Google Business Profile

How do I create a Google Business Profile?

Add a new Business Profile with your Google account, or claim ownership of one that already exists. Then you need to finish verification for your edits to show properly on Google Search and Maps.

If your business is one of several units in a building, write the floor and unit number exactly. A vague address can delay verification or put your map pin in the wrong place.

Creating a profile doesn't make it show up in search right away. Verification and review can take time before it appears, so if you're a new business with a set opening date, start early and leave some room.

The exact screens can change, so below is just the overall flow. As you go, check the latest guidance in the Google Business Profile Help Center.

1. 01Log in with a Google account for the business, not an employee's personal account.
2. 02Search your business name on Google Maps or the Business Profile management screen; if a profile exists, claim it, and if not, add a new one.
3. 03Choose one primary category that best describes your business, and add secondary categories if needed.
4. 04If customers visit your location, enter your address; if you only provide on-site or mobile services, you can set a service area and hide your address.
5. 05Enter your phone number and website address, and verify using the method Google offers.
6. 06After verification, fill in hours, photos and a description, and enter special hours separately for days that differ from usual, like public holidays.

How do I verify my Google Business Profile, and how long does it take?

Google picks and shows you a verification method that fits your business, and you prove you really run the business using that method. Google says that after you finish, its review can take up to 5 business days, and occasionally longer.

You can't choose the verification method; it varies by business. Options include entering a code received by phone or text, email, a live video call with a support agent during business hours, recording a video of your business, and a postcard code, and Google recommends video recording when it's available.

When verifying by video, three things need to be on screen: your business location (sign, neighboring businesses, street signs), the business in operation (equipment, products, items printed with your business name), and proof that you manage it (walking into the register area or kitchen, opening the door with a key).

While waiting for a postcard, don't change your business name, address or category, or request a new code. The code may stop working or the process may be delayed. Google never asks you for your verification code first, so don't respond to anyone asking you for it.

When verification is complete, you'll get a confirmation email. If the "Get verified" button shows up again, verification isn't fully finished, so try again with another method when one is offered. If the same business has 10 or more locations, you can apply for bulk verification.

How is it different from Naver Place and Kakao Map?

All three services put your business info on a map, but the management tools and the customers who see them differ. None of them is the only right answer, so the realistic approach is to focus first on the map your customers mainly use and check the others for wrong info.

The registration process also differs a bit. Naver reviews based on your business registration certificate, Google confirms you're a real business through methods like video or phone, and Kakao verifies your location in its Partner Center. For all three, it helps to have your business registration certificate, a photo of your sign and photos of your premises ready in advance.

Reviews also build up separately on each platform, and you can't move reviews from one map to another. So it's most efficient to ask for reviews on the map your customers mainly use.

All three let you register and manage basic info for free. Costs come up only when you run ads in the map or use certain add-on features, so if someone asks you to pay just to register, first check whether it's an official channel.

How do I use profile posts, photos and Q&A?

Use posts to announce news, offers and events, photos to show your business to first-time customers, and Q&A to answer customer questions. Posts and photos start appearing once your profile is verified.

You can publish three types of posts: "Update," "Offer" and "Event." Offers and events need a title and dates, and posts without set dates are archived after 6 months. Including a phone number in the description can get the post rejected, so keep contact details in your basic info and add a Book or Learn more button to your posts instead.

Upload photos as JPG or PNG files between 10KB and 5MB; Google recommends 720 x 720 pixels. Google suggests uploading at least 3 photos of each type (exterior, interior, products, at work) and taking exterior shots from the different directions customers approach from and at different times of day. The standard is to show things as they really are, without filters or heavy editing.

Google says Q&A (Questions and answers) is only offered in some categories and regions, and that its look and features may change. This section may not appear on your profile, so it's more reliable to put common customer questions, like parking, booking and payment, in your profile description and attributes and in your website FAQ.

Asking for reviews is easy with the review request link or QR code you can create in your profile. But Google strictly prohibits giving discounts or free services in exchange for writing or changing reviews, treating it as "fake engagement."

• Update: new menu items, new classes, changes to hours
• Offer: limited-time discounts (state the conditions and dates clearly)
• Event: one-day classes or seasonal events (start and end dates required)

What should I prepare for international customers?

