To set up a Google Business Profile in Pakistan, go to business.google.com/add (or find your business on Google Maps and select "Claim this business"), enter your real name, category and address or service area, then verify with the method Google offers you. Adding or claiming a profile is free, and Google says verification reviews take up to 5 business days. Here is how to set up Google Business Profile step by step, as of October 2026, including what to film for video verification.
Who can have a Google Business Profile?
Google's rule: "a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours." That allows three set-ups:
- Storefront: customers come to you, like a shop, clinic, showroom or restaurant with your name on a permanent sign.
- Service area: you go to customers and don't serve them at your address, like AC repair or plumbing.
- Hybrid: both, like a repair garage that also offers roadside service.
As of October 2026, Google lists as not eligible: online-only businesses, lead generation agents, rental or for-sale properties (a sales or leasing office is fine), an ongoing class at a place you don't own or represent, and P.O. boxes. A virtual office doesn't qualify, and a co-working desk counts only with clear signage, customers received and your staff present during business hours. So an online store that only ships by courier can't have a profile.
Before you start
- The owner's Google Account. Google's rules say the owner should own the profile and add agencies or staff as managers.
- Your name exactly as on your signboard and letterhead.
- The address customers visit, or the areas you serve.
- A local number someone answers. Automated phone menus (IVR) can't receive the verification call.
- Hours, website (if any), WhatsApp number and real photos.
How to set up Google Business Profile, step by step
1. Create or claim the profile
Search Google Maps for your business name and city. If an unverified listing exists, select Claim this business, then Manage now (in the Maps app, tap About first). If nothing shows, go to business.google.com/add and select Add your business to Google. If you see "Someone else may manage this Business Profile", jump to the FAQ.
2. Enter your real business name
Google wants your "real-world name", as used on your storefront, website and stationery. The name must not include taglines, store codes, phone numbers, web addresses, hours, location details or service and product words, and Google warns extra words "could result in the suspension" of the profile. Hypothetical examples:
| Not allowed | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Ali Motors Used Cars DHA Lahore | Ali Motors |
| Fresh Bites Pizza Home Delivery 24 Hours | Fresh Bites |
3. Choose your category
Pick from Google's list; you can't create your own. Choose the most specific category that fits the whole business: Google's example is "Nail salon" rather than "Salon", and its test is whether it completes "This business IS a…". The first category is your primary one, and you can add up to 9 more for real departments, not one per product. Google says categories "affect your local ranking", and editing them later may trigger re-verification.
4. Storefront, service area or both
| Your situation | Set it up as | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Customers visit during your hours, and your name is on a permanent sign | Storefront | Shown |
| You go to customers and serve nobody at your address, including from home | Service area | Hidden; up to 20 areas within about 2 hours' drive |
| Customers visit, and you also visit or deliver | Hybrid | Shown, plus service areas |
Google's video guide adds that a business without permanent on-site signage should be listed as service-area, not storefront. If your address has no street number or Google can't find it, select Adjust and move the pin onto your entrance.
5. Hours, phone, website and WhatsApp
Enter your regular hours, and use special hours for Eid and holidays. Use a local number rather than a central helpline, never one that redirects. Enter your website in full, starting with https://.
Once verified, go to Edit profile, Contact, then Chat, choose WhatsApp and paste your click-to-chat link: https://wa.me/ plus your number in international format with no leading zero, plus sign or dashes, so 03XX XXXXXXX becomes https://wa.me/923XXXXXXXXX. As of October 2026 Google says chat is "currently available for select regions", so it may not appear for you yet. Set up a greeting and quick replies on your WhatsApp Business number first.
6. Description and photos
The description can be up to 750 characters, with no links, about the business rather than promotions or prices. Use real photos; Google notes an exterior photo helps customers recognise you when they visit.
Getting verified
Google picks which methods you see, based on business type, region and hours, and they "can't be changed". Some businesses need more than one. If video recording is offered, Google recommends it.
