A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Maps. To get one working in India, add or claim the profile at business.google.com, verify it with whatever method Google offers you, fill in the category, hours, description and photos, then keep it active with posts, review requests and replies. This guide covers each step and links to a detailed guide for every topic.
Who this guide is for
It's for any Indian business that serves customers in person: a jeweller in Surat, a salon chain in Pune, a clinic in Kochi, a coaching centre in Kota, a sweet shop in Indore, a manufacturer with a showroom in Ludhiana or an AC service company covering all of Hyderabad. It works the same whether you have one outlet or forty.
Online-only businesses with no place customers can visit, and no visits to customers, aren't eligible. Google's guidelines say a business needs to make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours, either at its location or by travelling to them (Google guidelines).
Step 1: Add or claim your Business Profile
Many Indian businesses already have a listing that a customer, Justdial scraper or old employee created. Check before you create a new one, because Google wants one profile per business.
- Search Google Maps for your business name and city.
- If you find it, select Claim this business, then Manage now, and follow the verification steps.
- If it doesn't exist, go to business.google.com/add and select Add your business to Google (Google).
- If someone else already verified it, you can't claim it directly. Request ownership from the current owner through the same flow.
Enter your name exactly as it appears on your signboard and letterhead. Google's guidelines don't allow extra keywords or locations in the name, so "Shree Krishna Sweets" is fine and "Shree Krishna Sweets Best Kaju Katli Indore" is not (Google guidelines).
Step 2: Verify the profile
Verification proves you run the business. Until it's done, most edits, posts and review replies won't go live.
Verification methods Google uses
According to Google's help page (Google), the options can include:
- Phone or text: a code sent to your business number. IVR systems won't receive it, so use a number a person answers.
- Email: steps sent to an address shown on the verification screen.
- Video recording or live video call: you show where you are and that you run the business.
- Postcard: a 5-digit code mailed to your address, usually within 14 days. It isn't offered to every business.
- Instant verification: possible if your website is already verified in Search Console.
Google decides which methods you see, based on your business type, public information, region and hours, and you can't change them. Google reviews the information for up to 5 business days.
Tips for video verification
Google asks you to show:
- your location (the outside signboard, neighbouring shops or a street sign);
- your products, branded equipment or the tools you use;
- proof you manage the place, such as staff-only areas, the billing counter or unlocking the shutter.
For a service business with no shopfront, show your branded van, tools and uniforms.
Step 3: Fill in every field that matters
Once verified, complete the profile from Edit profile (Google):
| Field | What Google says | Practical tip for India |
|---|---|---|
| Category | One primary, up to 9 more | Pick the most specific primary, e.g. "Jewelry store", not "Store" |
| Address | Full, accurate address | Hide it if customers don't visit you (see service areas below) |
| Service area | Cities, PIN codes or other areas | List the areas you actually cover |
| Hours | Regular and special hours | Add special hours for Diwali, Eid and other closures |
| Phone | Primary plus up to 2 more | Use a number someone answers in business hours |
| Website | Full URL with https:// | Link the most relevant page, not just the home page |
| Description | Up to 750 characters, no links | Say what you do, where, and for whom |
Categories
Google says categories affect your local ranking and can switch on features like booking buttons (Google). Choose a few accurate ones from Google's list. Don't add a category for every product. Our guide to choosing Google Business Profile categories has examples for Indian businesses.
Description
You get 750 characters. Use them to say what you sell, which areas you serve and what makes you different, in plain words. See eight Google Business Profile description examples for clinics, salons, restaurants and trades.
Service areas and hidden addresses
If you go to customers (pest control, AC repair, home tutors, mobile phlebotomy), Google says to remove your address when customers aren't served there. You can add up to 20 service areas, and the whole area shouldn't be more than about 2 hours' drive from your base (Google). Our guide to local SEO for service-area businesses covers this in detail.
How Google ranks local results
Google names three factors (Google):
- Relevance: how well your profile matches the search.
- Distance: how far you are from the person searching.
- Prominence: how well known you are. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help.
Google also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking. Anyone selling a "guaranteed top 3 in Maps" package can't deliver that through Google.
Step 4: Keep the profile active with posts
Google offers three post types: Updates, Offers and Events. Posts are archived after 6 months unless they have a date range (Google). Posts with phone numbers in the text may be removed, so use the Call now button instead (Google posts policy).
A weekly post is a realistic rhythm for most businesses. Rotate:
- a real job, product or order from this week, with your own photo;
- a useful tip;
- an offer with clear dates and terms;
- a trust post, such as a team member or a quoted review.
For ideas, see 12 Google Business Profile post examples. For Diwali, wedding season and year-end promotions, see Google Business Profile offer posts for Indian festivals. Hotels can't create offer posts at all, so hotel owners should stick to Updates (Google posts policy).
Step 5: Get more Google reviews, the right way
Reviews persuade the next customer, and Google lists them as part of prominence. The basics:
- Get your review link and QR code. On a computer, open your profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews (Google). Step-by-step help is in our guide to finding your Google review link and QR code.
- Ask every customer, the same way. Google's policy bans discouraging negative reviews and selectively asking for positive ones (Google contribution policy).
