If you want to know how to get your business on Google Maps in the UK, the short version is this: Google Maps listings come from Google Business Profiles, a Business Profile is free, and the only real hurdle is verification. There is no application fee, no approved partner you have to go through, and no paid tier that puts you higher up.
The longer version is that a lot of perfectly real businesses get stuck - usually on the address question, sometimes on verification, occasionally on a name that breaks the rules. Here is how to do it properly the first time.
Step by step: setting up your Business Profile
- Go to business.google.com and sign in with a Google account you will keep. Use a business account, not a personal one you might lose access to, and add a second person as a manager later.
- Search for your business name first. If a listing already exists (Google sometimes creates them from other data), claim that one instead of making a duplicate.
- Enter your business name exactly as it appears on your van, your invoices and your website. No town names or keywords bolted on.
- Pick your primary category - the one that describes what the business is, such as "Plumber" or "Dog groomer". You can add secondary categories later.
- Answer the location question: do customers come to you? This decides whether you are a storefront, a service-area business or a hybrid (see below).
- Add a phone number that is answered, and your website if you have one.
- Complete verification using whichever method Google offers you.
- Once verified, fill in everything else: hours, services, description, photos. An empty verified profile is only half the job.
Storefront, service-area or hybrid: which are you?
This is the choice that trips up most businesses that travel to their customers. Google's guidelines are clear that if you do not serve customers at your address, the address should not be shown. The example Google itself gives is a plumber running the business from home: clear the address from the profile and set a service area instead.
| Type | Who it suits | Address shown? | Service areas? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storefront | Café, salon, shop, garage with a public reception | Yes | No |
| Service-area | Plumber, electrician, cleaner, mobile groomer working from home | No - hidden | Yes, up to 20 |
| Hybrid | Garden centre that also delivers, garage that also does mobile repairs | Yes | Yes |
How verification works now
Google decides which verification methods you are offered - you cannot choose. Depending on your business type and location, the options are a phone call or text with a code, an email, a live video call with a support representative, a recorded video, or a postcard with a code posted to the address.
Video verification is increasingly common for service-area businesses. Before you start recording, have these ready in one continuous take:
- Your location - street signs or a recognisable landmark nearby.
- Proof the business exists - a signwritten van, branded workwear, tools of the trade, or equipment in use.
- Proof you manage it - unlocking the business premises, a till, or business paperwork with the name on it.
Common reasons profiles are rejected or suspended
Most rejections come down to something in Google's guidelines being broken, often without the owner realising. The usual culprits:
- Keywords in the name - "Smith Plumbing | Emergency Plumber Exeter" when the business is called Smith Plumbing.
- A virtual office or co-working address. Google does not accept virtual offices unless the office is staffed during business hours, and PO boxes are not accepted at all.
- Showing a home address as a storefront when customers never visit.
- Duplicate profiles - a second listing made because the first one was "not working".
- A verification video that does not show enough evidence, or cuts between clips.
- Changing the name, address or category repeatedly right after verification.
If your profile gets suspended
Do not create a new profile. Google explicitly says not to while an appeal is under review, and doing so tends to make the situation worse. Use the Business Profile appeals tool instead, and gather evidence where the business name and address match the profile - a utility bill, a business bank statement, or registration documents.
Fix whatever broke the guidelines before appealing. If the name has a keyword in it, take it out first.
After you are verified
Being on Google Maps is not the same as being found on Google Maps. Once the listing is live, where it appears depends on relevance, distance and prominence - which is a separate subject covered in our guide to near me searches. The fastest wins are a complete profile, genuine photos, and a steady flow of reviews.
If you would rather not do the admin yourself, our Google Business Profile management bolt-on is £29/month. But the setup itself is free, and most people can do it in an afternoon.