Google Business Profile: add your business to Google Maps

When a customer types "dentist near me" or "car service Narimanov" on a phone, Google first shows a map and a few business cards. These cards come from Google Business Profile. A profile is free, takes a few hours to set up, and for local customers it is often the first point of contact — seen even before your website.

What is Google Business Profile?

It is your business card shown in Google Search and Google Maps: name, category, address or service area, phone, opening hours, website, photos and reviews. Customers can call you directly from it, get directions or go to your website.

Step 1. Create the profile

name — your real business name, as it appears on your sign and documents;
category — the main category that most accurately describes what you do, then additional categories;
address or service area — an address if customers come to you, or the areas you serve if you go to customers;
phone and website.

Create the profile with the company's shared Google account, not an employee's personal one — otherwise access problems may arise when that employee leaves.

Step 2. Verify it

Google checks that the business really exists. The verification method varies by business and country: phone, email, video or another method may be offered. Until verification the profile is either not shown or shown with limits, so do not put this step off.

Step 3. Fill in the profile completely

A complete profile is more trustworthy for both Google and customers:

opening hours, including special hours for holidays;
description — in one or two paragraphs, say what you do and whom you serve;
services or products — with a short description and, if possible, a price;
photos — exterior, interior, team, completed work; real, good-quality photos work better than stock images.

Step 4. Work with reviews

Reviews are one of the strongest factors in local search. Ask satisfied customers for a review — ideally right after the service, with a direct link. Reply to every review: thank people for positive ones, give a calm and specific answer to negative ones. A professional reply to a negative review is often more convincing to future customers than a positive review.

Step 5. Keep the profile active

New photos, promotions, changes in opening hours — when the profile is updated, both customers and Google notice. One or two updates a month is enough.

How does Google rank profiles?

Google orders local results by three main factors:

relevance — how well the profile matches what the customer searched for; that is why the category, description and services must be accurate;
distance — how close the customer is to the business; you cannot change this, but the address and service area must be correct;
prominence — how well known the business is: the number and rating of reviews, the quality of the website, mentions of your name on other sites.

Two of these three factors are fully in your hands: completing the profile and collecting reviews regularly.

Website and profile together

The profile and the website strengthen each other:

the link in the profile leads to the website, to a specific service page;
name, address and phone should be written the same way on the website and the profile;
a Google map block on the website helps customers find their way;
a customer who goes from the profile to the website fills in the form — and that enquiry must not get lost.

Common mistakes

adding keywords to the name ("Best cheap repair Baku") — this breaks Google's rules and the profile may be suspended;
outdated opening hours — the customer finds a closed door;
not replying to reviews;
several duplicate profiles for one business.

Measure the result

Profile statistics show the number of calls, direction requests and website clicks. If your website is connected to a CRM, you can also see how many visitors from the profile sent an enquiry and became customers.

The SBT Web "Şirkət" plan includes a Google map on the website, SEO basics and forms connected to SBT CRM — see the SBT Web plans.