Before you start
Google says most verification postcards arrive within 14 days. It also says not to request a second code while you wait, because that cancels the first one. Some online guides advise the opposite, so it helps to know the rule before you start.
This guide takes a small business owner anywhere in Kerala, from Kannur to Kochi, through the whole job. You will find or add your listing, choose a name Google accepts, verify it, and fill in the details that help customers find you. The steps follow Google's own help pages. Where a tip is our suggestion and not a Google rule, we say so.
Nobody can pay Google for a better local position, so this guide makes no promise about rankings. Its goal is a profile that is verified, complete, and inside Google's rules.
What a Google Business Profile does for a local business
A Google Business Profile is the free listing that appears when people search for a business on Google Search or Google Maps. It can show your address, hours, phone number, website, photos, and reviews in one place.
Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance, and prominence. Relevance is how well your profile matches what someone searched for, and complete, detailed information helps. Distance is how far you are from the searcher, which you cannot change. Prominence is how well known your business is. Google links it to the number of websites that link to you and the number of reviews you have. In one place its page calls this factor popularity.
That leaves you with two factors you can influence. This guide covers both, starting with accurate, complete information and ending with honest reviews. For the wider picture, read our article on why local SEO matters for small businesses.
Check whether your business already has a listing
Sign in to the Google account you plan to use, then search for your business name and city on Google. Google's verification guide suggests exactly this.
You will land in one of three situations. There may be no listing at all. There may be an unverified listing, which you can claim. Or someone may have verified it already, in which case Google lets an authorized person request ownership from the current owner.
Do not create a new profile if one exists. Google says each business should have only one profile, and extra profiles can confuse how your details show on Maps and Search. If you find duplicates, Google has a help page on resolving duplicate profiles and ownership issues.
How to add or claim your profile
Menus change, so compare these steps with what you see on screen. Google's current help page starts from Google Maps on a computer.
If no listing exists
Sign in to Google Maps. Google lists three ways to begin. You can search your address and click. Add your business, right-click the map, and choose Add your business, or open the main menu and choose Add your business. Then follow the on-screen prompts. Keep your address, business phone number, and website handy.
If an unverified listing exists
Search for your business name in Google Maps and pick the correct listing. Click Claim this business, then Manage now. Choose a verification option and follow the steps.
Which Google account to use
Google says you need a Google account to sign up, and any email address will do. Our suggestion is to use an account the business will always control. A personal login belonging to one employee, or an account held by an outside agency, can cause trouble if that person leaves.
Choose a business name that Google accepts
Google wants your name to match the real-world name used on your storefront, website, and stationery. Other details belong in other fields, such as address, hours, and category. Google warns that unnecessary extras in the name can lead to suspension of the profile.
According to Google's guidelines, the name must not include marketing taglines, store codes, opening hours, phone numbers or web addresses, service or product details, location details, or words written in all capitals. Special characters and legal terms such as Ltd need real-world proof, such as signage or invoices that show them.
A made-up example shows how easy it is to slip. If your clinic is called Malabar Dental Care, adding "Best Dentist in Kannur" turns the name into a tagline with service and location details. Keep the name as Malabar Dental Care.
Kerala shops need to watch one more rule. Many display a Malayalam name beside the English one. Google's guidelines list repeated bilingual names and script transliterations as something the name must not include, and they say this applies even when the shopfront sign shows both. Google's examples keep a single version of the name. If you are unsure which to choose, our suggestion is the version most customers use when they talk about your business.
How to verify your Google Business Profile
Which method will you see?
Google picks the verification method automatically, and you cannot change it. The options depend on your business type, public information, region, and business hours. Some businesses must use more than one method. If you are eligible for video verification, Google recommends it.
Postcard verification
Mail verification is not offered to every business. If you see it and choose it, Google posts a code to your address. Most codes arrive within 14 days. While you wait, do not edit your business name, address, or category, because the code will stop working. Do not request a new code either. Google says a new request cancels the code already in the post and can make the process longer. Codes expire after 30 days.
