Short answer: Google Business Profile setup is free. You sign in with a Google Account, go to business.google.com/create, enter your real business name, choose a category, add your address or service area, phone number and website, and then verify. Most small businesses today verify through a short live video recorded on their phone, and Google says reviews take up to five business days. Once verified, your business can appear on Google Search and Maps with reviews, photos, opening hours and a call button.
For a kirana store, a salon, a coaching centre, a CA office or a freelance electrician, this free profile is often the first thing a customer sees before they call. This guide walks through the full setup, the verification options that actually work in 2026, and the mistakes that get Indian profiles suspended.
Who can create a Google Business Profile?
According to Google’s guidelines, a business qualifies if it makes in-person contact with customers during its stated hours. That means one of two things:
- Storefront business: customers visit you at a physical location (shop, clinic, office, restaurant).
- Service-area business: you travel to customers (plumber, AC repair, home tutor, photographer, cleaning service).
Purely online businesses with no customer contact, and virtual offices, do not qualify. If you sell only through a website or Instagram, focus on your website and social profiles instead. Our guide to free tools that make a small business look professional online covers those options.
Before you start: keep these ready
- A Google Account, ideally on your business email. Google itself suggests using an account on your business domain. See our guide on business email with your own domain.
- Your exact business name as it appears on your signboard, bill book or invoices.
- A precise address (or the list of areas you serve).
- A business phone number that a person answers, not an IVR.
- Your website or a booking link, if you have one.
- Your phone with the camera and location turned on, for video verification.
Google Business Profile setup: step by step
These steps follow Google’s official sign-up help page:
- Sign in to your Google Account on a computer, then open business.google.com/create.
- Enter your business name. If it appears in the suggestions, select it. If someone else has already verified it, you will see an option to request ownership.
- Choose your primary category, such as ‘Beauty salon’, ‘Tutoring service’ or ‘Chartered accountant’, and click Next.
- Say whether customers can visit you. Choose Yes only if the location is staffed during business hours, then enter the address or drop a map pin.
- Add your service area if you travel to customers. You can add up to 20 cities, PIN codes or areas. Google recommends keeping it within about two hours’ driving time from your base.
- Enter your phone number and website, then click Next.
- Click Finish and choose whether to verify now or later. Verify now if you can; an unverified profile does not show fully to customers.
Google Business Profile verification in 2026
Google decides which verification options you see, based on your business type, region and public information, and you cannot pick a different one. Here are the methods Google lists:
| Method | How it works | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Video recording | Record a live, unedited video of at least 30 seconds from the Business Profile on your phone | Google recommends this if you are eligible; reviewed in up to 5 business days |
| Live video call | A Google representative verifies you on a call | Only during your business hours, not available for all businesses |
| Phone or SMS | Google sends a code to your business number | IVR or automated systems cannot receive it |
| Follow the steps sent to the email shown | You must have access to that exact email | |
| Postcard | A 5-digit code is posted to your address | Most arrive within 14 days; codes expire after 30 days |
How to pass video verification the first time
Video verification is where most small businesses get stuck. Google’s help page lists three things your video must show:
- Your location: street signs, building number, nearby shops or a landmark. Start the video outside.
- Proof the business exists: your signboard with the business name on a permanent fixture, matching the name on your profile. Service businesses can show tools, equipment, branded uniforms or a branded vehicle.
- Proof you manage it: something only staff can access, such as the billing counter, POS machine, kitchen or storeroom, or you unlocking the shutter. Service-area businesses can also show an invoice, permit or utility bill in the business name.
The video must be recorded live inside the app, in one continuous take with no editing. Do not show bank, tax or ID numbers, and avoid other people’s faces. To upload: open your profile on mobile, tap Get verified, choose Business video, allow camera, microphone and location access, record, review and tap Upload video. If Google rejects it, you will see the reasons and can re-record from Review issues.
Tip for Indian shops: a temporary flex banner is often not enough. Google asks for the business name on a permanent fixture. If your signboard uses a different name from your profile, fix one of them before recording.
Optimise your profile after verification
A verified profile is only the start. These steps help you appear for ‘near me’ searches:
- Categories: Google says to use the fewest categories that describe your core business. Pick one accurate primary category and only add secondary ones that are truly what you are.
- Hours: add your regular customer-facing hours and special hours for Diwali, Holi or other holidays.
- Photos: add the outside of your shop, the inside, your team at work (with permission) and your products. Real photos build more trust than stock images.
- Services and products: list them with clear prices where possible, for example ‘AC gas refill’ or ‘GST return filing’.
- Posts: Google lets you publish posts about offers, events and updates. One post a week keeps the profile active.
- Reviews: ask happy customers for a review and reply to every review politely, including negative ones.
- Insights: check the performance section to see which search terms customers use and how many people call or ask for directions.
If you reply to customers on WhatsApp, link that number and see our guide to setting up Business AI on WhatsApp so enquiries from Google do not go unanswered.
Common mistakes that get profiles suspended
- Keyword stuffing the name: ‘Sharma Electronics Best Mobile Repair Shop Delhi’ breaks Google’s rules. Use only your real name: ‘Sharma Electronics’.
- Using a fake or virtual address: P.O. boxes, remote mailboxes and virtual offices are not allowed.
- Showing a home address for a service business: if customers do not visit you, Google requires you to hide your address and use a service area.
- Multiple profiles for one business: create only one profile per location (and one per metro area for service businesses), or the account may be suspended.
- Editing details during verification: do not change your name, address or category while a postcard code is pending; the code will stop working.
- Buying fake reviews: it violates Google’s policies and can remove your profile entirely.
Google Business Profile checklist for small businesses
- Create the profile with your real name and the right primary category.
- Choose storefront or service area correctly.
- Verify (video recording is usually the fastest route).
- Add hours, phone, website, services and at least 10 real photos.
- Collect your first 5–10 genuine reviews from existing customers.
- Post one update a week and reply to every review.
- Check performance insights monthly and adjust services or posts.
Explore more free and low-cost tools in our Small Business Tools section.
FAQ: Google Business Profile setup
Is Google Business Profile free in India?
Yes. Google says creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free. You only pay if you choose to run Google Ads.
Can I create a Google Business Profile without a shop?
Yes, if you travel to customers. Set it up as a service-area business, hide your home address and list the areas you serve. Purely online businesses do not qualify.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says video reviews can take up to five business days, sometimes longer. Postcards usually arrive within 14 days.
Why does my profile show ‘Get verified’ again?
It means Google could not fully verify the business with the earlier method. Try another available method, such as a clearer video showing your signboard and staff-only areas.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help – Sign up for Business Profile: sign-up steps, service-area limit of 20 areas and two-hour guidance.
- Google Business Profile Help – Verify your business on Google: verification methods, postcard timing, live video requirements and review time.
- Google Business Profile Help – Verify your business with a video recording: video rules, what to show and upload steps.
- Google Business Profile Help – Guidelines for representing your business on Google: eligibility, naming, address and category rules.
- Google Business – Business Profile: confirmation that the profile is free and its review, posts and insights features.