Google Business Profile: Step-by-Step Setup Guide (2026)

The Short Answer

A Google Business Profile is the free listing that puts your business on Google Search and Google Maps, with your hours, location, photos, and reviews. For a local business, it is the single most useful free thing you can set up, and you can have it done in under an hour.

It used to be called Google My Business, so you will still see both names floating around. They are the same thing. This guide walks through creating one from scratch, getting it verified, and filling it in properly, written for a small business owner who has never done it before.

What a Google Business Profile Actually Is

When someone searches for a business near them, Google often shows a small box of local results with a map, three businesses, and their star ratings. That box is the local pack, and the listings in it are Google Business Profiles. Your profile is also what appears on the right side of the screen when someone searches your business by name.

It is free, it is run by Google, and it works whether or not you have a website. That said, it works far better alongside one. If you do not have a site yet, it is worth reading why your Sabah business needs a website in 2026 before you start, because the two support each other.

Before You Start: What to Have Ready

Setup goes faster if you gather these first.

• A Google account. Use a business email if you have one, not a personal account you might lose access to.
• Your exact business name. The real-world name, written the same way it appears on your signage and elsewhere online.
• Your address or service area. A physical address if customers visit you, or the areas you serve if you go to them.
• A phone number and website. A local number people can actually reach, and your site address if you have one.
• Your hours and a few photos. Opening times and a handful of clear photos of your premises, work, or products.

Step 1: Create or Claim the Profile

Go to google.com/business or simply search your business name on Google. If a listing already exists, perhaps an old one or one Google generated automatically, you will see an option to claim it. If nothing exists, you will be guided to create a new one.

Sign in with the Google account you want to own the profile. This account controls the listing, so pick one you will keep for the long term. Avoid letting a freelancer or staff member set it up under their own personal account, as you can end up locked out later.

Step 2: Enter Your Business Details

Google will ask for your details one screen at a time. Take your time here, because these are the details customers see and the ones Google uses to match you to searches.

Business name

Enter your real business name only. Do not stuff it with keywords or your location, like adding "best plumber Kota Kinabalu" to the end. That breaks Google's rules and can get the listing suspended. Keep it to the actual name.

Category

Pick the primary category that best describes what you do. This one choice has a big influence on which searches you show up for, so choose the most accurate fit rather than the broadest. You can add extra categories afterwards for other things you offer.

Location or service area

If customers come to you, add your physical address. If you travel to customers, you can hide the address and list the areas you cover instead. Some businesses do both. Be honest here, as Google checks.

Contact details

Add a phone number and your website. If you do not have a website yet, Google offers a basic placeholder page, but a proper site you own is far better for being found and for turning visitors into enquiries.

Step 3: Verify Your Business

Verification is how Google confirms your business is real and that you are the one running it. Until you verify, your profile will not show publicly. Depending on your business, Google offers one or more of these methods.

• Video verification. Increasingly the default. You record a short video showing your premises, equipment, or signage, and proof you manage the business.
• Phone or text. Google sends a code to your business number.
• Email. A code is sent to a business email address.
• Postcard. Google mails a code to your address, which can take a couple of weeks to arrive.

You do not always get to choose the method, as Google decides based on your business type and risk checks. If verification gets stuck or rejected, the usual cause is a detail that does not match reality, such as a service-area business claiming a fake storefront. Fix the mismatch and try again.

Step 4: Complete Every Section

A bare profile does little. A complete one gives customers what they need and gives Google more to work with. Fill in every section you can.

• Hours. Set accurate opening times, and remember to update them for public holidays. Wrong hours are one of the fastest ways to annoy a customer.
• Services and products. List what you offer with short descriptions. This adds useful detail and helps you match more specific searches.
• Description. Write a clear, honest summary of what you do and who you serve. Skip the marketing fluff and keyword stuffing.
• Photos. Add real photos of your premises, team, and work. Profiles with genuine photos tend to get more clicks and calls than empty ones.
• Attributes. Tick the relevant boxes, such as wheelchair access, parking, or accepted payment methods.

Step 5: Keep It Active

Setting up the profile is the start, not the finish. The listings that perform best are the ones that stay active and accurate over time.

Collect reviews, and reply to them. Ask happy customers to leave an honest review, and respond to every review you get, good or bad. A steady stream of genuine reviews is one of the strongest signals a local business can build, and replying shows you are paying attention.

Post updates. Google lets you publish short posts about offers, news, or events. You do not need to post daily, but an occasional update keeps the profile looking alive.

Answer questions. People can ask questions directly on your profile. Answer them yourself before someone else gives a wrong answer.

Keep details current. Update hours, photos, and services whenever something changes. An out-of-date profile slowly loses trust with both customers and Google.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Keyword-stuffing the name. Tempting, but against the rules and a common reason for suspensions. Use your real name.

Inconsistent details. Your name, address, and phone number should match across your website, your social pages, and any directories. Mismatched details confuse the picture. We cover this in local SEO basics for Sabah businesses.

Setting it and forgetting it. A profile created once and never touched again quietly falls behind more active competitors.

Fake or incentivised reviews. Buying reviews or rewarding people for them is against Google's policy and risks the whole listing. Earn them honestly.

How This Fits With the Rest of Your Online Presence

A Google Business Profile is one piece of getting found online, not the whole thing. It works best alongside a fast website you own and the basics of local SEO done properly. If you want to understand how the wider picture fits together, our guide to local SEO for Sabah businesses is the natural next read, and what SEO actually is covers the fundamentals in plain English.