How to get your business on Google: create and verify a Business Profile, get your website indexed with Search Console, and check it worked. Includes a filled worked example and a blank worksheet.
<p class="lead text-xl text-[#3a3a3a] mb-8"> Getting your business on Google means two separate things. <strong>Google Business Profile</strong> puts you on Google Maps and in the local panel when people search your name or "near me". <strong>Google Search Console</strong> gets your website pages into ordinary search results. Both are free from Google. Do the Business Profile first if you serve a local area; do both if you have a website. </p>
<h2>The short answer</h2> <ol> <li>Go to <a href="https://www.google.com/business/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">google.com/business</a>, sign in with a Google account you control, and add your business name, category, location or service area, phone and website.</li> <li>Verify the business. Google chooses the method it offers you (for example a video recording, phone or text, email, or a postcard), and it can take several days.</li> <li>Add your website to <a href="https://search.google.com/search-console" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Google Search Console</a>, verify you own it, submit your sitemap, and request indexing of your homepage.</li> <li>Check a week or two later: search your business name, and use Search Console's page indexing report.</li> </ol> <p>Google changes its verification options and review times; its <a href="https://support.google.com/business/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Business Profile Help</a> pages are the current source.</p>
<h2>Decisions to make first</h2> <table> <thead><tr><th>Decision</th><th>Options</th><th>Trade-off</th></tr></thead> <tbody> <tr><td>Storefront or service area?</td><td>Show an address, or hide it and list areas you serve</td><td>Home-based businesses usually hide the address. Google's guidelines do not allow a P.O. box or a virtual office as your location.</td></tr> <tr><td>Primary category</td><td>The single closest category</td><td>Pick what you are, not what you wish to rank for. You can add secondary categories.</td></tr> <tr><td>Business name</td><td>Your real-world name</td><td>Adding keywords or cities to the name breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.</td></tr> <tr><td>Which account owns it</td><td>Your own Google account</td><td>If an agency sets it up, have them add you as owner, not just manager.</td></tr> <tr><td>Website address</td><td>Your own domain, or a builder address</td><td>Both work; a custom domain is easier to remember and keep if you ever move platforms.</td></tr> </tbody> </table>
<h2>Worked example (a labelled demonstration)</h2> <p>This walkthrough uses a fictional business, "Harbour Line Plumbing", to show a completed worksheet. It is not a real company and no results are claimed.</p> <pre><code>Business name (as on signage/invoices): Harbour Line Plumbing Primary category: Plumber Secondary categories: Water heater installation service Storefront or service area: Service area (owner works from home) Areas served: North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby Phone: main business mobile (same as on the website) Website: harbourline-example.we.inc (later: custom domain) Hours: Mon-Fri 7:00-18:00, emergency line listed separately Owner Google account: owner's own account (not the web designer's) Verification method offered: video recording Search Console property: Domain property, verified via DNS record Sitemap submitted: /sitemap.xml Homepage indexing requested: yes, date noted Check again on: 14 days after submission</code></pre> <figure> <img src="/images/app/seo-1200.webp" alt="The SEO panel in the We.Inc builder, where page titles and descriptions are set" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="750" /> <figcaption>Setting page titles and descriptions in the We.Inc builder before submitting the site to Google.</figcaption> </figure>
<h2>Blank worksheet to copy</h2> <pre><code>Business name (real-world, no keywords): Primary category: Secondary categories: Storefront or service area: Address (if shown) / areas served: Phone (same everywhere): Website: Hours + special hours: Owner Google account: Verification method offered + date done: Search Console property type + verified: yes/no Sitemap URL submitted: Homepage indexing requested (date): Check again on:</code></pre>
<h2>Make the profile and website agree</h2> <ul> <li>Use exactly the same business name, phone and address (or areas) on the profile and the website.</li> <li>Put your town or areas in the website's page title and on the contact page (see <a href="/guides/website-title-examples">website title examples</a>).</li> <li>Ask real customers for reviews with a direct link; the <a href="/tools/google-review-link-generator">Google review link generator</a> makes one. Never buy or incentivise reviews.</li> <li>Run the <a href="/tools/website-grader">website grader</a> to catch missing titles, headings and descriptions.</li> </ul>
<h2>Known limitations</h2> <ul> <li>Being listed is not the same as ranking. Where you appear depends on relevance, distance and prominence, and nobody can guarantee a position.</li> <li>Verification can be delayed or repeated, especially for home-based businesses. Follow the steps Google offers you.</li> <li>New websites can take days to weeks to appear in search results after indexing is requested.</li> </ul>
<h2>Next step: a website worth linking to</h2> <p>Your profile works better with a clear website behind it. Build one with the <a href="/website-builder">We.Inc website builder</a> from a <a href="/website-templates/business">business template</a>. The Free plan gives you up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, with no AI credits and no custom domain. Starter at $20/month adds AI building and custom domains (<a href="/pricing">pricing</a>). Budgeting? Try the <a href="/tools/website-cost-calculator">website cost calculator</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://my.we.inc/signup">Start building your business website</a></p>
Yes. Google Business Profile and Google Search Console are both free. You only pay for a website or domain if you choose to.
Yes, as a service-area business. You hide your address and list the areas you serve. Google's guidelines do not allow P.O. boxes or virtual offices.
Business Profile verification can take several days. Website pages can take days to weeks to appear after you request indexing. Neither guarantees a ranking position.
Not for a Business Profile, but a website gives Google and customers more to go on and appears in ordinary search results too.
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