How to Create a Google Business Profile

Match Your Business Name to Your Official Registration

Before creating any online business listing, confirm the exact legal name you'll use matches your business's official registration, the name on your Articles of Organization or Incorporation if you formed an LLC or corporation, or your registered DBA if you operate under a trade name. Online platforms commonly check a listed name against other public records, and a mismatch between what's filed with the state and what's shown on the listing is a common reason a new listing gets flagged or delayed.

Confirm Your Business Address or Service Area

Your business needs a real, verifiable address on file, whether that's the location where customers visit or, for a service-area business that travels to customers, an address used only for verification rather than public display. If the business uses a registered agent's address or a virtual mailbox for official mail, make sure you understand which address is appropriate to list publicly versus which one is just for state correspondence; see our guide on using a virtual mailbox for a new business for that distinction.

Keep Your Phone Number and Category Consistent Everywhere

Use the same business phone number and the same description of what the business does across every place it's listed, including its own website, any directories, and licensing records. Consistency between a business's name, address, and phone number across different public listings is a basic signal that the business is legitimate, and inconsistency is one of the most common reasons a listing gets delayed or rejected during verification.

Have Your Registration Documents Ready for Verification

Verifying a new business listing commonly requires proof that the business is real and that you're authorized to represent it. Keep your state-approved formation document, your IRS EIN confirmation letter, and any business license on hand, since these are the kinds of official records that typically establish a business's legitimacy for this purpose. If you haven't completed these steps yet, see our guides on how to register a new business and how to get an EIN first.

Know the Federal Rules on Reviews Before You Manage a Listing

Any business that manages a public, review-based listing should know that the FTC finalized a rule in 2024 prohibiting several specific practices: creating, buying, or selling fake reviews; compensating someone for a review conditioned on a particular sentiment, positive or negative; having employees or insiders post reviews without disclosing their connection to the business; and suppressing or misrepresenting the volume of genuine reviews received. These rules apply regardless of which platform hosts the review, and violations can carry civil penalties.

Keep the Listing Current After It's Live

Once a listing is verified, keep its name, address, phone number, hours, and category updated as the business changes, since outdated information across public listings undermines the same consistency that verification originally checked for. Treat this as an ongoing part of keeping the business's public records accurate, not a one-time setup task.

A Listing Is Not a Substitute for Business Registration

Creating an online business listing doesn't form an LLC, register a DBA, or get an EIN; it's a separate, later step that depends on those registrations already being accurate. If your business isn't yet formally registered, complete that first.

Consistency Matters More Than Any Single Detail

No single piece of information, the name, the address, or the phone number, matters as much as all of them matching consistently across every place the business appears publicly. Audit your existing listings and official filings together periodically rather than assuming they've stayed in sync.

Reviews Carry Legal Obligations, Not Just Reputational Ones

Because the FTC's consumer reviews rule applies regardless of platform, the safest practice is simply never compensating anyone for a review tied to a specific sentiment and always disclosing any employee or insider relationship when someone connected to the business posts one. Treat this as a compliance matter, not only a reputation one.

A Registered Agent's Address Usually Isn't the Right Public Address

A registered agent address exists to receive legal and state correspondence, not to represent where customers can find or reach the business; using it as a public-facing business address on a listing can create confusion or fail verification. Keep these addresses and their purposes separate.

This Is Not Legal Advice

Which verification documents a specific listing requires, and how the FTC's rules apply to a specific review practice, depend on the particulars of your business. Talk to an attorney about your specific online listing and review practices if you're uncertain.