What to film for video verification
Record live in one unedited take, at least 30 seconds, from your phone through your Business Profile. Don't show bank, tax or ID numbers, private details or other people's faces.
| Show | Storefront or hybrid | Service area (including home-based) |
|---|---|---|
| Where you are | Street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses or landmarks | Signs and landmarks at your address or, from home, in your immediate neighbourhood |
| That the business exists | Your name on a permanent signboard, wall or window, matching the profile exactly | Tools, equipment, products, business cards or branded uniforms |
| That you manage it | Something only staff can open: cash counter, storeroom or billing system | You doing the work, or a permit, invoice or utility bill in the profile's name |
A simple order: nearest street sign, your signboard, inside, open the storeroom or till, stop. Walk the route once before recording.
Review takes up to 5 business days. If it fails, open the profile on your phone, tap Review issues, see what was missing (Google's examples include "Business name not visible on storefront") and record a new video covering everything.
The other methods
- Phone or SMS: enter the code you receive.
- Email: only if you can use the address shown.
- Live video call: only during business hours, from the business, with a Google support person.
- Postcard: not offered to everyone. Codes usually arrive within 14 days and expire after 30. Don't edit name, address or category while waiting.
- Instant: sometimes, if your website is already verified in Google Search Console.
Google never asks for your code, so share it with no one.
Your first 30 days after verification
- Get your review link. On a computer, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link and QR code. Google lists WhatsApp as a way to send it. Then ask every customer for a review, not only happy ones.
- Reply to reviews, short and simple.
- Add posts. A post with a phone number in its text might be rejected.
- Match your website. The same name, address and phone everywhere is where local SEO starts.
Mistakes that get profiles rejected or suspended
- City names, services or slogans in the business name.
- A virtual office, or a co-working desk without your sign and staff.
- Two profiles for one location. Each branch gets its own, and Google says all locations share one primary category.
- Showing a home address customers never visit.
- Offering anything (discounts, free service) for a review, or for changing or removing a negative one. Google calls this fake engagement.
- Asking only happy customers, setting staff review targets, or pressuring people to review in the shop.
- Reviews from staff, family or business partners: a conflict of interest.
- Moving without planning to verify again. A new address must be re-verified.
As of October 2026, Google has also removed and disabled reviews for profiles primarily categorised as schools for students aged 6 to 18, so schools need other ways to collect parent feedback.
In Roman Urdu: Google par apna business kaise dalein
- Google Maps par business ka naam aur shehar search karein. Mil jaye to "Claim this business" dabayein, warna business.google.com/add par jayein.
- Wohi naam likhein jo board par hai. Shehar, phone ya service ke lafz na jorein.
- Woh category chunein jo poore business ko sahi batati ho.
- Customer aapke paas aate hain to address dalein; aap unke paas jate hain to address chhupa kar areas dalein.
- Video verification mein ek hi take, kam az kam 30 second: gali ka board, aapka sign board, aur andar woh jagah jo sirf staff khol sakta hai.
- Verify ke baad WhatsApp link dalein aur har customer ko review link bhejein, badle mein kuch diye baghair.
FAQ
Can I have a profile without a shop address?
Yes, if you go to customers: set it up as a service-area business and hide the address. A business that only sells online isn't eligible.
Someone else already claimed my business. What now?
At business.google.com/add, find your business, select Request Access and fill in the form. The current owner has 3 days to respond; if they don't, you may get the option to claim it. If an agency or freelancer set it up, ask them to transfer ownership: Google says representatives must do this "immediately upon request".
Do I need a website?
No. Google asks for a phone number or a website for that location. A site verified in Google Search Console can sometimes allow instant verification, though.
How Amanat can help
You can do every step here yourself. If you'd rather hand it over, our Google Business Profile setup covers categories, service areas, hours, photos, a plan for the verification video and the WhatsApp link. You add us as a manager, never share a password, and stay the owner. It fits with the rest of our SEO work. Not sure you qualify? Send us a message and a person will reply.