At a glance
- You add your business through a free Google Business Profile.
- Search for yourself on Google Maps first. If you're already there, claim it instead of adding a new one.
- If customers don't come to you, hide your address and add the towns you cover.
- Google then checks you're real, usually with a short video on your phone.
What you need
- A Google account. A Gmail address is fine.
- Your business name, exactly as it is on your van and invoices
- The phone number customers should ring
- The towns or postcodes you cover (you can add up to 20)
- A few photos of your work
Step by step
- Check you're not already on there. Open Google Maps and search your business name and town. If you show up, select "Claim this business" and skip to verifying.
- Start your profile. Go to business.google.com/add and choose "Add your business to Google".
- Enter your business name. Just the name customers know you by. Don't add "Plumber Bristol" on the end.
- Pick your category. Your main trade, like "Electrician" or "Roofing contractor". Fewer is better.
- Hide your address. If customers don't come to you, say no to a location they visit. Then add your service areas instead.
- Add your phone number and website. No website yet? You can leave it blank and add it later.
- Verify it. Google picks how. For most trades it's a short video, covered below.
- Sole trader with a trading name? That's fine. Use the name on your van and invoices, like Smith Builders. For verification, have a document showing it, ideally with your own name too, like insurance made out to "John Smith t/a Smith Builders".
Prefer to watch? This video walks through the whole set-up on screen.
Verifying your business
Google picks how you verify. For most trades it's now a short video, recorded live on your phone through your profile. You can't upload one you filmed earlier.
Film this, in one take (30 seconds or more)
- Your business address: usually your home. Film the street sign or landmarks nearby. Customers won't see this address
- That you're a real trade: your van, tools and workwear
- That it's your business: unlock your van, or show an invoice with your business name on it
Google has a 2-minute example for businesses that travel to customers. Watch it before you film. Full rules are on Google's video verification page.
Google reviews it within 5 working days. If it's turned down, they tell you why and you can film it again.
Common mistakes
- Making a second profile when one already exists. Google allows one per business.
- Adding keywords or towns to your name. It's against Google's rules and can get your profile suspended.
- Showing your home address when customers never visit.
- Picking lots of categories. Stick to what your business is.
- Changing your name, address or category while you're waiting to be verified.
Once you're verified
Customers check you out on Google before they ring, even when they found you on Checkatrade. Make it worth looking at:
- Add photos of real jobs, not stock pictures, and keep adding new ones
- Keep your NAP (name, address, phone) exactly the same on your profile, website, social media and any directory you're listed on
- List the services you want more of, with a short description of each
- Post a finished job as a Google update every week or two
- Add a UTM tag to your website link, so you can see how many visits your profile sends
- Ask every happy customer for a review, and reply to every review, good and bad
Want to see where you show up now? Run our free local ranking check.
Rather someone else
sorted it?
If this feels like a lot, or you'd rather stay on the tools, we'll handle it. Every ByTrades plan includes setting up your Google Business Profile. The only bit you do is the verification video, and we send you a simple guide for that.
- We check for an existing listing and claim it, so you don't end up with two
- We set it up properly: name, category, service areas, services and photos
- On Get Ahead, we manage it every week: job photos, updates and a reply to every review
- One-tap review requests after every job, so the reviews keep coming in
- Linked to a website built for your trade, so customers who find you on Maps see your work
- It stays in your name. If you ever leave, it's yours
Plans from £49 a month, no build fee. See what's in each plan or see what we build for your trade.
Get my free websiteGoogle Maps questions
Is it free to add my business to Google Maps?
Yes. Google doesn't charge for a Business Profile.
Can I add my business without showing my home address?
Yes. If customers don't come to you, hide your address and add the towns or postcodes you cover instead.
How long does verification take?
Google reviews it within 5 working days. Occasionally it takes longer.
Do I need a website to be on Google Maps?
No. But customers who find you on Maps often check your website before they ring, so it helps you win the job.
What if my business is already on Google Maps?
Claim it. Search for it on Google Maps and select "Claim this business". If someone else has already verified it, you can request ownership from them.