A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows up when someone searches your business name or "[your service] near me." It's the single highest-leverage free thing a small business can set up, and it takes about fifteen minutes.
Step 1: Start at business.google.com
Go to business.google.com and sign in with the Google account you want tied to your business (create a dedicated one if you don't want it mixed with a personal account). Click "Manage now" and enter your business name.
Step 2: Choose your business category
Pick the category that most specifically matches what you do — "Mobile car detailer" beats generic "Car wash," for example. This affects which searches you show up for, so specific beats broad.
Step 3: Decide if you have a physical location customers visit
If customers come to you, you'll add your address. If you go to them (mobile detailing, cleaning, notary work), choose "I deliver goods and services to my customers" and hide your address — Google still lets you set a service area without publishing your home address.
Step 4: Add your service area, hours, and phone number
Be specific with your service area — listing every county in the state when you really only serve one city dilutes your relevance for local searches.
Step 5: Verify your business
This is the step people get stuck on. Google typically verifies via:
- Phone or text — instant, when available for your business type
- Postcard by mail — takes 5–14 days, most common for newer or service-area businesses
- Video verification — increasingly used for service-area businesses without a public address
Whichever method Google offers you, complete it — an unverified listing won't show up reliably in search or maps.
After you're verified
Add photos (even phone photos of real work beat none), fill out your business description with the actual services you offer, and find your review link under "Ask for reviews" in the profile menu — you'll want that link the moment you start asking customers for reviews.