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Google Business Profile: a step-by-step guide

Your Google Business Profile is the box that appears on Google Maps and on the right of Google search when someone looks for your business or for a service near them ("plumber in Lekki"). It shows your name, phone number, opening hours, photos and reviews.

For a business that serves customers in a town or area, it is often worth more than the website: it is how people find you on the map, call you, and get directions.

This guide assumes you have never done this before. It takes about 20 minutes, plus a wait while Google checks that your business is real (from a few minutes to about two weeks).

You will need
  • A Google account (a Gmail address). Use one you will keep. If you have staff, use a business account, not someone's personal one.
  • Your business name exactly as customers see it, your phone number, and your address (or the areas you serve).
  • A phone with a camera, in case Google asks for a short video to verify the business.

Google changes its screens from time to time. If a button has a slightly different name, look for the closest match. The steps stay the same.

Step 1: Check whether you already have a profile​

Many businesses already have a profile, created by Google or by a customer, without knowing it.

  1. Open Google Maps on your phone or computer.
  2. Type your business name and your town, for example Acme Plumbing Ikeja, and press search.
  3. Look at what comes up:
    • Your business appears and says "Own this business?" or "Claim this business" → nobody manages it yet. Go to Step 3.
    • Your business appears and does not offer to claim it → someone already manages it (maybe you, a former employee or an agency). Go to Step 3, section "Someone else manages it".
    • Nothing appears → you need a new profile. Go to Step 2.

Step 2: Create a new profile​

  1. Go to business.google.com and sign in with the Google account you chose.
  2. Click Manage now (or Add your business to Google).
  3. Business name: type it exactly as it appears on your shop sign and website. Do not add extra words like "best" or "cheap"; Google can suspend profiles for that. Click Next.
  4. Business category: start typing what you do (for example "Plumber") and pick the closest option from the list. Pick the one that describes your main service. You can add more later. Click Next.
  5. Do you want to add a location customers can visit?
    • Choose Yes if customers come to you (a shop, office, salon, restaurant). Enter the full address.
    • Choose No if you go to customers (cleaning, plumbing, delivery). You will then choose your service areas: the towns or districts you cover.
  6. Contact details: enter your main phone number and your website address (the one you added to SEOcondo). Use the same number that is on your website. Click Next.
  7. Google may ask whether you want updates and recommendations. Choose what you prefer; it does not affect your profile.
  8. You now reach verification. Continue with Step 4.

Step 3: Claim a profile that already exists​

Nobody manages it yet ("Own this business?")​

  1. In Google Maps, open your business.
  2. Click Own this business? or Claim this business.
  3. Click Manage now and sign in with your chosen Google account.
  4. Follow the screens; Google moves you to verification (Step 4).

Someone else manages it​

  1. In Google Maps, open your business and click Own this business? (it can be under the three dots ⋮ menu, or at the bottom of the profile).
  2. Google shows that the profile is managed by someone else (part of their email is hidden). Click Request access.
  3. Fill in the form: your name, your role (choose Owner), and how you are connected to the business.
  4. The current manager gets an email and has about 3 days to answer. If you know who it is (an old employee, a web designer), ask them to accept.
  5. If they do not answer, Google usually lets you verify the business yourself after those days. Follow the link in the email Google sends you.

Step 4: Verify your business​

Google wants proof that the business is real and that you run it. It chooses which ways you can verify, depending on your business and country. You will see one or more of these:

MethodWhat happensHow long
Phone call or text (SMS)Google sends a code to the business phone. Type it in.Minutes
EmailGoogle sends a code to an email address. Type it in.Minutes
Video recordingYou record one continuous short video showing: the street or a sign near you, your shop sign or branded vehicle, and proof you manage it (for example opening the till, your tools, or business documents).Reviewed in about 5 days
PostcardGoogle posts a card with a code to your address. Do not change your business name, address or category while waiting.Up to 14 days
Live video callA Google support person checks the business with you on a video call.One call

Tips that avoid rejections:

  • Record the video in daylight, in one take, without editing.
  • Make sure your business name in the profile matches what the video shows.
  • If verification fails, read Google's email: it says what was missing. You can try again.

