Setup guide

Creating your Google Business Profile

This is the listing people see when they search for your business on Google or Maps: your hours, phone number, photos and reviews. If you have never set one up, start here. You create it in your own account and stay the owner. Once Google verifies it, you can add me as a Manager.

Takes about 15 to 20 minutes to enter your details; verification takes longer.

Before you start

Have your business name, phone number, hours, website address if you have one, and the places you serve handy. Use a Google account you control and plan to keep. If someone leaves your business, your listing should not leave with them.

You do not need a new Gmail address. You can create a Google account using an email address you already have. Keep its password and recovery details somewhere you can find them. I will never need your password.

Create or claim your profile

Google sometimes changes the order of these screens. Follow the prompts in front of you; the details you need are the same.

Search for your business before you create anything
Sign in to your Google account, open Google Maps, and search for your business name and town. A listing can already exist even if you never made one.
If you find the right listing and it offers Claim this business, select it, then Manage now. Follow the claim and verification prompts. Keep the existing listing instead of starting a second one.
Someone else already manages it?
Stop here and request ownership of that listing. Google has a separate ownership process for storefronts and service-area businesses. If it is an old employee or web company, call me and I will help you find the right path. Creating a duplicate will not get the original back.
If there is no listing, open Google's setup page
Go to business.google.com/add and start adding your business. Check the account picture in the corner before you continue. It should be your business's account, not a family member's account you happen to be signed into.
Enter your real business name and choose a category
Use the name on your signs, invoices and website. Do not add a string of towns or services to help it rank. If your business is called Smith Plumbing, that is the name to enter.
Pick the most specific category Google offers that describes the business as a whole. A plumber chooses Plumber, for example. You choose from Google's list; you cannot make up a category.
Create your Business Profile
Business name: the name your customers know
Business category: what your business does
Next
These pictures are simplified diagrams. Google's screens may look different; look for the field names.
Tell Google where you meet customers
People come to your shop or office: enter the real address. It needs to be a customer-facing location with permanent business signage, staffed by your business and able to receive customers during the hours you list. Check the map pin too.
You go to your customers: use a service-area profile. Add the towns or postal codes you actually serve. If customers do not visit your address, keep it hidden from the public profile. Google may still ask for your real address to verify the business.
You do both: add the eligible storefront and your service areas. A P.O. box or virtual mailing office does not count as a storefront. Do not create a separate profile for each town you serve.
Where you serve customers
Customers visit you: your storefront address
You visit customers: your service areas
Both: your storefront and service areas
Choose the arrangement that matches your business. Working from home does not mean your home belongs on the public map.
Add the phone number and website customers should use
Use a number your business answers and the website address you want customers to visit. Check every digit. If I am still building your website and you do not have one yet, use the option to continue without a website. We can add the live address later.
Add your hours, services, business description and real photos when Google offers those steps. Some prompts may appear after verification. Keep the information consistent with your website; customers should get the same answer in both places.

Verify that the business is yours

Creating the profile and verifying it are separate steps. Google needs proof that you represent this business before you can fully manage it.

Select Get verified and use the method Google offers
You may see a video recording, phone or text, email, a live video call, or mail. Google decides which methods are available for your business, and sometimes asks for more than one. You cannot count on getting a postcard or a phone call just because someone else did.
Complete the instructions in your own account
If Google sends a code, enter it yourself. Do not send it to me or anyone else. If it asks for a video, the next section explains what to have ready.
If Google offers verification by mail
Most codes arrive within 14 days. While you wait, do not change your business name, address or category, and do not request another code. Those actions can invalidate the code already on its way.
Wait for Google to review it
Review can take up to five business days, and sometimes longer. Watch your email and check the profile for a confirmation or a request for more information. If Get verifiedappears again, Google may need another verification step.
Verification does not promise an immediate place at the top of Maps. Do not make a second listing because the first one has not started showing where you expected.

If Google asks for a video

Open the profile on your phone and follow Get verified, then Business video. Record through that flow, not in your camera app beforehand. Google wants one continuous, unedited video of at least 30 seconds.

Show where you are. Nearby street signs, the building number or recognizable surroundings help establish the location.
Show the business is real. For a shop, show the permanent sign and premises. If you travel to customers, show your tools, equipment, workspace or branded work vehicle.
Show you run it. Unlock a staff-only area or your work vehicle, or show appropriate business documents matching the profile. A shot of the building from the sidewalk is not enough.

Once you are verified, add me as a Manager

Check the public listing for the right name, phone number, hours and address visibility. Then follow the guide to adding me as a Manager. My invitation email is jake@localcraftdigital.com. You stay the Owner, keep your password, and can remove my access later.

The invitation is separate from authorizing Local Presence reporting in your LocalCraft account. The Manager guide explains both.

If you get stuck

If the screens do not match, verification fails, or an old provider owns the listing, text or call me at (314) 246-9224 or email hello@localcraftdigital.com. I can walk through it with you. Google handles the verification decision, so I cannot skip that step or promise when it will finish.

Last updated October 8, 2026. Checked against Google's guides to adding or claiming a profile, representing your business, service areas, and verification.

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