When the postcard arrives, enter the five-digit code on your profile. Keep it private, because Google says it will never ask you for it. Two online guides we read tell owners to request a new postcard after 14 or 21 days. Google's own page says not to, so follow Google. If no code arrives and you still cannot verify, Google points owners to its support team.
Phone, text, email, and video
For a phone or text code, you must be able to answer your business number or receive messages. Google says automated phone menus will not receive the code, so make sure a person can pick up. Email verification works through a link in a message sent to the address shown on screen.
Live video verification happens with a Google support representative and only during your location's business hours. Be at your business with a device that can make video calls. Google suggests showing outside signs, nearby businesses, or a street sign to prove where you are. Show products, branded equipment, marketing materials, or tools. Then show proof that you manage the business, such as access to a staff-only area, a cash register, a storage room, or non-sensitive business documents.
Google says video is not available for every business. Try whichever options you are offered.
Instant verification and the wait afterwards
In some cases Google verifies a profile instantly, for example, when you verify your website with Google Search Console. Otherwise, Google reviews what you submitted. Reviews take up to five business days, and on rare occasions longer. A confirmation email tells you when you are verified.
Fill in the details that affect where you appear
Google says profiles with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local searches. Work through these in order.
Category
Google asks for the fewest categories that describe your core business, and each should be as specific as possible. Its test is to finish the sentence "This business is a" and not "This business has a". Do not use categories as keywords. Some guides suggest adding many extra categories, but Google's guidance points the other way.
Hours, lunch breaks, and festival closures
Enter your regular customer-facing hours. Google lets you add special hours for holidays and events, so set them before Onam, Vishu, Eid, or Christmas closures. Google also says businesses that work by appointment only should not list hours at all, which matters for many clinics and consultants.
If your shop closes for lunch, Kerala-based SEO consultant Rajesh R. Nair says in his India guide that you can enter the break as split hours, with a morning and an afternoon session. We have not confirmed this on Google's pages, so check the hours screen in your own profile.
Address, map pin, and service area
Use a precise address. If it has no street number or Google cannot find it, you can pin the location on the map yourself. Google says a business that shows its address should have permanent signage with the business name there, and a rented virtual office does not qualify.
If you have no storefront and travel to customers, you can have one service-area profile. Google advises hiding the address in that case. Its example is a plumber who works from home. Google says the service area should generally stay within about two hours of driving from your base.
Description, website, and profile strength
Use the description for useful information about what you offer. Google does not allow links in it, and it should not focus on prices, sales, or promotions. Give a phone number you control that connects to your location and a website that represents it.
Then open Profile Strength in your profile. Google says the tool is only available once you are verified. It points out missing information such as your description, hours, and contact details, and it prompts you to add photos, videos, and posts.
Ask for reviews the way Google allows
Google says reviews must reflect a real experience. Offering free or discounted goods or services in return for reviews is prohibited, and so is paying to change or remove a negative review. You may ask customers to leave one using a Google link or a QR code, and Google has a help page showing how to create them. Customers need a Google Account to post, and it does not have to be Gmail.
For replies, Google recommends keeping them short, personal, and not promotional. With a negative review, avoid personal attacks, never share the reviewer's private information, and invite them to contact you directly. Our suggestion, not a Google rule, is to reply in the language the customer used, whether that is Malayalam or English. Google's page does not mention language. Google also says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.
Common problems and what to do
The postcard has not arrived. Wait for the 14-day window, keep your details unchanged, and remember that codes expire after 30 days. If you still cannot verify, contact Google support.
The "Get verified" button comes back. Google could not fully verify the business. Try again, or try a different method if one is shown.
Your video was not accepted. Open the review issues notification and follow the instructions.
Google asks for more information. Google says this is likely after a recent change to your business details. Select "Get verified" and go through re-verification.
Your next step after verification
Open Profile Strength and fill in whatever it flags. Then set special hours for your next festival closure, and create a review link or QR code for your counter or invoices. Google's help pages change over time, so check the pages linked above if a screen looks different from what we describe.
If you run a business in Bangalore, our guide to local SEO for small businesses in Bangalore covers the city-specific side. If you would rather have help, Safwan works with businesses in Kannur and Bangalore, and you can start from our Kannur digital marketing page.