How to claim a business on Google My Business, step by step
To claim a business on Google My Business, open Google Maps on a computer, search for your business name and city, select the listing, then select Claim this business and Manage now. Choose a verification option and follow the steps Google shows you. Claiming is free. Once Google has verified you, you control the business information customers see on Search and Maps. If the listing has no Claim button because somebody else already verified it, you request ownership from that person instead, which is covered below.
Google renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile, but the job is the same and so is the search people type. This guide covers every route: claiming a listing that already exists, adding one that does not, verifying it, getting a profile back from a former owner, and what to do once it is yours so it stays right.
Which situation are you in?
Before you start, look up your business on Google Maps and check which of these three cases you are in. Each has a different route.
| What you see on Google Maps | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A listing with Claim this business | The profile exists but nobody has verified it | Claim it (next section) |
| No listing for your business at all | No profile exists yet | Add it at business.google.com/add |
| A listing with no Claim button, and you are not an owner | Somebody else already verified it | Request ownership from them |
Google’s help page adds a useful tip: if you cannot find a “Claim this business” or “Own this business” button, you might already be the owner. Sign in to the Google account you think you used and search for your business name again before going further.
How to claim a business on Google My Business, on a computer
These are the steps from Google’s help page on adding or claiming a profile (as of October 2026), for an unverified listing that already exists:
- Sign in to the Google account you want to manage the business with. A company email address can be linked to a Google account if you prefer not to use Gmail.
- Open Google Maps on your computer.
- Search for your business’s name and city, or find it on the map and select it.
- Select Claim this business, then Manage now.
- Select a verification option.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
If the listing Google offers is not yours, select I own or manage another business to choose a different one.
Claiming in the Google Maps app
The app route is nearly the same:
- Open the Google Maps app and search for the business name.
- Select the correct business from the results.
- In the Business Profile, tap About, then Claim this business, then Manage now.
- Select a verification option and follow the instructions.
When no listing exists yet
If your business is not on Google at all, you add it rather than claim it. Go to business.google.com/add, select Add your business to Google, fill in the details, then choose a verification option. Google asks you to make sure the address is correct and meets its address guidelines, because a wrong address is one of the hardest fields to fix later. The guide to changing a business address on Google explains why.
Verifying the business: the methods and how long each takes
Claiming starts the process. Verification is what makes you the owner, and until it is done you cannot edit most of the profile or reply to reviews. Google’s help page on verification is clear that you do not get to pick the method: the options are chosen by Google based on your business type, public info, region and hours, and some businesses have to complete more than one.
| Method | What you do | Points to know (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or text | Answer the call or read the text, then enter the code on your profile | An automated phone menu (IVR) will not get the code, so the number must reach a person or take texts |
| Follow the steps in the email Google sends | You must be able to use the address shown on the verification screen | |
| Live video call | Show your location, your equipment and proof you manage the business to a Google support representative | Only available during your business hours, and not for every business |
| Video recording | Record a video of the same things and submit it | Google recommends this option where you are eligible |
| Postcard | Request a code by mail and enter it on your profile | Most codes arrive within 14 days and expire after 30 days |
For a live video call, Google suggests being ready to show outside signs or a street sign, your products or branded equipment, and something only staff can reach, such as a storage room, a cash register or keys to the building.
If you choose the postcard, do not edit the business name, address or category while you wait. Google’s page says the code it mailed stops working if you do. Requesting a second code also cancels the first one and makes the wait longer.
After you complete the steps, Google reviews what you sent. Its page says verification reviews take up to 5 business days and occasionally longer. Some profiles are verified straight away, for example when you have already verified the business website in Google Search Console. You get a confirmation email when it is done.
If the “Get verified” button comes back
Google’s page lists three signs that verification did not fully go through:
- “Get verified” appears on the profile again. Google could not completely verify the business. Try again, using another method if more than one is offered.
- A “Review issues” notification after a video recording. The video was not accepted. Select Review issues and follow the instructions.
- A request for more information. Google says this usually follows a recent change to the business details. Select Get verified and go through verification again.
When someone else already owns the profile
This is the common case for a business that has been around a while. A former employee, an old web designer or a marketing agency verified the profile years ago, and nobody has the login now. Google’s page on requesting ownership covers it (as of October 2026). For a business with a shop or office:
- Go to business.google.com/add.
