When someone near Boring Road, Kankarbagh, Bailey Road or Exhibition Road searches for the kind of shop you run, Google often shows a map with a few businesses on it. To be one of them, your shop needs a Google Business Profile. Google says creating one is free, and the steps below show how to set it up properly.
This is a practical walkthrough for a shop owner, not a trick. We cannot promise a position on the map, and nobody honestly can. What you can do is make sure your shop is listed, correct and verified, so customers who look for you find the right address and phone number.
Step 1: Check if your shop is already on Google Maps
Search for your shop name and your area on Google Maps. Shops are often already listed, because customers or Google itself added them years ago. If your shop is there, you claim the existing profile instead of creating a second one. Google’s guidelines say each location should have only one profile, and duplicates cause trouble later.
Step 2: Create or claim your Business Profile
Go to business.google.com, sign in with a Google account and follow the steps to add or claim your shop. Use an account that you will keep, such as your own email, and not a staff member’s. If that person leaves, you lose control of the listing.
Step 3: Fill in the details exactly right
Most mistakes happen here. Google’s own guidelines, which we read on 1 November 2026, set clear rules.
| Field | What to enter | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The name on your signboard and bills | Adding keywords, a tagline, a phone number or “near” a landmark. Google says extra material like this can lead to suspension |
| Address | The exact address of your shop | A vague address, a home address you do not serve customers from, or a virtual office, which Google does not accept |
| Phone | A number you actually answer | A number that is always busy or switched off |
| Hours | Your real opening hours | Not updating them for festivals. Google lets you add special hours |
| Category | As few as possible, and as specific as possible | Adding many categories like keywords. A category should finish the sentence “This business is a…” |
| Photos | The signboard, the shop front, inside, and your products | Stock photos or old photos that do not match the shop today |
If your shop’s name is in Hindi on the board and English on your bills, pick the one you actually use most and keep it the same everywhere.
Step 4: Verify your profile
Google needs to confirm the shop is real. Google decides which methods it offers you, and you cannot change that. The methods it lists are:
- A code by phone call or text message
- An email with steps to follow
- A live video call with a Google support representative, where you show your shop and proof that you run it
- A postcard with a 5-digit code mailed to your address
- A video recording of your shop, if you are eligible
If you get the postcard route, do not edit your name, address or category after you ask for the code, and do not request a second code, because that cancels the first one. The code expires after 30 days. Google also says it will never ask you for your code, so do not share it with anyone, including a person who says they are managing your profile.
Step 5: Keep it alive
A profile is not a one-time job. After it is verified:
- Ask real customers for reviews. Ask politely after a sale. Do not buy reviews or write your own, because it is dishonest and customers can usually tell.
- Reply to reviews, including the unhappy ones, calmly and briefly.
- Update special hours before Diwali, Chhath and other days you open late or close.
- Add new photos when your stock or shop front changes.
- Check the phone number and address every few months.
Step 6: Match everything else
Your shop name, address and phone number should look the same on your Google profile, your website, your Instagram or Facebook page and any directory where you are listed. When they differ, customers get confused and so can Google. Pick one spelling of the name and one format for the address, then copy it everywhere.
Do you need a website?
You can create a Business Profile without one. A simple website still helps, because a profile has only a few lines of text, and a website can show your full product list, prices if you want, an address with a map, your hours and a WhatsApp button. It also gives you a place that you control, instead of relying only on a listing.
For a shop, a few clear pages are enough. If you want help, see our page for website developers in Patna and our local SEO in Patna page. A website with local SEO is Rs 20,000 one-time, excluding domain, hosting and GST, and the other options are on the pricing page. If you run a clinic, there is a page for dental clinic websites as well.
Mistakes we see often
- Two profiles for one shop, one old and one new
- A name stuffed with keywords such as the product and the area
- A phone number that nobody answers
- Hours that are wrong on a festival day
- A personal account that nobody else can access
- Asking friends to post reviews from other cities
Common questions
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Google’s Business Profile page says creating a profile and listing your business on Google is free. Be careful of anyone who asks you to pay Google to be listed.
How long does it take to appear on Google Maps?
It depends on the verification method Google offers you. A phone code can be quick. A postcard takes longer to arrive and its code expires after 30 days. Reviews of changes can also take a few business days.
Can I list my shop if I work from home?
Google’s guidelines say a business that serves customers at their location rather than at a shop, called a service-area business, should generally hide its address. If customers do not come to your home, do not show it as a shop.
Why is another shop shown above mine?
Google decides the order and nobody can promise a position. A complete, accurate and active profile gives you a fair chance of being shown at all, which is the part you control.
Can you set it up for me?
We can look at your listing and your site and tell you what to fix. The free audit takes 1 to 2 working days and gives you three specific recommendations, with no obligation. Our registered address is in Danapur, Patna, and we work by phone and WhatsApp, so a quick call is the easiest start.
Get a free audit of your shop’s online presence
Send us your shop name and area, or your current website. In 1 to 2 working days we will tell you what customers see when they search for you and what to fix first. Ask for your free audit.
Source and date
Google Business Profile facts in this guide come from Google’s own pages, which we opened on 1 November 2026: the verification page (https://support.google.com/business/answer/7107242), the guidelines page (https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177) and the Business Profile page (https://business.google.com/in/business-profile/). Google can change these rules, so check them when you set up your profile.