To set up a Google Business Profile, first confirm that the business qualifies and check whether its listing already exists. Then claim or add the profile, enter accurate details and complete the verification Google offers. Finish by testing what customers see and how they contact you.
What Is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, lets an eligible business manage its information on Google Search and Maps. Customers use it to check the location, opening hours, services, photos and reviews before visiting or getting in touch.
Take a beauty salon in Petaling Jaya that receives walk-in customers. Its profile should help someone find the right entrance, check whether it is open and reach its booking page. The website can then explain treatments, prices and appointment details in more depth.
Who Can Create a Profile?
The usual requirement is in-person contact with customers during your stated hours. A storefront receives them at its location; a service-area business visits or delivers to them; a hybrid does both. An online-only brand or a company that only supplies leads to other businesses does not qualify for a local profile.
To publish a storefront address, use a real location with permanent business signage and your staff receiving customers during the stated hours. A rented mailing address or virtual office where you do not operate is not enough. A coworking office must meet the signage, staffing and customer-access requirements too.
If you visit customers but never receive them at your base, hide that address and show the areas you serve. For example, a mobile beauty service works differently from the walk-in salon. Do not display a home address just to appear to have a shop.
How Does Google Use Profile Information?
Google describes three main local-ranking factors: relevance to the search, distance from the searcher, and prominence, or how well known the business is. Categories and accurate details help Google understand the business; reviews and information elsewhere on the web also contribute.
A complete profile helps customers make a decision, but it does not guarantee a top position. Selecting a service area does not create a branch there or remove the distance factor. Our Malaysia local SEO guide explains how the profile and website work together.
Step 1: Find or Add the Business
Use a Google Account controlled by the business owner. Search Google Maps for the exact business name and city, then follow the route that matches what you find:
- An unverified listing exists: open it and select Claim this business → Manage now, then follow the verification prompts.
- No listing exists: open the Google Business Profile website, select Start now, then choose Add your business to Google in the setup flow. Follow the prompts for your business type.
- Someone else manages a verified listing: for a storefront or hybrid, find the business in the setup page, choose Request access and submit the form. Service-area businesses without a customer-facing premises use the support route below.
Do not create a duplicate to bypass an ownership issue. For a storefront or hybrid, Google gives the current owner three days to respond to an ownership request. Check the confirmation email for the next available action; a no-response claim option is not guaranteed.
For a service-area business without a customer-facing premises, contact Business Profile support and select Transfer ownership of listing.
Keep the owner as primary owner. To invite staff or an agency, open More → Business Profile settings → People and access → Add, enter their email, choose Manager and send the invitation. Each person uses their own Google Account; you do not need to share the owner's password.
Step 2: Choose the Name, Category and Location
Use the real business name from the sign and customer materials. If the salon's sign says “Seri Beauty,” do not turn the profile name into “Seri Beauty Best Facial Petaling Jaya.” Put location and service information in their own fields.
Choose the most specific available primary category that matches the main business. In an existing profile, open Edit profile → Business category, choose from the list and save. Add only categories for other genuine business activities, not one for every treatment.
For this walk-in salon, a basic setup could look like this:
| Field | Example choice | Check before saving |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | Seri Beauty | Matches the real sign and branding |
| Primary category | Beauty salon, if offered and the best match | Describes the main work actually provided |
| Business location | The salon's Petaling Jaya premises | Staff receive customers there; the map pin is correct |
| Service area | Not needed if all services are provided at the salon | Do not add areas simply because customers travel from them |
For a service-area business, open Edit profile → Location → Business location, select Edit and turn off Show business address to customers, then save. Under Service area, select the cities or postcodes you actually serve, up to 20 areas. Google no longer uses a radius field; keep coverage realistic for where the team can travel.
Step 3: Verify the Profile
Select Get verified and use one of the methods shown. Google determines which methods are available; they may include phone or text, email, recorded video, a live video call or mail. Some profiles need more than one method.
If recorded video is offered, plan one continuous route that shows the business and your authority to manage it. For the salon, cover:
- Location: the street or building number and surroundings that identify the premises.
- Business identity: the permanent salon sign, with a name matching the profile.
- Management access: unlock a staff-only storage room or operate the payment terminal without exposing customer data.
For a mobile service, show where the business operates, the tools used for its work and evidence that you manage it, such as access to a branded work vehicle.
Record through the profile on a mobile device: Get verified → Business video, follow the prompts, review the recording and upload it. Google requires an unedited recording of at least 30 seconds; a video filmed offline and uploaded later will not meet the recording requirement. Keep other people's faces and sensitive personal information out of the recording.
Google says verification review can take up to five business days, occasionally longer. If the video is rejected, open Review issues, correct the stated gaps and record again. Do not create a replacement profile while waiting.
Step 4: Complete the Details Customers Use
While signed into the account managing the profile, search for the business name and city or “my business.” Open Edit profile to check the details, then save each change. For the salon, focus on four things:
- Hours: show when staff receive customers. Use special hours for holiday closures or changed opening times.
- Contact and booking: use a number the team answers and the relevant services or booking page on its own website. Add an appointment link where the option is available.
- Services and description: describe the treatments actually offered. Keep the description useful, within 750 characters, and free of links or sales promotions.
- Photos: use genuine exterior and interior images so a customer can recognise the entrance and understand the setting.
The website destination should explain the same services and location as the profile. Use our site-structure guide when different customer needs require separate pages.
Check the edit status in the profile: pending edits are still under review. For an unapproved edit, check the field against Google's guidelines before correcting it.
After Google accepts the changes, open the public listing on a phone. Check the entrance pin, today's hours and phone number, then follow the website or booking link. A useful final check is whether someone unfamiliar with the salon can find it and complete an enquiry without asking for missing details.
Step 5: Manage Reviews and Changes
Invite real customers to leave honest feedback without incentives or pressure. Reply professionally. Our Google reviews guide covers review links, replies and policy issues.
Assign someone to check the public profile when hours, contact details or services change, and before public holidays. Review Google's suggested updates rather than assuming every saved detail stays unchanged. When the same business moves, update its existing location; moving to a new address requires verification again. Recheck People and access when staff or agencies change.
What Should You Measure?
On the verified profile, open Performance, choose a period and select Apply. Review the available views and actions alongside actual enquiries and bookings. The report can include organic and Google Ads activity.
A call-button click is not a confirmed conversation, and a direction request is not a visit. If the salon gets more clicks but few suitable enquiries, check whether calls are answered and the booking page works. The local SEO measurement guide explains how to connect those checks without double-counting customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Google does not charge eligible businesses to create or manage a profile. Advertising and help from an agency are separate purchases, not required listing fees.
Can one business have two Google Business Profiles?
Usually, use one profile per business at each eligible location. Separate qualifying locations can have their own profiles; do not create extra listings for each service or postcode. Departments and individual practitioners have additional eligibility rules.
Do you need a Gmail account for a Google Business Profile?
No. You need a Google Account, which can use an existing non-Gmail email address. Keep the account and its recovery access under the business owner's control.
Can an online-only business use a local profile?
Generally no. The usual requirement is serving customers in person at your premises or travelling to them. A website selling only online does not become eligible merely by renting a mailing address.