How to Get Your Business on Google: A UK Starter Guide
Get started with Google Business Profile and website indexing. A UK checklist covering eligibility, verification, service areas and Search Console.
To get your business on Google, add or claim a free Google Business Profile if you meet customers in person, and make sure Google can discover your website. These are separate tasks: a profile helps represent an eligible business on Search and Maps, while website indexing makes your pages eligible to appear as search results. Neither step guarantees a particular position or number of enquiries.
For a UK shop, tradesperson or local service business starting from scratch, the checklist below gives you a sensible order. If you already have both a profile and an indexed website, move on to improving your local visibility instead.
Start with the right route
| How your business works | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Customers visit your shop or staffed premises | Check Business Profile eligibility, then claim or add your real location |
| You travel to customers, such as a cleaner or plumber | Check eligibility for a service-area profile; do not advertise your home as a shop |
| You work entirely online with no in-person customer contact | Focus on your website and organic search; online-only businesses are not eligible for a Business Profile |
| A listing already exists | Check who manages it before creating anything new |
Google's eligibility guidance explains the in-person requirement and exceptions. Having a registered company or a website does not, by itself, make a business eligible for a profile.
Find or claim your Google Business Profile
Search Google Maps for your business name and town first. If the correct listing is already there, look for the option to claim it. If another person has verified it, use the ownership-request process rather than setting up a competing listing.
For a business without a profile, start at Google's business setup page. Sign in with an account the business owner controls and follow the prompts. The profile itself is free; paying someone for setup help is a separate service, not a Google listing fee. Google's add-or-claim instructions cover both routes.
Keep the owner in control of the account. A supplier can be given appropriate manager access without becoming the only person able to update your details. Before handing anything over, make sure you know which account owns the listing and how access will be recovered if someone leaves.
Add accurate details and complete verification
Use the name customers actually know, choose the closest available category for the core business and add a working phone number. Enter normal customer-facing hours and any relevant services. A category describes what the business is; it is not a place to collect every keyword you would like to rank for.
If customers do not visit your address and you travel to them, set up the service area accurately and hide the address from public display. Google may still need your real address for verification. Do not use a rented mailing address to imply premises you do not operate from. The business representation rules and address guidance explain these distinctions.
Follow the verification options Google presents for your business. If it requests a video, prepare genuine evidence of the location, business activity and your authority to manage it, following the instructions shown. Google's video verification guide explains what to record and says review can take up to five business days. Do not treat that review window as a promise of approval or rankings.
Get your website ready for Google Search
A Business Profile does not replace a website, and verifying one does not automatically index the other. Your website should be publicly accessible, explain your services and give visitors an obvious way to contact you. A launch password or an accidental instruction telling search engines not to index the pages can prevent discovery from turning into a search result.
Start with the homepage and your most important service pages. Use descriptive titles, clear headings and links between relevant pages. If you serve several areas, explain where you work without publishing copies of the same page with different town names. A useful service page answers what is included, who it is for and how someone can enquire.
You can try a Google search such as site:yourdomain.co.uk for a quick indication of whether pages appear, but it is not a complete index report. Google's getting-on-Google checklist describes how discovery works and why some sites may be missed.
If the profile and website need setting up together, my local SEO and Google visibility service covers the foundations and ongoing support. If you are still budgeting for a site, the UK website cost guide separates the build from monthly costs.
Use Search Console to check individual pages
Add your website to Google Search Console and verify ownership using an available method. Inspect the homepage URL to see its indexing status. If there is a reported problem, investigate it before requesting indexing; submitting the same URL repeatedly is not a fix.
Submit your site's sitemap if one is available. It gives Google a list of URLs to discover, while internal links help connect those pages. Google explains that a crawl request can take days to weeks, and neither a request nor a sitemap guarantees inclusion. Search Console is not a queue you can pay to jump.
Once data appears, separate impressions, clicks and enquiries. An impression means a search result was shown, not that somebody visited or contacted you. If people visit but do not get in touch, check the enquiry journey before assuming the answer is more traffic.
Give customers useful evidence and a clear next step
Add genuine photographs of your work, products or premises where relevant. A customer should be able to recognise what you do and decide whether to contact you. Test the phone number and website link yourself, then send a test enquiry through the website and confirm it reaches the right inbox.
After real customer interactions, invite honest reviews using your review link or QR code. Do not offer a discount for a review, request a particular rating or send only happy customers to Google. Follow Google's review guidance, and keep private customer details out of public replies.
A setup record you can keep
Use this small handover checklist to distinguish “we created an account” from “customers can use it”. Record the actual result and date for each check; leave pending items marked pending rather than assuming they worked.
| Check | Evidence to save privately |
|---|---|
| Profile ownership | Owner account and a link to the correct listing |
| Eligibility and location | How you meet customers; whether the address should be public |
| Verification | Current status and any action Google still requires |
| Website indexing | URL Inspection result for the homepage and key service page |
| Contact route | Date of a successful test call or form submission |
| Handover | Who updates hours, website details and account access |
This is a working checklist, not a ranking score. Avoid storing passwords or verification codes in a shared document; use appropriate account access instead.
Common questions before you start
Already completed the setup but still cannot find the business? Follow the checks for a business not showing on Google to separate a profile problem from website indexing or local ranking.
Do I have to buy Google Ads?
No. A free Business Profile and unpaid website search results are separate from advertising. Ads buy advertising placements, not guaranteed organic rankings. Decide whether paid advertising fits your goals and budget separately from completing the setup.
Do I need a website before creating a profile?
An eligible business can start with a profile before it has a website. A site gives you more space to explain services, show work and qualify enquiries. The guide to whether your business needs a website can help you choose an appropriate starting point.
What if somebody already manages my listing?
Ask whether it belongs to an account you or a previous supplier controls. If it is verified under someone else's account, follow Google's ownership-request process. Creating another listing can make the situation harder to resolve.
Want help getting the foundations in place?
Send me your business name, website if you have one, and whether customers visit you or you visit them. I can check what is missing and suggest a sensible next step. Ask about Google visibility support, or compare the monthly plans if you want ongoing work after setup.
