Customers inspect Google before they visit, call, or buy, so an unclaimed or half-finished endeavor listing sends them to a competitor instead. But how do you get your endeavor listed on Google?
Google My Business, now called Google Business Profile (GBP), is the answer.
This guide covers how to assertion an existing Google Business Profile, how to create one from scratch, and how to optimize it so it earns clicks, calls, and reviews.
Let’s get started.
What is Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)?
Google Business Profile is a liberated tool that lets you oversee how your endeavor appears in Google Search and Google Maps to attain new customers. Google renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile, so the two names mention to the identical tool.
Here’s what a Google Business Profile looks like:
To oversee your profile, sign in to the Google Account connected alongside it, afterward hunt for your endeavor name and city. Or hunt “my business” on Google.
(We’ll display you how to assertion and create GBPs in greater item in the following sections.)
Maintaining a GBP lets you authority your business’s online appearance, build credibility through reviews, and enhance your visibility on Google. Accurate endeavor data and dependable reviews additionally assistance your AI visibility.
Plus, local results on Google are chiefly according to relevance, distance, and prominence, according to Google’s local ranking guidance.
How to assertion an existing Google Business Profile
Claim an existing Google Business Profile by searching for your endeavor on Google, selecting it from the hunt results, and clicking “Claim this business.” Some listings may display “Own this business?” instead.
You’ll see one of two options, depending on how the listing was created:
- Automatic listing: Google automatically originated your endeavor particulars from another websites. You’ll see the choice to “Manage now.”
- Listing created by person else: Another individual created a profile. You’ll see part of their email location and the choice to “Request access.”
How to assertion an automatically created Google Business Profile
Claim an automatically created GBP by clicking “Manage now” on the listing.
Google volition ask you to verify ownership. Google determines the verification options you see according to your endeavor type, location, and hours. Verification methods contain a phone call, text, or video recording.
Select among the accessible methods, afterward click “Next.”
For verifications via phone, choose between a call or a content message. Then click “Next.”
Enter the code you received. Click “Verify.”
After completing verification, you’ll acquire complete admission to your Google Business Profile.
How to petition admission to a listing managed by person else
Request admission to a listing managed by person alternatively by clicking “Request access.”
Fill out the form alongside these details:
- Level of access: Choose “Management” if you’re an employee or an agency asking the owner for access. Choose “Ownership” if you’re a endeavor owner.
- Relationship to the business: Choose owner, agency, or employee
- Contact information: Enter your name and phone number
Decide whether the overview owner can perspective your community particulars and email address. Then, click “Submit.”
After you present your request, Google notifies the current owner by email, and they have three days to respond. If they approve, you’ll get admission to the profile. If they don’t react inside three days, you may be capable to assertion the overview yourself.
If your endeavor serves customers at their location and has no bodily shop or agency (like a plumber or an electrician), Google asks you to contact support to petition a transfer alternatively of using the form.
How to create a Google Business Profile from scratch
To create a Google Business Profile from scratch, add your endeavor to Google and inhabit out its details. Search for your endeavor on Google first. If a overview already exists, assertion it alternatively so you don’t create a duplicate.
Follow these six steps to create one in concerning 15 minutes:
- Add your endeavor to Google
- Fill out your endeavor name and category
- Add endeavor location
- Choose your assistance area
- Add communication information
- Verify your business
We’ll conversation you through all step.
Further reading: How to Create a Google Business Profile alongside Semrush Local Toolkit
1. Add your endeavor to Google
Add your endeavor to Google by going to business.google.com/add and clicking “Add your endeavor to Google.”
You can additionally commencement from Google Maps. Open Google Maps and click the list in the top-left corner.
Select “Add your business.”
2. Fill out your endeavor name and category
Fill out your endeavor name and category. If your endeavor name appears in the drop-down, choose it and skip onward to the verification step.
If your endeavor name doesn’t appear, choose “Create a endeavor alongside this name.”
Enter your endeavor category. Click “Next.”
3. Add endeavor location
Add a endeavor location if your endeavor has a bodily location customers can visit. Click the circle next to “Yes” followed by “Next.” For several categories, akin “Restaurants,” this is a mandatory step.
If you don’t have a bodily location, choose the circle next to “No.”
If you choose “Yes,” act your address. Ensure accuracy since Google volition use it for verification (more on that soon). Click “Next.”
Google may propose akin endeavor names. If you see your business, choose it and jump to the verification step. If none match, choose “None of these.” Then, click “Next.”
4. Choose your assistance area
Choose a assistance area to signify whether you recommendation deliveries or on-site services.
If you don’t, choose the circle next to “No,” and continue to the next stage to study how to add your endeavor communication information.
If you do, click the circle next to “Yes” and choose “Next.”
Enter the areas you serve. Click “Next.”
5. Add communication information
Add communication data since searchers volition use it to discover and communication you.
