For local businesses, Google Maps is often more important than the website itself. People search for “hairdresser near me”, “accountant in Zenica” or “restaurant open now” and choose between the first few results on the map — with ratings, photos and opening hours. That listing comes from your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
What a Google Business Profile is
It is a free profile of your business on Google Search and Maps: name, category, address or service area, phone, website, opening hours, photos, services and customer reviews. You manage the information and Google shows it when your business is relevant to a search.
Creating a profile step by step
- Sign in with a Google account that belongs to the business (not the personal account of an employee who might leave) and open business.google.com/create.
- Enter your exact business name — as it really is, without adding keywords or cities.
- Choose the primary category as precisely as possible (e.g. “Dental clinic” rather than just “Health”). You can add secondary categories later.
- Location or service area. If customers visit you, enter the address. If you go to customers or work online, list the towns or area you cover and hide the address.
- Contact details — phone and website address.
- Verification — confirming that you really own the business (more below).
Verification: how Google checks you are the owner
Google decides which methods are available for your profile — you can’t choose them. The most common are:
- phone or text message — a code is sent to the business number (automated phone systems can’t receive it);
- email — to an address you can access;
- video — a recording or live video call showing your location (outside signage, the street or neighbouring businesses), your equipment or business materials and proof that you manage the business (e.g. unlocking the premises with your keys, staff-only areas, non-sensitive business documents);
- postcard by mail — with a five-digit code; it usually arrives within 14 days and the code is valid for 30 days.
According to Google’s help pages, reviewing your information usually takes up to five business days. While you wait, don’t change the name, address or category and don’t request a new code — that cancels the process. Verification can also be instant if your business website is already verified in Google Search Console.
Watch out
Google will never ask for your verification code. Don’t share it with anyone — including people who call “offering help” with your profile.
How Google decides which businesses to show
Google names three main factors for local results:
- Relevance — how well the profile matches what the user searched for. That’s why an accurate category, description and services matter.
- Distance — how far the business is from the search location or the place named in the search.
- Prominence — how well known the business is: reviews and ratings, mentions on other websites, links and the quality of your website.
You can’t influence distance. Relevance and prominence — absolutely.
How to complete your profile so it brings customers
- Fill in everything: opening hours (including holidays), services with short descriptions, a business description and attributes (parking, wheelchair access, card payments).
- Real photos: the outside (so people recognise you), the inside, the team and your work. No stock photos.
- Posts: occasional news, offers and events show that the business is active.
- Questions and answers: answer common questions before someone else “answers” them for you.
- Website: link to a site with the same details that clearly says what you do and where.
Reviews: the strongest local signal
Reviews influence both ranking and the customer’s decision. How to get them honestly:
- Ask satisfied customers personally, right after a job well done — send them the direct review link from your profile.
- Reply to every review, positive and negative — calmly, concretely and without arguing.
- Never buy reviews, write them yourself or offer discounts in exchange for a rating. That breaks Google’s policies and can lead to reviews being removed or the profile being suspended.
Keep your details consistent online (NAP)
Name, address and phone (NAP) should be identical on your Google profile, website, Facebook, business directories and everywhere else. Different versions of the address or an old phone number confuse both Google and customers. On the website it also helps to add structured data (Schema.org LocalBusiness) with the same details.
Mistakes that can get a profile suspended
- Keywords in the business name (“Company X — best cheap hairdresser Zenica”).
- A virtual office, PO box or an address where the business doesn’t actually operate.
- Several profiles for the same business at the same location.
- Fake reviews or reviews in exchange for rewards.
- Frequent changes to core details without a reason.
Profile and website work together
Your Google profile brings people in; your website convinces them. A customer who finds you on the map almost always clicks through to the website — to see services, prices or what you look like. So the site should be fast on mobile, carry the same details as the profile and have a clear call to action. If you’re based in Bosnia and Herzegovina, see also web design in Zenica.
Source for verification and ranking: Google Business Profile Help.
Engimotive · Published October 27, 2026