SEO · 10 min read · Updated:
How to create a Google Business Profile and keep it in line with your website
Someone looking for a service nearby often sees you first on Google Maps. Creating the profile is free; the real work is keeping its details current and identical to your website.
In short
- Google Business Profile is free; you create it at business.google.com with a Google Account.
- Google decides the verification method: phone or SMS, email, video recording, live video call or postcard; most reviews finish within 5 business days.
- The foundation of local SEO is NAP consistency: business name, address and phone must be written identically on the profile, the website and the structured data.
- Heyşirket has no API connection to Google Business Profile; it doesn't edit your profile, publish posts or reply to reviews on your behalf.
- The Local SEO screen in the Heyşirket panel (Professional) compares name, address and phone between your business profile, your site and structured data and offers a checklist; in Premium our team runs local SEO for you.
“Dentist near me”, “hairdresser Kadıköy”, “pharmacy open now”. For searches like these, Google first shows a map and a few business cards. Those cards come from Google Business Profile. If you don't have a profile, or it's incomplete, appearing on that first screen gets hard however good your website is.
In this article we explain how to create a Google Business Profile, how verification works and how to complete the profile, based on Google's official help pages. Then we cover the basis of keeping the profile and your site consistent, in other words local SEO, and state plainly what the Heyşirket panel does and doesn't do here.
Part 1 · Definition What is Google Business Profile, and is it free?
Google Business Profile is the free card for your business that appears in Google Search and Google Maps. Your name, address or service area, phone, opening hours, website, photos and customer reviews appear on that card.
Creating and managing a profile is free. Google's paid ad products are a separate matter; you don't need to advertise for your profile to appear. Businesses with a physical location and service businesses that visit customers can both create a profile; for the latter, the address can be hidden and a service area shown instead.
Part 2 · Creating How do you create a Google Business Profile?
The profile is created at business.google.com with a Google Account. Using a Google Account that belongs to the business, rather than your personal one, keeps you from losing access when staff change.
Steps to create a Google Business Profile
Sign in
Go to business.google.com and sign in with the Google Account that will manage the business.
Enter the business name
Enter the name your business uses in real life, as it appears on your sign and invoices. If the business already appears in the list, claim ownership instead of creating a new profile.
Choose the category
Pick the narrowest category that best describes your main service. You can add extra categories later.
Enter the location or service area
If customers come to you, enter your full address. If you go to customers, choose the districts or cities you serve.
Add contact details
Enter your phone number and website address. Write the phone exactly as it appears on your website.
Complete verification
Prove you own the profile with the verification method Google offers you. An unverified profile doesn't appear fully in search results.
Part 3 · Verification How do you verify a Google Business Profile?
You don't choose the verification method; Google sets the available methods based on your business type, location and history. You may see one or more of these:
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Phone or SMS | You enter the code from the call or text into the profile. |
| You follow the steps in an email sent to the address shown on the verification screen. | |
| Video recording | You record a video showing your location, business equipment and that you manage the business. |
| Live video call | For some businesses, a video call with a Google staff member during business hours. |
| Postcard | A 5-digit code is mailed to your address; it usually arrives within 14 days and is valid for 30 days. |
According to Google, most manual verifications are reviewed within 5 business days. While waiting for a postcard, don't change the business name, address or category, and don't request a new code; a new request cancels the old one. Never share your verification code; Google won't ask you for it by phone.
Part 4 · Editing How do you edit and complete a Google Business Profile?
A verified profile is only the start. The details a customer needs to decide must be complete and current. You can edit the profile by searching your business name on Google Search or from the Google Maps app; some changes are reviewed by Google before they go live.
What the profile should have
- The right primary category and extra categories that match services you actually offer.
- Weekly opening hours and special hours for public holidays.
- Phone number and website address, in the same format as on your site.
- A short, honest description of the business.
- Real photos of the exterior, interior, team and your work.
- A list of the services or products you offer.
Photos are the most viewed part of a profile. Show your own premises and work instead of stock images, and refresh them monthly. When you're on holiday, moving or changing hours, update the profile the same day; a customer arriving while you're closed is the fastest route to a negative review.
Part 5 · Reviews How do you reply to Google reviews?
