Before adding a business to Google, search for an existing profile for the same business. Creating a new listing, claiming an existing one, and requesting access to a profile in another account are different processes. Starting correctly avoids unnecessary duplicates and conflicting addresses for customers. A Google Business Profile listing is free for eligible businesses; an agency’s setup and management service is assessed separately from the listing fee.

Find the business listing first

Check the business name, phone number, and address together. A listing may exist under an old name or branch code. Review the map pin and website link too; do not start an ownership process based only on a similar name. If the existing profile is correct, determine how to access it instead of creating a duplicate. Finding out who previously created the profile inside the company is an ownership question to resolve before any technical action.

  • Business name and actual address
  • Phone number, pin, and website link

Prepare the core information for a new profile

Prepare the actual trading name, appropriate category, customer contact number, and operating arrangements from a single source. Do not change the signboard name to add keywords. A location receiving customers and a business that travels to a service area are assessed differently. Have the person responsible on-site check the address and pin. Do not consider the profile ready to publish if there are unexplained differences between the website, signage, and profile.

  • Approved business information
  • On-site pin and entrance checks

Distinguish claiming from verification

Taking over management of an existing profile and completing business verification are not the same step. Follow the method Google offers in the account and the business evidence it requests; do not assume every company receives the same method. An authorized person within the company may need to participate. Do not share verification codes with arbitrary people. The agency’s role may be preparation and follow-up; it cannot claim to guarantee the platform’s verification decision.

  • An authorized business representative
  • The verification step offered by the platform

Check the customer journey after publication

Do not consider the work finished when the profile appears. Search for the business name on a phone and check the address, hours, phone number, and website link. If customers are directed to the wrong entrance, resolve it with the on-site team. Document who supplies information such as holiday hours and relocations. For multiple branches, use a branch code for each listing so that information for stores trading under the same name is not mixed up.

  • A working phone number and destination page
  • Update owner and branch code

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