Published October 3, 2026 by TruHint Digital
For local businesses, Google Maps is often where customers find you first. Searches like "plumber near me" or "salon open now" show a map with three businesses at the top. Getting there starts with a free Google Business Profile.
Step 1: Create or claim your profile
Go to Google Business Profile and search for your business name. If it already exists, claim it. If not, create it. Use your exact business name, with no extra keywords added. Google can suspend profiles that stuff keywords into the name.
Step 2: Choose the right category
Your main category matters a lot. Pick the one that best describes what you do, like "Plumber" or "Hair salon". You can add a few secondary categories for other services.
Step 3: Verify your business
Google needs to confirm you are real. Depending on your business, this can be a video, a phone call, an email or a postcard. If you visit customers instead of having them come to you, you can set yourself up as a service-area business and hide your address.
Step 4: Fill in everything
- Hours, including holiday hours
- Phone number and website link
- Services, with short descriptions
- Real photos of your work, team and location
- The areas you serve
Complete profiles tend to do better than half-finished ones.
Step 5: Get reviews, and reply to them
Ask happy customers to leave a review, and reply to every review, good or bad. Never buy or fake reviews. It breaks Google's rules and can get your profile removed.
Step 6: Make your website match
Your name, address and phone number should be the same on your website, your profile and other listings. Your website should also clearly say what you do and where you work. This consistency helps Google trust that the details are right.
What decides who shows up first?
Google looks at three things: how relevant your business is to the search, how close you are to the person searching, and how well known you are, which includes reviews and your website. You cannot control distance, but you can control the other two.
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