Free guide from Summit Dynamics in Cape Town
How to create a Google Business Profile in South Africa
A Google Business Profile is free, and it's the listing that puts your business on Google Maps and in the map results for local searches. Setting one up takes about 20 minutes, plus however long Google takes to verify it. This guide walks you through it.
- Cost
- Free from Google
- Setup time
- About 20 minutes
- Verification
- Google chooses the method
- Done for you
- R2,500 once off
Checked on 1 November 2026. Google changes its screens often, so some buttons may look slightly different. Google My Business is now called Google Business Profile. It's the same thing.
Before you start
What you need before you start
- A Google account you'll keep. Use a business Gmail address that you control, not a staff member's personal one.
- Your business name exactly as it appears on your signage, invoices and website. No extra keywords.
- Your phone number and website.
- Your address, or the areas you serve if customers don't come to you.
- A few real photos: your work, your team, your vehicle or your premises.
Steps
Step by step
- Go to Google Business Profile. Sign in with the Google account you'll keep.
- Enter your business name. If Google suggests an existing listing with your name, it may already exist: claim it instead of creating a new one.
- Choose your main category. Pick the one that describes your main service most exactly. You can add more categories later.
- Add your location or service area. If customers visit you, add your address. If you go to them, choose to hide your address and add the areas you serve.
- Add your phone number and website.
- Verify your business. Google will offer one or more ways to prove the business is real, such as a video of your premises or vehicle, a phone call or a text. Follow the method it gives you.
- Fill in everything else. Hours, services, a short description, and photos. A complete profile does better than a half finished one.
Mistakes
Mistakes that hold new profiles back
- Keywords in the business name.
"Joe's Plumbing Cape Town Emergency Plumber" breaks Google's rules and can get your profile suspended. Use your real name.
- A second profile for the same business.
Duplicates confuse Google and split your reviews. If you already have one, claim it.
- A virtual office or a friend's address.
Profiles must use a real address where you work, or a hidden address with service areas.
- Setting it up on a staff member's account.
When they leave, your profile can go with them.
- Stopping after setup.
Profiles that never post, never add photos and never get new reviews slowly slip down the map.
Done for you
Rather have it done for you?
We set up profiles properly, with the right categories, services, photos and verification, for R2,500 once off. If you'd like it looked after every month, Profile Care is R1,500 a month.
Questions
Creating a profile: questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Google doesn't charge for a Business Profile.
Why can't I verify?
Google chooses the verification method based on your business. If it fails, check that your name, address and category match your real business, then try the next method it offers.
Can I have a profile without an office?
Yes, as a service area business with your address hidden.
I made a duplicate by mistake. What now?
Don't delete either one in a hurry. WhatsApp us and we'll tell you which one to keep.
Send us your website. We'll show you where the enquiries are slipping away.
Free audit video within 2 working days. Most people WhatsApp us; the form is here if you'd rather write it down.