How to Create, Claim and Verify Your Google Business Profile

Don’t let the name fool you… A Google Business Profile is NOT just for businesses.

Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business) is Google’s system for local search results and Google Maps search results for all local organizations – churches, schools, nonprofits and local businesses.

When someone posts an online review of a local organization to Google, they are posting it to that organization’s Google Business Profile.  Therefore…

• If you want people to find your local organization in Google Maps, you need a Google Business Profile.
• If you want people to post online reviews about your organization to Google, you need a Google Business Profile.
• If you want to be able to control the information people see about your organization in Google Maps and Google’s local search results, you need access to your organization’s Google Business Profile.

In fact, some people are saying Google Business Profile is the new church homepage because it’s often the first thing someone sees when searching for your church.

Bottom line:

Local organizations need a Google Business Profile, and they need verified access to its content.

How to Claim Google Business Profile 

To get your church, school, local business or local nonprofit setup with a Google Business Profile:

• Go to https://www.google.com/business/
• Login to your Google account or create one.
• If you already have one or more Google Business Profiles associated with your Google account, click “Add Business”

Name of your organization

• Type in the name of your organization
• As you type the name of your organization, Google will suggest existing organizations it already has in its database.

If, you see your organization listed as a suggestion below the box in which you’re typing, this means Google already has a listing containing information about your organization. Click on the name of your organization.

If your organization’s listing has never been claimed or verified, you will see this message:

• Click the “Manage Now” button.

Registering a new Google Business Profile listing

If as you were typing in your organization name, your organization is not suggested by Google, you will be creating a new Google Profile listing.

The next step is to type in the full name, business category and click the “Next” button.

There are a series of other forms after this that ask for address, phone number, website, and so on. For the sake of brevity, we’re not going to show screenshots of all those forms here.

Verify that you manage the organization

Next, you’ll be given the option to verify ownership by phone code (text or call) or video:

• If you have access to the phone number listed, select the “Phone code” option
• You should receive the verification code right away and be able to type it into the next screen.

If you don’t have access to the phone number listed, usually the only other option you have is to verify with video. Google describes the requirements on the next screen.

The video must be recorded and submitted live. It cannot be pre-recorded and then uploaded.

Because Google requires one continuous video while you walk from the outside, to the inside, to the staff-only area, it will be much easier to do this with a phone, though you can do this with a laptop if necessary.

What if my Google Business Profile listing has already been claimed?

In some cases, after you type in the name of your organization and you click on it, you may be shown a screen saying “Someone else may manage this business profile” as shown below.

This means someone has already verified your organization’s Google Business Profile.  This is where things can get complicated

• If you have access to the email address used to verify the listing, simply login to that Google account to manage the listing.
• If you don’t have access to the email address used to verify the listing but you recognize it, click the “Request Access” button.  This will send an email notification to the owner of the listing asking them to grant ownership to you.  You may need to call the person to let them know what you’re doing and ask them to respond to the ownership request.
• If you don’t have access to the email address used to verify the listing and you either don’t know who it belongs to or the person has died or left the organization, you will need to contact Google Business support.

Once you’ve created and verified your Google Business Profile, there are lots of things you can do with it.  We’ll get into those things another time. 🙂

Google also provides lots of great data about how many people see your GBP, how they found it, and what they do once they find it.  We include this information in the SEO reports we send our clients. This video gives you a look at the Google Business Profile SEO report. (Note that the video refers to Google My Business because it was created before Google renamed it Google Business Profile.)

The easiest way to create, claim and verify your GBP

OurChurch.Com creates, claims, and verifies Google Business Profile listings for dozens of organizations every year. Some of the steps can be complicated, especially if someone else created the listing or your organization has changed locations or has multiple locations.

Often, its just easier to let the pros take care of this for you. 😉

Creating, claiming and verifying your Google Business Profile is just one component of our church SEO service and local business SEO service. If you’re super-busy and/or want an SEO expert to take care of this for you, fill out the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a call to discuss whether these services would be a good fit for your organization.

Comment and Discuss

• Have you created, claimed and verified your organization’s Google Business Profile?
• If yes, what was the process like for you?  If no, what’s preventing you from doing that?

For more info about online reviews read our free guide: The Ultimate Guide to Online Reviews.