- Never offer anything in return. Google prohibits payment, discounts or free items in exchange for a review.
- Don't pressure people at the counter. Google says merchants shouldn't require or pressure customers to review while on the premises, and shouldn't set review quotas for staff.
WhatsApp is often the easiest channel in India, and Google's own help page suggests sharing the link by WhatsApp. Our guide to asking for Google reviews on WhatsApp has message templates in English and Hinglish. For a full system, read how to get more Google reviews without breaking rules.
Step 6: Reply to reviews
Google says replies show customers you value their feedback (Google). Its tips: keep replies polite and brief, add a useful detail, don't promote deals in replies, never share a reviewer's private details, and sign off with your name or initials (Google).
Google also reviews each reply against its content policies before it appears. Most go live within about 10 minutes, but some take up to 30 days (Google).
Where to go next:
- Google review reply templates for 1 to 5 stars
- How to respond to negative Google reviews, with 12 examples
- How to report or respond to a fake Google review
What happened to Q&A on Google Business Profile
In December 2025, Google told Business Profile users it was changing Q&A. Customers ask their question in Google Maps and get an instant answer based on the business's answers and relevant reviews. Owners answer grouped questions instead of each one (Google Business Profile Community). Google also shut down the Q&A API on 3 November 2025, with no replacement (Google for Developers). The full story, and what to do now, is in our guide to what replaced Google Business Profile Q&A.
Avoiding suspension
Google may suspend or disable profiles that don't follow its guidelines (Google). Common causes for Indian businesses:
- keywords or city names stuffed into the business name;
- a virtual office or a mailbox address where you don't actually operate;
- several profiles for the same business, or one per service;
- a home address shown for a business that doesn't serve customers there.
If it happens, fix the cause first, then appeal once with documents such as GST registration, a shop licence or a utility bill whose name and address match the profile. Don't create a new profile. Our guide to fixing a suspended Google Business Profile walks through the appeal.
A weekly routine (20 minutes)
- Reply to every new review, and to 1 and 2-star reviews the same day
- Publish one post
- Send the review link to every customer from this week
- Check hours, especially before festivals and holidays
- Add two or three fresh photos of real work
How BeeCMO helps
- BeeCMO Guard Bee drafts a reply to each new Google review in the reviewer's language, and prepares a review request for every customer, with no rating filter.
- It drafts a weekly Business Profile post from your offers and the festival calendar.
- Everything comes to you on WhatsApp for one-tap approval. Replies to 1 to 3-star reviews always wait for you.
- These features work once Google approves our app's Business Profile API access, which is pending. See Guard Bee for Google Business Profile and plans and pricing.
FAQ
Is Google Business Profile free in India?
Yes. Creating and managing a Business Profile costs nothing. Google also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google says it reviews verification information for up to 5 business days, and rarely longer. A postcard code usually arrives within 14 days and expires after 30 days.
Can I list my business without showing my address?
Yes, if you serve customers at their location. Google says to remove your address if you don't serve customers there, and to add service areas instead, up to 20 of them.
Can I offer a discount for Google reviews?
No. Google prohibits payment, discounts or free goods or services in exchange for a review, and it also bans asking only happy customers.
Does Google Business Profile still have Q&A?
Google changed it in December 2025. Customers now ask questions in Google Maps and get answers based on the business's answers and reviews, and owners can still answer existing questions in their profile.
Sources
All checked 28 October 2026.
- Google Business Profile Help, add or claim your Business Profile: https://support.google.com/business/answer/2911778
- Google Business Profile Help, verify your business (methods, 5 business days, postcard timing, video tips): https://support.google.com/business/answer/7107242
- Google Business Profile Help, edit your Business Profile (fields, 9 additional categories, 750 characters): https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617
- Google Business Profile Help, choose a business category: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7249669
- Google Business Profile Help, manage your service area (20 areas, about 2 hours' drive, remove address): https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481
- Google, guidelines for representing your business on Google (eligibility, name rules, one profile): https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177
- Google Business Profile Help, tips to improve your local ranking (relevance, distance, prominence; no paid ranking): https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091
- Google Business Profile Help, create posts (post types, 6-month archiving): https://support.google.com/business/answer/7342169
- Google Business Profile Help, posts content policy (unverified contact info, hotels and offers): https://support.google.com/business/answer/7213077
- Google Business Profile Help, create a review link or QR code (WhatsApp sharing): https://support.google.com/business/answer/16816815
- Google Business Profile Help, tips to get more reviews and reply to reviews: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122
- Google Business Profile Help, read and reply to reviews (reply moderation, 10 minutes to 30 days): https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050
- Google Maps user contributed content policy (incentives, selective solicitation, on-premises pressure, quotas): https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114
- Google Business Profile Help, suspended or disabled profiles: https://support.google.com/business/answer/4569145
- Google Business Profile Community, Google's announcement of changes to the Q&A feature (3 December 2025): https://support.google.com/business/thread/392024106
- Google for Developers, Business Profile APIs sunset dates (Q&A API discontinued 3 November 2025): https://developers.google.com/my-business/content/sunset-dates