How do I get my business on Google Maps?

The short answer

Create and verify a free Google Business Profile at business.google.com. Verification for most service-area businesses (contractors who go to the customer instead of a storefront) happens by phone or video call now instead of a postcard, and it usually takes under a week from claim to live on Maps.

Why this happens

• You have to claim the listing, not just exist.

  Google sometimes auto-creates a placeholder listing from public data (a permit filing, an old directory). If nobody has claimed it, it can sit unverified and invisible in search even though the business is technically 'in' Google's system.

• Verification proves you're real.

  Google requires proof you actually run the business, by phone, video, or in some cases a postcard to a physical address, so a competitor can't claim your listing or fake theirs.

• Service-area setup is different from a storefront.

  If you work out of a home garage or a shop customers never visit, you set the listing as a service-area business and hide your street address, while still listing the towns you serve. Getting this wrong (showing a home address) can get a listing suspended.

How to check it yourself in 10 minutes

1. 01Search your exact business name in Google Maps to see if a listing already exists unclaimed.
2. 02Go to business.google.com and search your business name and address.
3. 03If found, click 'Claim this business.' If not found, click 'Add your business.'
4. 04Choose service-area business if customers don't come to your location, and list every town you actually serve.
5. 05Pick the verification method Google offers (usually phone or video for service-area businesses) and complete it the same day if you can.

The fix

This part is free and you can do it yourself in under an hour, verification wait aside. Where it gets time-consuming is everything after verification: the photos, the service list, the description, and keeping it accurate as your service area or hours change. That upkeep is what the Run plan ($97/mo) handles once your site is live, built as part of the $2,500 implementation and waived through Oct 21 if you start Run or Grow.