and established.
What we do: we publish one post a week with up to three photos from your jobs, approved by you.
Check where you actually show up.
Being on Google Maps is not the same as showing up in the top 3 across your area. A new listing often only appears close to your address at first.
What we do: we run a 49 point scan of your service area and rescan every month so you can watch the map turn green.
Google Business Profile optimization checklist
Real businesses we helped get on the map
We sign mutual NDAs with our clients, so we describe the work instead of naming the business.
Every business and market is different. We do not promise rankings. We show you the same map every month so you can see what changed.
Why new businesses start with us
- One business of each type per service area. We will not work for your direct competitor in the same towns.
- Google Business Profiles and Google Maps are what we focus on, not a menu of everything.
- You see the proof: a 49 point map of your area before we start, and the same map every month after.
- Nothing changes on your profile without your written approval, and you stay the owner of it.
- No contract. Stay because it is working.
What you get every month
- A 49 point Google Maps scan of your service area before we start
- Profile fixes: categories, services, description, service area, hours, attributes and booking or quote links
- One post a week plus up to three photos from your work, approved by you
- Suggested replies to new reviews, posted only after you approve
- A weekly profile check that catches changes Google or anyone else makes
- A monthly rescan on the same 49 points, with a plain update on your map, calls and clicks from Google, what we did and what comes next
Pricing comes with your scan. Request your map scan at no cost and we will send your map, a short video walkthrough and pricing together.
Get my map scanMore Google Business Profile guides
Common questions
See where your new business shows up.
Send us your business and the towns you want customers from. We will run your 49 point map scan and send your map, a short video walkthrough and pricing together.
- 1.We run your map scan and look at your profile and search results.
- 2.You get a short note with what we would fix first.
- 3.If it makes sense, we set it up on a 15 minute call.