When verification succeeds, Google says your profile is verified. Changes you make can take a few days to appear in search and on Maps.

Step 5: Fill in everything​

A complete profile ranks better and gets more calls. Open business.google.com (or search your business name on Google while signed in, and use the editing panel that appears).

Go through each item:

  1. Categories: your main category, plus additional categories for other things you do (for example "Water heater installation service"). This decides which searches you can appear for.
  2. Description: 2-4 sentences in plain words: what you do, for whom, where. No links and no prices in capital letters.
  3. Phone number: the same number as on your website.
  4. Website: your website address.
  5. Address or service areas: as in Step 2.
  6. Opening hours: set them for every day, and add special hours for public holidays.
  7. Services or products: add each main service with a one-line description.
  8. Photos: at least your logo, a cover photo, your shopfront or vehicle, your team, and examples of your work. Real photos beat stock photos.

Then, in SEOcondo, open your site → Google Maps & reviews and fill in the Business profile form with exactly the same name, phone number and address. SEOcondo uses it to check that Google, your website and your profile agree (see Step 7).

Step 6: Connect it to SEOcondo​

Once your profile is verified, connect it. Then you can change your details, post updates, and read and answer reviews from SEOcondo, and Clara can include them in her advice.

  1. In SEOcondo, open your site and click Google Maps & reviews in the menu.
  2. Find the card Google reviews.
  3. Click Connect.
  4. Google opens. Choose the Google account that manages your Business Profile (the one from Step 2 or 3). If it is not in the list, click Use another account and sign in.
  5. Google asks to let SEOcondo manage your business listings. Click Continue or Allow. (SEOcondo uses this to read your reviews and to make the changes, updates and replies you approve. It never changes or posts anything on its own.)
  6. You come back to SEOcondo. If your website address matches your profile, the right location is picked automatically. Otherwise choose your business from the list Which location is this site? and click Use it.
  7. Your reviews appear within a few seconds. From now on they update every week, and you can click Sync any time.
"Connect" is greyed out

If the card says Google has to approve access first, SEOcondo is still waiting for Google to switch this feature on for everyone. You do not need to do anything; your Maps positions on the same page already work. The button turns on once it is approved.

Step 7: Make your name, address and phone match everywhere​

Google trusts a business more when its name, address and phone number (often called "NAP") are exactly the same everywhere: the profile, your website, Facebook, directories.

SEOcondo checks this for you. If you see a card like "Phone number on Google does not match" or "Website phone number does not match your business phone":

  1. Decide which number is correct.
  2. Change the wrong one: on Google (business.google.com → Edit profile → Contact), on your website (contact page and footer), or in SEOcondo (Google Maps & reviews → Business profile).
  3. Write the address the same way each time (same abbreviations, same order).

Step 8: Get more reviews, and answer every one​

Reviews are one of the strongest reasons Google shows one business above another on the map, and they are what customers read before calling.

Ask for reviews:

  1. Search your business name on Google while signed in, or open business.google.com.
  2. Click Ask for reviews (or Get more reviews). Google gives you a short link. Once your profile is connected, the same link is also shown at the top of Google Maps & reviews → Business details on Google.
  3. Send that link to happy customers right after a job: by WhatsApp, text or email, with one friendly sentence. Put it on receipts and in your email signature.
  4. Never pay for reviews or write them yourself; Google removes them and can suspend the profile.

Reply to every review, good and bad, ideally within a few days:

  1. In SEOcondo, open Google Maps & reviews → Google reviews.
  2. Under a review, click Draft a reply with Clara. Clara writes a short, polite reply in the reviewer's language.
  3. Read it and change anything you want. For a complaint, add how the customer can reach you.
  4. Click Post reply and confirm. The reply appears on Google under the review.

Step 9: Change your details from SEOcondo​

Once your profile is connected (Step 6), you can keep the most important details up to date without opening Google.

