Before You Start: What You'll Need
- A Google Account (use a business Gmail, not a personal one)
- Your exact business name as it appears on your signage and Companies House registration
- Your business address (or service area if you're mobile)
- Your business phone number
- Your website URL
- Access to your business address for the verification postcard (or your phone for video verification)
Go to Google Business Profile and start setup
Visit business.google.com and click "Manage now." Sign in with your Google Account. If a listing for your business already exists (it often does — Google creates listings from publicly available data), you'll see it during setup and can claim it instead of creating a new one.
Enter your business name exactly
Use your legal business name, precisely as it appears on your signage and Companies House registration. No added keywords. No city names appended. Just your actual trading name. "Smith's Roofing Ltd" — not "Smith's Roofing Ltd Manchester Fast Emergency Roofer."
Choose your primary category carefully
This is the most important setup decision. See our complete categories guide for trade-specific recommendations. Choose the most specific category that accurately describes your primary service. You can add secondary categories after setup is complete.
Set your location type
Google will ask whether you have a storefront customers visit, whether you serve customers at their location, or both. If you're a tradesperson who works at customer premises, select "service area" and choose "No, I don't have a location customers can visit." Then set the towns and regions you serve. Don't enter a fake home address to appear as a storefront business.
Add your contact details and website
Enter your primary phone number and website URL. Use the phone number that's always answered — this is the one Google will display prominently. If you have a separate number for tracking, add it as an additional phone number later in your full profile edit.
Complete verification
Google must verify you represent this business at this location. Methods vary by business type and location. The most common for UK businesses: postcard verification (a code arrives at your address in 5–14 days), video verification (you record a short video showing your premises and signage), or instant phone verification if your business phone is already associated with other Google services.
Don't skip verification. An unverified profile is not publicly visible on Google Maps. Many businesses set up a profile but never verify — their listing never appears for potential customers. Verification is non-optional.
Complete the full profile after verification
Once verified, your basic listing is live — but it's far from optimised. Now go back and complete every section: business description, opening hours, services, products, attributes (women-led, veteran-owned, etc.), and at least 10 photos. An incomplete profile ranks lower and converts fewer viewers into callers.
After Setup: The First 30 Days
Your new listing starts with no reviews, no engagement history, and no ranking history. Google will take 2–8 weeks to start showing your profile consistently for relevant searches. In the meantime:
- Ask your existing customers for reviews — even 5 reviews in the first month creates significant early trust
- Upload 20+ photos immediately — fill the gallery straight away
- Write your first Google Post — signals that the listing is actively managed
- Build your first citations — get listed on Yell, Bing Places, Apple Maps, and at least 3 trade directories with identical NAP
Already set up but not ranking?
Setup is just the beginning. Most UK businesses set up GBP correctly but never optimise it — and that's the difference between page 1 and invisible. A free audit identifies exactly where your profile is falling short.
Get your free GBP audit