Take care of photos, English info, and payment and booking details. International customers have a hard time searching business names in Korean, so they often browse nearby places on the map and choose by photos and reviews.

It helps if your menu photos include English, and adding a line or two of English to your business description helps too. Replying in English to English reviews, even briefly, reassures the next customer.

Write what international visitors worry about, like card payment, whether booking is required and whether English help is available, in your profile attributes or description. If your website has an English info page, linking to it is another option.

Even if you want to write your business name in both Korean and English, hold back. Google's guidelines don't allow repeating the same name in multiple languages, so keep only the one name actually on your sign and add English info through your description and photos. Naver Map also shows info in English, Simplified Chinese and Japanese depending on the app language, and you can enter a separate English business name in Smart Place, so it's worth setting that up too.

Here's an example with a made-up business. Sobanjip ("Soban House"), a small Korean restaurant in a Euljiro alley, started with its Google profile when more international customers began coming in. It uploaded photos of its menu with English included and of its signature dishes, and added one English line at the end of the description saying whether cards are accepted and whether walk-ins without a booking are welcome.

It replied briefly in English to English reviews, and a month later compared direction requests and the search terms customers used in the Performance view with the previous month. This is a made-up example to show the process, so real results vary by business.

What are common mistakes in managing a Google Business Profile?

Google has separate guidelines for business info, so it tends to be stricter about how info is written than other maps. Breaking the rules can get your info edited or your profile restricted.

It's safer not to give management access to just one person. Make your own account the owner and give employees or your web agency only manager access, and you won't lose the profile when people change.

If your profile is restricted for breaking the rules, getting it back to normal takes time. Reading the guidelines once when you first register can greatly reduce the chances of this happening.

• Adding place names or keywords that aren't on your actual sign to your business name, like "Hongdae #1 Nail"
• Verifying with an agency's or former employee's account and not adding yourself as a manager
• Not entering special hours for holidays and temporary closures
• Offering rewards, like a discount for writing a review (prohibited by Google's policy)
• Changing your name, address or category several times in a short period (you may be asked to verify again)

What do I do if my Google Business Profile is suspended or an edit is rejected?

First check the reason given; if your profile is suspended or restricted, appeal through Google's appeals tool, and if an edit was rejected, ask again through the Help Center contact form. Businesses outside the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA), such as those in Korea, are directed to submit rejected edits and photo restrictions through the contact form.

Suspensions usually start with a guideline violation, so before appealing, first fix your business name, address and category to match your sign and documents exactly. For proof, you can use documents such as your business registration certificate, business license, or electricity, phone or internet bills addressed to your business, and the name and address on them must match your profile.

Review can take up to 5 business days, and the result comes by email. Before you get the result, avoid submitting multiple requests for the same issue or creating a new profile for the same business.

On Google Maps, users can suggest edits, so hours you never entered can sometimes appear. When you get an edit notification, undo anything wrong right away and match it back to your master info. If you move or close, use status features like changing the address or marking the business temporarily or permanently closed, rather than deleting the profile.

1. 01Check the restriction reason and related policy in the profile management screen or the email from Google.
2. 02Based on the reason, fix your business name, address, category and hours to match your sign and documents exactly.
3. 03Prepare proof whose name and address match your profile, such as your business registration certificate, photos of your sign and premises, and a bill showing your business address.
4. 04Open the appeals tool with the Google account linked to your profile, select the profile and the decision, and submit. Once you open the proof upload screen, you must upload files within 60 minutes.
5. 05While waiting for the result email, don't resubmit the same request or create a new profile.

What should I look at in Google Business Profile performance stats?

In the screen Google calls "Performance," you can see how many people viewed your profile, the search terms customers used to find you, and calls, directions and website clicks. You can see it only for a verified profile, logged in with the Google account linked to it.

Search term numbers update at the start of each month and can take a few days to appear. Views count the same person only once a day even if they look several times, so they may seem lower than the numbers in notification emails.

It's best to compare numbers month by month with the previous month. If a craft studio's website clicks went up the month it posted new class photos, that's a sign the photos caught customers' interest. If you add UTM tags to your website link, you can also follow in GA4 whether those customers went on to book.

It's hard to compare these numbers directly with stats from other maps. They're counted differently, so compare with last month within the same platform, and across platforms look only at the direction: up or down.