  1. Open Google Maps & reviews. Find the card Business details on Google.
  2. Change what you need:
    • Description: what you do, for whom and where, in plain words. Aim for 250 to 750 characters. Do not put web addresses, phone numbers or prices here; Google rejects the change.
    • Phone number: with the country code, for example +234 803 123 4567. Use the same number as on your website (see Step 7).
    • Website: the full address, starting with https://.
    • Opening hours: switch a day off when you are closed. Tick Open 24 hours if that is the case. Click Add a break if you close at lunchtime. If you close after midnight, just enter the time (for example 02:00); SEOcondo understands it means the next morning.
    • Holidays and special days: click Add a day, pick the date, and either tick Closed all day or set shorter hours. Add public holidays a week or two before; your regular hours stay the same.
  3. Click Update on Google and confirm.

What happens next: most changes show on Google within minutes. Sometimes Google checks a change first; the card then says Google is reviewing an edit. This usually takes a few hours, sometimes a few days. You do not need to do anything.

Name and address are changed on Google, not in SEOcondo

Changing your business name or address can make Google ask you to verify the business again, and a name stuffed with extra words ("Acme Plumbing Best Plumber Lagos") can get the profile suspended. That is why SEOcondo does not change them. If you really moved or renamed the business:

  1. Go to business.google.com and open your profile.
  2. Click Edit profile, change the name or address, and click Save.
  3. Be ready to verify again (see Step 4).

Step 10: Post updates on Google​

Updates are short posts that appear on your profile in Google Search and Maps: news, an offer, or an event. They show customers you are active, and Google notices it too. One update a week is plenty.

  1. Open Google Maps & reviews. Find the card Google updates.
  2. Choose the kind of update:
    • News: something new or useful (a new service, a tip, a finished project).
    • Offer: a discount or deal, with start and end dates and, if you like, a coupon code.
    • Event: something happening on a date (an open day, a workshop).
  3. In What is it about?, type one sentence, for example "We now repair water heaters, same-day in Ikeja", and click Draft with Clara. Clara writes the text. Leave the box empty and Clara shares your newest article instead.
  4. Read the text and change anything you want. Do not include a phone number; Google rejects updates that have one. Choose the Call now button instead.
  5. Optional but recommended: paste a link to a photo. Updates with a photo get far more clicks. The photo must already be online, for example on your website: open it in your browser and copy the address from the address bar.
  6. Optional: choose a button (Book, Order online, Learn more and so on) and the page it should open.
  7. Click Publish on Google and confirm.

Google checks each update before showing it, usually within minutes. In Recent updates you can see whether it is Live, still being checked, or Rejected (then remove the phone number, link or sales wording and try again), and delete an update you no longer want.

Not showing up for some searches​

If SEOcondo says "Not showing in Maps for some of your services":

  1. Add those services as additional categories and as services on your profile (Step 5).
  2. Mention them naturally in your profile description.
  3. Make sure your website has a page about each service; Clara can write one (add it on the Roadmap).
  4. Ask customers who used that service for a review that mentions it.

Changes usually take a few weeks to show in rankings. SEOcondo checks your positions every Sunday.

Your business is missing from Maps entirely​

If SEOcondo says "Your business is missing from Google Maps results":

  1. Do Step 1 again: search your exact business name on Google Maps.
  2. No profile at all → create one (Step 2).
  3. A profile exists but is not verified → finish Step 4. Unverified profiles rarely show.
  4. It is verified → check that the business name in SEOcondo (Google Maps & reviews) matches the profile name, and that your categories match what people search (Step 5).
  5. Brand-new profiles can take a few weeks to start appearing for general searches like "plumber Ikeja".

Troubleshooting​

I can't find the business in the location list after connecting. You signed in with a Google account that does not manage the profile. Click Disconnect, then Connect again and choose the right account. Or, in business.google.com, add your SEOcondo Google account as a Manager: Menu (⋮) → Business Profile settings → People and access → Add.

Google says my profile is suspended. Usually the name has extra keywords, the address is a virtual office, or details changed many times. Fix the cause, then use Google's reinstatement form (linked in the email Google sent).

Someone left a fake or abusive review. On Google Maps, open the review, click the three dots ⋮ → Report review. Reply calmly in the meantime; other customers read your answer.

I moved, or changed phone number. Update the profile first, then your website, then Google Maps & reviews → Business profile in SEOcondo. Google may ask you to verify again after a move.

Still stuck? Ask Clara on the Ask Clara page. Describe what you see on screen and she will walk you through it.