- Enter the name and address of the business and choose it from the list.
- When you see “Someone else may manage this Business Profile”, select Request Access.
- Fill out the form and select Submit.
You get a confirmation email, and the current owner is notified by email and has 3 days to respond. If they approve, you can manage the profile. If they deny it, you can still suggest an edit to the profile or appeal the decision. If they do not answer within 3 days, you may be able to claim the profile through the View request link in your confirmation email and verify it yourself, though Google notes that this option is not always available.
A service-area business, one that visits customers and has no shop or office customers come to, cannot use this form. Google asks you to contact its support and choose “Transfer ownership of listing” as the issue.
If you do know who the current owner is, the faster route is to ask them to add you on the profile’s People and access page. The guide on how to add a manager to a Google Business Profile has the steps you can send them, and the same page lets them hand over primary ownership.
Why claiming matters even if the listing looks right
Many owners leave an unclaimed listing alone because the details on it look fine today. The problem is that a listing does not stay still. Google’s help page on Google updates says it gathers info from different sources, like user reports and licensed content, and may update a profile when those sources say the info is out of date. On a claimed profile you get some say in that:
If a suggested edit requires your review, you may receive an email or an in-product notification. Once notified, you have 4 days to accept or reject the suggestion.
The same page says Google may publish the update anyway after 4 days if other public information supports it, and that it may apply some user edits without prior review where policy requires. On an unclaimed listing there is nobody to notify. The public can suggest an edit on Google Maps, and whatever Google accepts goes live with no owner in the loop.
Claiming also unlocks the rest of the profile: replying to reviews, posting updates, adding photos and editing every field. The guide on how to edit business information on Google walks through each one once you have access.
After you claim it: keeping the listing yours
Verification is a one-time job. Keeping the profile accurate is not. A few habits cover most of the risk:
- Add a second owner or a manager on People and access, so the business is not locked out again when one person leaves.
- Record the correct details somewhere outside Google: name, categories, address, phone, website and hours.
- Check the profile editor for blue text, which Google uses to mark info it changed, and for the notification at the top of the page.
- Re-read the live listing on a schedule, because not every change arrives as a notification you can accept or reject.
That last habit is the one people drop first. The options for it:
| Option | Cost | What it catches | What it misses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Re-read the listing yourself | Free, a few minutes per listing | Anything visible when you look | Changes between your checks |
| Google’s own notifications | Free, once the profile is verified | Suggested edits Google asks you to review | Updates Google applies without asking |
| A daily listing check | Listing Guard: 20 credits a month per listing | Changes to name, categories, address, phone, website and hours, compared every day | Who made the edit |
Listing Guard is the third row. You search for the business by name and city and pick its Google listing. It needs no Google sign-in, so it works on the day you start claiming, while verification is still under review, and it does not take a seat on People and access. The first check records the business name, categories, address, phone number, website and opening hours. Every 24 hours it checks again, and when anything changed you get one email listing each field with what it said before and what it says now. A website or phone number that disappears is reported too, and so is a listing Google stops showing.
It has limits worth knowing. It cannot see who made an edit, whether that was you, a manager, the public or Google, so the email says what changed and leaves the judgement to you. It reports a change after it is live on Google and cannot stop one being applied. A new account gets 100 credits once, enough to watch 5 listings for their first month, with no card required.
When the manual way is enough
You do not need anything beyond Google’s own tools if:
- You have one location and look at your own listing every week or so.
- Customers rarely find you through Google Maps, so a wrong detail costs little.
- Nobody else can edit the profile and you check the notifications Google sends.
A daily check earns its place when you run several listings, when an agency answers for client profiles it does not look at every day, or when a wrong phone number or a closed day costs calls the day it appears. For the wider weekly routine around a profile, local SEO for small businesses sets out an hour-a-week plan.
Quick checklist for claiming your business on Google
- Search for the business on Google Maps while signed in to the account you want to use.
- Claim this business, then Manage now, then pick a verification option.
- No listing? Add it at business.google.com/add.
- Someone else verified it? Request Access, then wait up to 3 days for their answer.
- Use the verification method Google offers; for a postcard, change nothing while you wait.
- Allow up to 5 business days for Google’s review.
- Add a second owner or manager once verified.
- Keep a record of the correct details, and re-read the live listing on a schedule or have it checked daily.