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Set up one eligible local business on Google, complete the verification Google offers, and check that the saved profile matches the owner-confirmed business facts.
Last reviewed: · Editorial review
Clarity, structure and references reviewed in this version. This is not a test in a live account.
Set up one eligible local business on Google, complete the verification Google offers, and check that the saved profile matches the owner-confirmed business facts.
This SOP covers:
This does not cover:
Confirm that Google can list the business, avoid a duplicate, and gather facts from the owner before you open the setup form.
Use Google's eligibility rules and representation guidelines to check the business, its operating location, and your authority before setup.
Ask the owner how the business meets customers. It must meet customers in person at its location or travel to customers during its stated customer-facing hours. Online-only businesses and lead-generation companies are not eligible.
Use a real place where the business operates. A remote P.O. box or mailbox is not acceptable. A rented mailing address or virtual office where the business does not operate is ineligible.
Use a coworking office only if the business has clear signage, receives customers there during business hours, and its own staff are on site during those hours. If any condition is missing, do not use that office address.
Use a Google Account controlled by the business owner when possible. If you are an employee, agency, or other representative, get the owner's express permission. Do not ask for or share the owner's password. Work with the owner on verification and keep them informed.
Search the exact business name and location in Google Search and Google Maps. Check for a profile that already represents this business and location before creating anything. Google generally allows one profile for each real business location.
If no matching profile exists, continue to add one in step 2.1. If the matching profile is unclaimed, choose the option Google shows to claim or manage it. If someone else owns it, use Google's request access process and wait for the owner response. Continue this new-profile SOP only when Google confirms you can manage the existing profile; use the linked details SOP to review or change its facts.
Open the Google Business Profile business facts worksheet, make a private copy, and record confirmed facts before setup.
Open the member copy link and create your own copy. Save it with the business's working files. Use the Business facts tab in your copy; do not edit the shared master.
For each confirmed field, fill Approved value / exact copy and Source / approver / last confirmed. Keep the prewritten How to confirm / choose help. If a fact is missing or unconfirmed, leave the value blank and set Action / Google status to Needs review; do not guess.
On the Business facts tab, choose the model that matches where customers are served. Choose storefront when customers visit a staffed location during posted hours. Choose service-area business when the business travels to customers and they do not visit its address. Choose hybrid only when both are true. A home-based service business is usually a service-area business; do not show a private home address to customers. Follow Google's address and service-area rules and representation guidelines.
Complete the Business facts tab using the real-world business name customers see, not added search keywords. Choose one Primary category that best describes the main business. Add an Additional category only for another main type of business, not for each service. Record an accurate phone number controlled by the business and its real website. Use Google's category guidance to choose from the options available in the profile.
Use owner-confirmed facts to choose the Hours model, record applicable hours, and approve the description and services. Follow Google's hours guidance, description rules, and service-list guidance.
In Business facts, set Hours model to Regular customer-facing hours when the business can serve customers during a regular weekly schedule, including regular service hours for a service-area business. Choose Appointment only if every visit or service requires an appointment. For Appointment only, leave Monday–Sunday regular hours blank, not Closed. Google says appointment-only businesses should not provide hours.
When Regular customer-facing hours applies, enter the owner's real customer-facing hours day by day. Record special or holiday changes in Special/holiday hours, separately from the weekly schedule. Do not treat an unknown day as Closed.
Copy the exact Business description confirmed by the owner under 750 characters. It must be factual and contain no links, HTML, promotional offers, or prices. List Services offered as actual customer services, not category names.
Use the facts that the owner confirmed, and match the address fields to the business model.
Sign in to the authorized Google Account and open Google's add-a-business page. Choose the option to add a business to Google. If you see a profile for the same business, stop and use step 1.3 rather than starting another one.
Enter the business name exactly as recorded on the Business facts tab. Select the closest matching Primary category offered by Google. Add an Additional category only when it describes another main business type. Do not add categories just to cover every service. Google's category choices may change, so choose from the current list shown in the form.
Choose the storefront, service-area, or hybrid option that matches step 1.5. For a storefront, enter the real customer-facing address only if staff are present during the stated hours and customers can visit. For a service-area business, hide the address when Google asks whether customers can visit it, then list only the actual cities, towns, or postal areas served. Do not draw a radius or include places the business does not serve. Google allows up to 20 service areas and gives about a two-hour drive as general guidance, not a target. For a hybrid, enter the customer-facing location and the real service areas.
Enter only confirmed facts from the Business facts tab. If Google does not offer a field, leave it out and mark the fact Needs review; do not guess.
Enter the confirmed Public phone and Website. Check that the phone reaches the business and the website represents it.
For Regular customer-facing hours, enter the confirmed weekday schedule and any confirmed special hours. For Appointment only, do not invent weekday hours or choose Closed; select Open with no main hours if Google offers that option. Its helper text reads “Don’t show any business hours.”
Enter the confirmed Business description and actual Services offered wherever Google provides those fields. Keep service names separate from business categories.
Review every field against the confirmed worksheet. Confirm the name, category, business model, address visibility, service areas, public contact details, each day's hours, special hours, description, and services. Fix any mismatch. When the review is clean and you are authorized to represent the business, submit the form to create the profile.
Google chooses which verification methods are available. Follow the method shown for this business and confirm the resulting status.
Read the verification screen before choosing. Google selects the available methods for each business; you may see phone or text, email, live video, a video recording, or mail, and Google may require more than one method. Use only a method offered for this profile. If no method is available or you cannot access what it requires, stop and use Google's verification troubleshooting guidance; do not invent another route.
If Google offers phone or text, check that the displayed number belongs to the business and that an authorized person can receive it, then request the code and enter it in the same Google flow. If Google offers email, check that the displayed address is a business-controlled inbox, request the code, then enter it in the same flow. Do not share verification codes or send them to a person who is not authorized to manage the profile.
If Google offers live video, follow its live-video instructions. Be at the business location with an authorized device. Show the real location, permanent business signage where applicable, tools or equipment used for the work, and evidence that you can access and manage the business. Follow Google's on-screen prompts and end the recording only when the requested evidence is shown.
If Google offers a video recording instead, follow Google's video verification instructions. Record one continuous video that shows the real business location or service area, permanent signage if relevant, tools or equipment used for the work, and that you can access the business. Do not add edits or show private details that are not needed. Upload it through Google's verification flow.
If Google offers mail, confirm the address on the screen can safely receive business mail. Request the code and wait for Google's letter. When it arrives, sign in to the same account and enter the code in the Business Profile verification flow. Do not change the business name, address, or category while the code is on its way, and do not request a replacement unless Google says the current code is no longer valid.
Return to the Business Profile in the authorized account and read the status Google shows. If Google says it is reviewing the submission, wait for its update; Google says a review can take up to five business days. Check again from the same account. If Google requests another method or more evidence, follow that exact request. For a rejected verification, use Google's verification troubleshooting guidance and retry only with a method it offers.
When Google shows the profile as verified, open it from the authorized account and compare the saved details with the Business facts tab. For each field, enter the value Google actually saved under Current profile value. Set Action / Google status to Accepted when it matches, Pending when Google is still reviewing it, Not approved when Google rejected it, or Needs review when it is missing, different, or unclear. Use Unchanged only for a confirmed existing value you did not edit. If a fact needs correction, follow the linked SOP to review and update the profile, then read the value back again.
