# How to set up a Google Business Profile: a step-by-step guide

Kaynak: https://gorunurisletme.com/en/blog/google-business-profile-guide
Tarih: 2026-09-22

The first step to appearing on Google Maps and in local searches: creating, verifying and fully completing your Business Profile.

When someone searches "hairdresser near me" or "dentist in Kadıköy" on their phone, the top of the results is usually a map with a handful of businesses under it. The first requirement for appearing in that list is a **Google Business Profile**.

## What is a Google Business Profile?

It is the free listing for your business that appears in Google Search and Google Maps: your name, address, phone, opening hours, photos and customer reviews. Most customers see this listing before they ever visit your website, so it is often your **first impression**.

## Setting it up, step by step

> Google changes its screens and steps from time to time. The order below is the general flow; some steps may look different for you.

1. **Sign in with a Google account** you will keep for the business. You can add other managers later.
2. **Go to business.google.com** and add your business. Search first to see whether a listing already exists; if it does, claim it instead of creating a new one.
3. **Use your real business name.** Don't add keywords to it. That breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
4. **Choose the most specific category.** The primary category strongly affects which searches you appear in.
5. **Add a location or a service area.** If customers come to you, add your address. If you go to them, hide the address and list the districts you serve.
6. **Add your phone number and website**, exactly as they appear on your site.
7. **Verify the profile.** Methods vary by business: phone, email, a short video or a postcard code. Unverified profiles don't show fully in search.

## Then complete it

- Keep **opening hours** current, including holidays.
- Add real **photos**: outside, inside, your team and your work.
- Fill in **services and products**; that's where customers' search words usually live.
- Write a plain **description** of what you do and where.
- **Reply to reviews**, the negative ones too.

## Four common mistakes

- **Inconsistent details** between the profile, your website and other platforms.
- **Duplicate profiles** for the same business.
- **Set and forget:** outdated hours, a closed branch, unanswered reviews.
- **A category that is too general.**

A Business Profile is the foundation of local visibility, but it works best with a website that tells the same story clearly. See [What is local SEO?](/en/blog/local-seo-basics).