Enter your phone figure and website URL. Click “Next.”
6. Verify your business
Google determines which verification options you see according to your endeavor type, location, and hours, so you can lone choose from the methods it offers.
Depending on those factors, you’ll get one or additional of these options to verify your business:
- By phone: You’ll obtain a Google automated call or content alongside your verification code
- By email: You’ll obtain an email containing your verification code
- By postcard: You’ll obtain a postcard at your registered location containing your verification code (not accessible for all businesses)
- By video recording: Record a video showing evidence of your location, endeavor equipment, and that you are an authorized manager
- By live video call: Provide evidence of your location, endeavor equipment, and that you’re an authorized director during a live call alongside a assistance representative
Google recommends video verification if it is accessible for your business. If you verify by phone, create certain person can answer your endeavor figure or obtain texts, since automated phone systems can’t obtain the code.
Select an accessible option, afterward click “Next.”
For verifications via phone, choose between receiving a content or an automated phone call. Click “Next.”
Enter the code you received, and click “Verify.”
If you have multiple businesses or locations, track the position of all verification in Google Business Profile Manager. The pillar “Status” volition display if the listing is verified or if you need to complete several additional steps.
Further reading: How to Verify Your Google Business Profile
How to optimize a Google Business Profile
Optimize your Google Business Profile by keeping your particulars exact and complete, adding photos, and responding to reviews and publishing posts. Doing this increases your visibility in local searches and gives customers the data they need.
To see optimization in action, let’s assessment a rivalrous keyword: “bakery new york.”
- According to data from Semrush’s Keyword Overview, this term gets 590 average monthly searches in the US
- The keyword difficulty (a prediction of how difficult it is to display in Google’s top 10 results for this term) is 33% out of 100%, which makes it moderately competitive
Even at average difficulty, the top local listings set the bar, so optimize your overview carefully. Next, we’ll appearance at what several top New York bakeries are doing well.
Ensure name, address, and phone figure accuracy and consistency
Ensuring your name, address, and phone figure (NAP) are exact in your Google Business Profile helps customers discover and communication you.
Accurate NAP data additionally signals to hunt systems that your endeavor is lawful and trustworthy. Consistent particulars additionally create it easier for AI hunt platforms, akin Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT, to equivalent all citation of your endeavor to a sole entity.
Google may drag endeavor particulars from another online sources. For that reason, keep consistent NAP information throughout your website and directories.
Use Semrush’s Listing Management to inspect anywhere your endeavor appears, verify NAP accuracy, and update data in one step.
Start typing the endeavor name in Listing Management. Select it whenever it appears in the drop-down.
Listing Management afterward analyzes your online existence and assigns a rating. For Levain Bakery, the ranking is “Medium” since their data is inaccurate in 17 listings.
At the identical time, Levain Bakery’s data is exact in additional than 20 listings, which helps them remain rivalrous in local hunt results.
To allocate updated data via Listing Management, click “Enhance listings now.”
Enter your endeavor particulars and click “Distribute endeavor info” so your updated particulars go out to all listing at once.
After distribution, you can track the position of all listing immediately in the tool.
Write a endeavor description
Writing a apparent endeavor clarification in your Google Business Profile lets you portion your products, services, mission, and history. And Google says detailed endeavor info helps it equivalent your overview to applicable searches.
Take this example from Levain Bakery:
Google recommends using your endeavor clarification to provision helpful and applicable details. Avoid keyword stuffing. Focus on data that supports client decisions. Specific, plain-language particulars additionally provision AI hunt platforms spotless passages to reuse whenever they answer questions concerning your business.
Here’s what Google warns against including in your endeavor description:
- Low-quality, distracting, or irrelevant content
- Sales and promotional messages
- Links to external sites
For complete guidance, peruse the complete catalog of guidelines for representing your endeavor on Google.
Complete all overview field
Completing all site in your Business Profile gives Google the data it needs to equivalent your endeavor to applicable searches, and Google says businesses alongside complete and exact info are additional apt to display up in local results.
Fill in these sectors so customers cognize what to anticipate before they visit:
- Business hours: Add regular and particular hours so customers cognize whenever you’re open
- Business categories: Choose the most particular category that describes your business, and add additional lone if they complete the declaration “This endeavor is a…,” so Google can equivalent you to the correct searches
- Website link: Send customers to the leaf anywhere they can obtain the next step
- Attributes: Add particulars specified as parking or Wi-Fi preparedness so customers can decide before they arrive
After you complete your profile, use Semrush’s GBP Optimization to see your views, clicks, and calls complete time.
Further reading: Google Business Profile Optimization: 5 Tips to Drive Business
Add high-quality photos
Adding high-quality photos to your Google Business Profile shows customers what you recommendation and what to anticipate whenever they visit.
