Getting Your Business on Google Maps on the South Shore

Your business shows up on Google Maps through a free Google Business Profile. You claim it, prove to Google that you run the business, and fill it in. Most owners can do it in an evening, and you do not need to pay anyone.

When someone in Bridgewater searches "hair salon near me" or "plumber Lunenburg", Google shows a map with a few businesses before it shows any website. Those listings come from Business Profiles. Here is how to get yours there, step by step.

Step 1: Find or claim your profile

Search your business name on Google Maps. Google may already have a listing for you, made from public information.

• If a listing exists, open it and choose the option to claim it, often "Own this business?".
• If there is none, create one at business.google.com.

Use your real business name, the one on your sign. Do not add extra words like "Best Roofer Bridgewater". Google's rules forbid it, and it can get a listing suspended.

Step 2: Get verified

Google needs proof that the business is real and that it is yours. It chooses how. Often it asks for a short video showing your sign, your tools or your workspace. Sometimes it is a phone call, a text, an email or a postcard.

Verification can take a few minutes or a couple of weeks. Until it is done, your changes may not show.

Step 3: Say where you work

There are two kinds of business on Google Maps.

• Customers come to you, like a café, a shop or a salon. Show your address so the map can send people to your door.
• You go to customers, like a plumber, a cleaner or a landscaper. Google calls this a service-area business. Hide your home address, and list the towns you serve instead: Bridgewater, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, Chester, wherever you really go.

Step 4: Fill in everything

A full profile beats a half empty one. Fill in:

• Your main category. This matters most. Pick the closest match, like "Roofing contractor" or "Café".
• Your hours, and your holiday hours. If you close for the winter, update it the day you close.
• Your phone number and your website.
• A short description of what you do and where, in plain words.
• Your services or your menu.
• Photos. The outside, so people recognise it. The inside. Your work. You. Real photos beat stock photos every time.

Step 5: Ask for reviews, the right way

Reviews are what most people read before they call. Ask every happy customer, the same day if you can. Your profile has a link you can send by text or email that opens the review box.

Reply to every review, the good and the bad, briefly and politely. Do not pay for reviews or give a discount for them. Google's rules forbid it. Getting reviews without being awkward has the words to use.

Step 6: Link it to a website

Your profile has a place for your website. Use it. A website gives Google more to go on, and gives a customer somewhere to check your prices, see your work and decide.

If you do not have one yet, a small site is enough. My South Shore offer is a website for $500, with no monthly fee.

What nobody can promise

Google decides who shows first by three things: how well a listing matches the search, how close it is, and how well known the business is. Nobody can buy you the top spot on the map, whatever a cold caller says. A complete profile, real photos and steady reviews are what move you up.

For more on getting the most from your profile, read Google Business Profile: the best free asset you own.

Questions owners ask about Google Maps

Does a Google Business Profile cost anything? No. It is free. Be careful with calls from people selling a "Google listing" service. You can do it yourself.

Can I hide my home address? Yes. If customers do not come to you, hide the address and list the towns you serve. Google's own guidelines say a service-area business should do this.

How long until I show up on the map? Usually soon after you are verified. Showing up near the top for a busy search takes longer, and it comes from reviews and a complete profile.

Do I need a website to be on Google Maps? No. But a website linked from your profile helps customers trust you, and gives Google more to go on.