Reviews affect both a new customer's decision and your visibility in local search. Asking happy customers for a review is fine; offering discounts or gifts in return, or having fake reviews written, breaks Google's rules.
- Reply to every review briefly, personally and politely; thank people for positive ones, and for negative ones acknowledge the problem and say how you'll fix it.
- Don't share the customer's personal details, appointment or order details in your reply. Healthcare businesses shouldn't even confirm that the person was a patient.
- Avoid promotional language, prices and superiority claims in replies. In Türkiye, healthcare advertising rules also apply to review replies.
- When asking for a review, one link and a short thank-you are enough; the moment the job is finished is the right time.
Collecting reviews on your own website as well builds a source of trust that doesn't depend on Google. We covered this in collecting customer reviews.
Part 6 · Local SEO What is local SEO, and why does NAP consistency matter?
Local SEO is the work that helps your business appear in searches in a specific area, especially in map results and “near me” searches. Google Business Profile is at its centre, but it isn't the only piece. Your website, the structured data on it and other sources that mention you complete the same picture.
The foundation of that picture is NAP consistency: Name, Address, Phone. The more Google sees these three details matching across sources, the more confident it is about your business. If the profile says “Moda Cad. No: 12” and the site says “Moda Caddesi 12/A”, or two different phone numbers appear, that confidence weakens.
| Source | What to write |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Real business name, full address, main phone, website address |
| Website | The same name, address and phone, in the footer and on the contact page |
| Structured data on the site | The same details and opening hours in the local business schema |
| Other directories and platforms | The same spelling; no old address or phone left behind |
We explain where local SEO fits within SEO as a whole in what is SEO.
Part 7 · Product How do you keep your profile and site consistent in Heyşirket?
Let's be clear first: Heyşirket has no API connection to Google Business Profile. The panel doesn't connect to your profile, doesn't change it on your behalf, doesn't publish posts, and doesn't fetch or reply to Google reviews. Creating, verifying and editing the profile happens on Google's own screens, with your account.
What the panel does is keep your site's side accurate and consistent with the profile:
- Business profile (all plans): On the Features › Business profile screen you enter phone, address, map, social media and opening hours once, and they're used everywhere on the site. The screen reminds you to enter name, address and phone exactly as written on your Google Business Profile.
- Local SEO (Professional): On the SEO › Local SEO screen, the Name, address, phone table compares these three details between your business profile, your site's live page and the structured data. The Local business schema section shows what the schema is missing, and the Hours and map and Searches near you sections summarise your hours, map link and the “near me” and city searches coming from your Search Console connection.
- Google Business Profile checklist (Professional): The list on the same screen ticks off what it can check from your site's data. Items such as verification, category, photos and review replies are left to you with a Check in your profile: note, because only you can confirm them by looking at your profile.
- Reviews and platform ratings (Professional): The Reviews screen collects reviews on your own site. On the Platform ratings screen you enter your Google rating and review count manually and show them as a badge on the site; the rating isn't fetched automatically, and the panel warns you about ratings older than 45 days.
In the Premium plan, local SEO isn't a software feature but work our team does: with the access you give us, our team handles Google Business Profile, maps and reviews. Plan differences are in Starter, Professional and Premium, and prices on the Pricing page.
Is Google Business Profile paid?
No. Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Google's ad products are separate; you don't need to advertise for your profile to appear in search and on the map.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
According to Google, most manual verifications are reviewed within 5 business days. With postcard verification, the card usually arrives within 14 days and the code is valid for 30 days.
Can I create a profile without showing my address?
Yes. Service businesses that visit customers can hide their address and show the areas they serve instead. Verification is still required.
Does Heyşirket update my Google Business Profile automatically?
No. Heyşirket has no API connection to Google Business Profile; it doesn't edit your profile or reply to reviews. The panel offers a comparison and checklist to help you keep your site's name, address and phone consistent with your profile; in the Premium plan our team does the local SEO work.
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is the work that helps a business appear in searches in a specific area, in map results and in near me searches. It rests on a complete Google Business Profile, consistent name, address and phone details, real reviews and a website with local business schema.
See your local SEO status Check whether your name, address and phone match across your business profile, site and structured data, and complete the checklist. Go to Local SEO
Author: Heyşirket Editorial Team