For example, Levain Bakery uploaded images two years ago, and those photos motionless display customers what to anticipate today.
As your endeavor grows, customers volition additionally add photos through reviews. These images develop your overview satisfied and provision customers additional to appearance at before they choose you.
Top bakeries akin these have ample photo galleries, many uploaded by their customers.
Add products and services
Adding products and services to your Business Profile shows customers what you market before they sojourn or call. Use a apparent name and clarification for all item, and keep them current as your recommendation changes.
Some merchandise features are lone accessible to eligible businesses, specified as retailing stores in eligible countries, so inspect which options your overview shows.
Further reading: A Complete Guide to Adding Google Business Profile Products
Get Google reviews
Getting Google reviews for your Business Profile builds rely alongside possible customers and provides feedback you can use to enhance services. More reviews and affirmative ratings can assistance your local ranking, according to Google’s local ranking guidance.
The top three bakeries in our example all have thousands of reviews and powerful average ratings.
Earn additional Google reviews by:
- Asking customers for reviews at the period of purchase
- Handing out cards alongside a quick reply (QR) code linking to your GBP
- Placing plaques alongside QR codes or near-field communication (NFC) stands in-store
- Adding a assessment petition to receipts
Respond to reviews
Responding to Google reviews on your Business Profile shows customers that you value their experience, whether feedback is affirmative or negative.
Review responses additionally assistance your endeavor remain out to customers, according to Google.
Levain Bakery thoughtfully responds to affirmative feedback:
And acknowledges negative comments:
By addressing client frustrations, Levain Bakery builds trust. By collecting feedback, they acknowledge opportunities to enhance products and services.
Customers additionally assessment businesses on sites akin Facebook and Yelp, so detect and answer throughout those channels too. Review volume, ratings, and opinion throughout these sites form how trustworthy your endeavor looks to AI hunt platforms, so keep your replies and profiles consistent.
Managing reviews throughout multiple profiles can awareness overwhelming. Semrush’s Review Management tool makes it easier by allowing you to:
- Monitor reviews from one place
- Respond immediately inside the tool
- Use AI features to create outline replies
Publish Google Posts
Publishing Google Posts in your Business Profile lets you advance offers, events, products, and services immediately in hunt results. Posts can addition conversions and client engagement.
Google Posts appear in the “Updates” division at the base of your profile.
Le Parisien Bakery uses Google Posts to emphasize seasonal offers and promotions, akin this:
Types of Google Posts you can publish include:
- Offers: Share promotional revenue or offers
- What’s New: Post broad updates or nexus to latest blog posts
- Events: Promote events hosted at your endeavor location
Further reading: What Are Google Business Profile Posts?
Google Business Profile FAQs
Is Google My Business the identical as Google Business Profile?
Yes, Google My Business is the erstwhile name of Google Business Profile. Both names mention to the identical liberated tool for managing how your endeavor appears in Google Search and Google Maps.
How do I log in to Google Business Profile?
To log in to Google Business Profile, sign in to the Google Account connected alongside your profile, afterward hunt for your endeavor name and city or “my business” on Google to discover your profile.
Can I have additional than one Google Business Profile at the identical address?
Whether you can have additional than one Google Business Profile at the identical location depends on whether the profiles portray the identical endeavor or distinct ones. If you have two profiles for the identical business, merge them alternatively of keeping both.
Our guide to merging Google Business Profiles explains whenever that’s the correct move and whenever it isn’t.
For distinct businesses that portion an address, Google’s guidelines for representing your business decide whether all one qualifies, so inspect them before you add a second profile.
How do I eliminate a bad assessment from my Business Profile?
To eliminate a bad review, go to your Business Profile, choose “Report” next to the review, and choose the logic for flagging it.
Google removes lone reviews that breach its satisfied policies, and it doesn’t eliminate reviews fair since you differ alongside them.
Evaluation typically takes multiple days, so answer to the assessment professionally in the meantime. Read Google’s guide to reporting inappropriate reviews for the complete steps.
How do I eliminate my endeavor from Google?
To eliminate your endeavor from Google, a chief owner can eliminate the overview through “Business Profile settings” and grade the endeavor as permanently closed if it has close down. Your endeavor may motionless appear in Search and Maps for a during afterward, according to Google’s guide to removing a Google Business Profile.
Manage your Google Business Profile alongside Semrush
Manage your Google Business Profile alongside Semrush to keep your listings, reviews, and local rankings on track following you assertion and optimize it. The Local Toolkit in Semrush covers all recurring project from this guide:
- Listing Management: Keep your name, address, and phone figure accordant throughout directories
- Review Management: Monitor and react to Google reviews in one place
- GBP Optimization: Track your profile’s views, clicks, and calls complete time
- Map Rank Tracker: See anywhere your endeavor ranks on the map for the keywords that matter
Sign up for Semrush and commencement managing your Google Business Profile today.
