Google My Business Setup Guide
In this guide, we will display the steps to setting up and managing your Google My Business account.
Setting up a Google My Business account allows you to mark your business’ location on Google Maps and post photos, contact details and promotions to help customers connect with your business.
To begin, visit https://www.google.com/business/ and click the Manage Now button.
Next, type your business name in the textbox - if your business name is not listed, click the Create a Business with this name option, or alternatively click the Add your business to Google link.
After selecting the business name, enter the Business Category in the relevant textbox under the Business Name, then click Next.
Next, you can decide whether you wish to add a location that will show up on Google Maps and Search when customers are looking for your business. If a category such as Restaurant is listed, this requires a location to be entered. Click Next to enter your Business Address, and Next again to proceed.
The following page allows you to clarify if you serve customers outside of your premises, for example if you offer a delivery service. If Yes is selected, click Next to add the other towns you serve in (for example if you deliver there).
After selecting your preferred option, the next page will allow you to specify the Contact Details you want to show to customers on your Business Profile. Specify your Contact Number and Website preferences and click Next to proceed.
The following page allows you to choose whether you want updates and recommendations for your business on Google, make your preferred choice and click Next to continue.
After completing your preferences, the next page allows you to select a Verification Method to complete your Google My Business Setup. For hospitality businesses, Postcard by Mail is the only available option for verification.
The address entered earlier in the process will be listed, with a textbox allowing you to enter the Contact Name for the recipient of the card.
After entering the Contact Name and clicking Mail, the next screen will confirm the Contact Name, Business Address and advise the expected period it will take to receive your postcard with your Verification Code.
The next page allows you to confirm the business’ Opening Hours by clicking the button next to the relevant day - press Skip if you do not wish to list your Opening Hours. If hours are being entered, enter the relevant opening and closing hours (using the Add Hours button to add additional rows if there is a split between service hours).
Once your Opening Hours have been entered, click Next to continue to the Accept Messaging screen, where you can specify whether you wish to allow customers to message your business on Google for free. Click Next to continue.
The following page allows you to specify Dining Modes, so customers can know the ways you provide service. Select Yes or No for the relevant options, then click Next to proceed to the next screen.
After updating your Dining Modes, the next screen allows you to enter a Business Description, where you can enter up to 750 characters in the available textbox with details about your business and any other important information that may be helpful for customers (Google advises a 750-character limit and no website links can be entered).
Click Next to proceed to the Menu Photos section, where you can upload images of your Menu in JPG or PNG format with a file size of up to 5MB and a recommended resolution of 720x720 (minimum resolution 250x250). If no images are being uploaded, press Skip, alternatively click Next once your images have been uploaded to proceed to the screen where you can upload images of Dishes - this page uses the same guidelines as the Menu Photos section.
After uploading your Dishes images (or skipping this page), Google offers £80 free advertising credit using Google Ads to help further promote your business. Click Claim Your Credit to proceed, or Skip to move on. For further clarification on this offer, speak with Google directly.
The final page of the initial setup confirms your Profile is almost ready, and edits to the initial information entered can be made, however will not be visible to customers on Google until after verification has been completed.
Click Continue to proceed to your Google My Business homepage, where your settings, etc. can be updated. As advised above, edits made will not take effect until after account verification has been completed.
This will be the final step taken prior to receiving your postcard from Google. The next section of this guide will detail the steps to take after receiving your postcard.
You will soon receive a postcard from Google with a five-digit verification code (example below).
Visit https://google.com/verifymybusiness and enter the five-digit code in the textbox, then click Verify.
After clicking Verify, you will receive confirmation that your account has been verified and you are now authorised to manage your Google My Business Account.
After clicking Next, any steps that were skipped during the initial setup process will appear, and can either be completed if required or skipped again if necessary.
Once all the steps have been completed (or skipped), you will return to the Google My Business homepage.
To view examples of how your Business Profile will look, select Info on the homepage, followed by View on Search or View on Maps accordingly (screenshots below).
If for any reason you need to remove your business listing from Google Maps, select the location on Google Maps using the account used for Google My Business. Scroll down to the Suggest an Edit button and specify the reason - Google will inform you by email once this has been reviewed.
If you need to either mark the business as Temporarily/Permanently Closed or Remove the listing, select Info, then scroll to Close this business on Google.
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