How to get your business on Google.

In short: There are two main ways to get your business on Google, and both are free. First, create and verify a Google Business Profile, so your business can appear in Google Maps and the map results. Second, make sure Google can find your website, by adding it to Google Search Console and submitting a sitemap. Getting listed is the easy part. Showing up when customers search for what you do takes ongoing work.

Two ways your business shows up on Google

When someone searches for a local service, Google usually shows two kinds of results:

• The map results, with a short list of businesses, their reviews, hours and a button to call. These come from Google Business Profiles.
• The regular results below, which are websites Google has found and added to its index.

To have a real chance of being found, you want both: a complete Business Profile and a website Google knows about.

Step 1: Create your Google Business Profile

Go to Google Business Profile and sign in with a Google account you’ll keep using for the business. Search for your business name. If it’s already listed, you can claim it. If not, you can add it. Google’s help page on adding or claiming your Business Profile walks through each screen.

You’ll be asked for:

• your business name, exactly as customers know it
• your main category, like “Plumber” or “Hair salon”
• your address, or the area you serve if you go to your customers
• your phone number and website

Step 2: Verify your business

Google needs to confirm your business is real before your profile can fully appear. It offers different ways to do this depending on the business, such as a short video of your location and signage, a phone call, a text or an email. Follow the steps Google gives you. It can take a few days, and sometimes longer if Google asks for more proof.

Step 3: Fill in every part of your profile

A bare profile is easy to scroll past. Add:

• your hours, including holiday hours
• a list of your services
• a clear description of what you do and where
• real photos of your work, your team and your location
• any extra categories that truly fit your business

Then keep it current. Answer reviews and questions, and update anything that changes.

Step 4: Get your website on Google

Google finds most websites on its own by following links, but you can help it along:

1. Add your site to Google Search Console, a free tool from Google, and verify that you own it.
2. Submit your sitemap, a file that lists your site’s pages. Most website systems, including WordPress with an SEO plugin, create one for you.
3. Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to ask Google to look at a new or updated page.
4. Get your site linked from other places, like your Business Profile, social pages and local directories.

Google’s own guide on getting your information on Google covers the basics. Even after you do all of this, it’s up to Google whether and when each page is added.

Being on Google vs showing up when it counts

Getting listed means Google knows you exist. It doesn’t mean customers will see you when they search for what you do. For that, Google looks at how well your business matches the search, how close you are, and how well known and trusted your business is.

That’s where the ongoing work comes in: clear pages for each service and area, a fast site that works on phones, the same business details everywhere, and steady reviews from real customers. Our guide to local SEO explains each part, and our guide on how long SEO takes explains why it builds over time.

Mistakes to avoid

• Adding extra words to your business name, like your town or main service, when they aren’t part of your real name. Google can suspend profiles for this.
• Creating more than one profile for the same business and location.
• Using a personal account you might lose access to. Use an account the business controls, and add a second owner or manager.
• Different details in different places, like an old phone number on your website.
• Paying for a “Google listing” from a cold caller. A Business Profile is free from Google. Be wary of anyone who calls claiming to be from Google and asks for payment to keep you listed.

Rather have it done for you?

Setting up a profile is an afternoon. Keeping it current, building the pages Google needs to understand your business, fixing what slows your site down and checking what’s working is ongoing, on top of running your business. That’s the part we take off your plate.

• One team for all of it. We build your website, host it, keep it updated and secure, and help with your Google Business Profile. No juggling a designer, a hosting company and an SEO agency.
• Set up properly from day one. Every site we build is added to Google Search Console with its sitemap, with clear pages for your services and the areas you serve.
• Full transparency with Athena. Our Athena plans come with Athena, SEO software from our partner company, Athena SEO AI LLC. It tracks where your business shows up for the searches that matter to you, on Google and Bing and in AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. You get your own app on your phone with your rankings, website visitors and leads in one place, alerts when your rankings move or a new lead comes in, and a short daily briefing you can read or listen to. You don’t have to take our word for how it’s going. You can see it for yourself, any time. We explain what it finds in plain English.
• A real person, anytime. Call or text us at (786) 383-0616 and you’ll reach our team, not a call center.
• No lock-in. Month-to-month plans, no hidden fees, and you can cancel any time with 30 days’ notice.

We don’t guarantee rankings, and no honest company can. What you get from us is steady, measured work and straight answers about how it’s going. Read more about our local SEO and website design work.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to put my business on Google?

Yes. A Google Business Profile and being found in Google’s regular results are both free. Google Ads, the sponsored results marked as ads, are a separate paid service.

How long does it take for my business to show up on Google?

A verified Business Profile can appear within days. A new website can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to be found and added. Showing up for competitive searches takes much longer.

Can I list my business on Google without an address?

Yes. If you go to your customers, you can set a service area and hide your address. You still need a real business address for Google to verify you.

Why can’t I find my business on Google?

It may not be verified yet, it may be new, or it may be showing for other searches but not the one you tried. Search your exact business name first. If you still can’t find it, check your profile and Search Console for messages from Google.

Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?

A profile alone can bring some calls, but a website gives Google much more to understand about what you do and where, and it’s where customers go to check you out before they call.

Find out where your business stands. Run a free scan of your website, or tell us about your business below. A real person on our team reads every request and gets back to you.