Is it free to get my business on Google?

Yes. A Google Business Profile is completely free to create, verify, and maintain, and it is the single highest-return free marketing action a local business can take. Google makes money from ads, not from listing you, so claiming and completing your profile costs nothing. The only paid part is optional: Google Ads to appear in the sponsored slots, which is separate from the free organic and Maps listings.

How long does it take to show up on Google?

After you verify a Google Business Profile, your listing can appear in Maps and local results within a few days to about a month. Ranking well, rather than just appearing, takes longer and depends on how complete your profile is, how many genuine reviews you have, and how consistent your details are across the web. A new website ranking in normal search results is slower again, usually three to six months for competitive terms.

Why is my business not showing up on Google?

The most common reasons are that your Google Business Profile is unclaimed or unverified, that your details are inconsistent across different sites, that your profile is thin and half-filled, or that you have no website backing it up. Start by confirming your profile is verified and complete. If you are missing from normal search results rather than Maps, that is usually a website and authority issue rather than a profile one.

Do I need a website to show up on Google?

For the Maps and local pack, no, a verified Google Business Profile is enough to appear. But to show up in the much larger set of normal Google searches, and to give people somewhere to actually learn about and buy from you, yes. A profile gets you on the map. A website lets you rank for the hundreds of searches the map does not cover, and gives the profile somewhere credible to point.

Journal · SEO

How to get your business to show up on Google search and maps

David 15 June 2026 9 min read

Getting your business on Google comes down to two things working together: a verified Google Business Profile that puts you on the map, and a website that wins the searches the map cannot reach. The profile is free and takes an afternoon. The website is where the longer game is played. Do both, in that order, and you cover how almost everyone looks for a local business.

Here is the plain, no-jargon version.

How do I get my business to show up on Google?

There are really two surfaces you are trying to appear on, and they work differently.

The first is the local pack and Maps, the little map with three businesses pinned under it when someone searches “plumber near me” or “web design Leeds”. That is powered by your Google Business Profile.

The second is the normal blue-link results below and around it. That is powered by your website and its SEO.

Most businesses obsess over the second and ignore the first, which is backwards. The profile is free, faster, and for a local business it is often where the phone calls actually come from. Start there.

Step one: claim and verify your Google Business Profile

Go to Google Business Profile and either claim the listing Google may already have generated for you, or create a new one. Then verify it, usually by phone, email, or video, because only verified businesses can show their information in Maps and Search.

This step is free and non-negotiable. An unverified or unclaimed profile is the single most common reason a real business is invisible on Google Maps.

Step two: complete it properly

A verified but half-empty profile barely works. Google rewards complete listings, and so do customers: roughly 70% of people view a business with a full profile as more credible. Fill in everything.

Exact business name, address, and phone number, written identically to how they appear on your website and everywhere else online. Consistency matters more than people think.
Accurate opening hours, including the awkward ones like bank holidays.
Your real services and categories, chosen carefully.
Genuine photos of your work, your premises, your team. Not stock images.
A steady trickle of honest reviews, and a reply to each one.

Keep it current. A profile that says you are open when you are closed, or lists an old number, does real damage. This is also a live lesson for us: an out-of-date profile pointing at old details actively costs you calls, so it is worth getting right and keeping right.

Step three: a website for the searches Maps cannot win

The profile gets you the local pack. It does almost nothing for the hundreds of other searches people use, the “how much does a new boiler cost” and “best wedding photographer in Leeds” and “do I need planning permission for a loft” queries that bring people in earlier, before they are ready to pick from three pins.

Those are won by a website with proper SEO. A profile cannot rank an article, hold your full portfolio, or convert a careful buyer the way a site can. If you are not appearing in normal search results, that is usually a website and authority problem, and we cover exactly why in why your website is not ranking on Google.

The two reinforce each other. Procon 24/7 came to us with nothing but a Google Maps pin. The profile plus a real website and programme on top turned that into £207,321 of revenue. The pin got them on the map. The site is what turned attention into money.

How long until you show up?

After verifying your profile, expect to appear in Maps and local results within a few days to about a month. Ranking well in that local pack takes longer and depends on reviews, completeness, and consistency.

A website ranking in normal search results is the slower channel, typically three to six months for competitive terms and faster for local and long-tail searches. So the profile gives you a quick local presence, and the website builds the wider, compounding one behind it.

Why a profile alone is not enough

A Google Business Profile is the best free marketing a local business has, and you should claim and complete yours today. But it is a listing, not a business presence. It cannot rank for most searches, cannot carry your full story, and is not something you fully own.

If you want both halves done properly, the profile optimised and a website built to rank and convert behind it, that is what our website design and SEO work is built to deliver. Book a thirty-minute call and we will look at where you currently show up, where you do not, and what it would take to fix the gaps.

Common questions

How do I get my business to show up on Google?: Start by claiming and verifying your free Google Business Profile, which is what puts you in Google Maps and the local results. Fill it out completely with accurate name, address, phone, hours, services, and real photos. Then back it with a website so you also appear in the wider Google search results that a Maps listing cannot reach. Profile first for local, website second for everything else. Together they cover both halves of how people find you.
Is it free to get my business on Google?: Yes. A Google Business Profile is completely free to create, verify, and maintain, and it is the single highest-return free marketing action a local business can take. Google makes money from ads, not from listing you, so claiming and completing your profile costs nothing. The only paid part is optional: Google Ads to appear in the sponsored slots, which is separate from the free organic and Maps listings.
How long does it take to show up on Google?: After you verify a Google Business Profile, your listing can appear in Maps and local results within a few days to about a month. Ranking well, rather than just appearing, takes longer and depends on how complete your profile is, how many genuine reviews you have, and how consistent your details are across the web. A new website ranking in normal search results is slower again, usually three to six months for competitive terms.
Why is my business not showing up on Google?: The most common reasons are that your Google Business Profile is unclaimed or unverified, that your details are inconsistent across different sites, that your profile is thin and half-filled, or that you have no website backing it up. Start by confirming your profile is verified and complete. If you are missing from normal search results rather than Maps, that is usually a website and authority issue rather than a profile one.
Do I need a website to show up on Google?: For the Maps and local pack, no, a verified Google Business Profile is enough to appear. But to show up in the much larger set of normal Google searches, and to give people somewhere to actually learn about and buy from you, yes. A profile gets you on the map. A website lets you rank for the hundreds of searches the map does not cover, and gives the profile somewhere credible to point.