Google Business Profile: checklist to show up on Valencia's map

To show up on the Google map when someone searches "plumber in Torrent" or "restaurant in Ruzafa" you need a Google Business Profile listing (what used to be called Google My Business) that is verified, complete and has recent reviews. It is free, you manage it from your phone and, for a local business, it usually brings more customers than the website itself. This is the list we go through with our clients in Valencia and the surrounding area.

How Google decides who shows up on the map

Google explains it plainly in its help centre: local ranking is based on three things, relevance (whether your listing matches what the person is looking for), distance (how close you are to the searcher or to the area they mention) and prominence (how well known your business is: reviews, ratings, links and mentions). And it adds something important: local ranking "cannot be bought or requested". Nobody can guarantee you the top spot; what you can do is work on all three factors.

Checklist to show up on the map

1. Verify the listing (unverified, it barely exists)

Google assigns the verification method and you cannot choose it. According to the official help, it may be by phone or SMS, email, recorded video, live video call (only during the premises' opening hours) or a letter with a 5-digit code that arrives in about 14 days and expires after 30. A tip that saves grief: while you wait for the letter, do not change the name, address or category, because that invalidates the code. And the final review can take up to 5 business days.

2. Real name, no keywords added

The name must be the one on your sign and your invoices. "Peluquería Ana" yes; "Peluquería Ana – best hairdresser Valencia centre" no. Google treats that as a violation and may suspend the listing.

3. Primary and secondary categories

The primary category carries the most weight for relevance. Choose the most specific one ("Dental clinic" rather than "Doctor") and add secondary categories only if you really offer that service.

4. Address, service area and opening hours

If you serve the public at premises, enter the exact address and place the pin in the right spot. If you go to customers' homes (electricians, locksmiths, cleaning), hide the address and define your service area: Torrent, Paterna, Mislata, Valencia city… And keep your hours up to date, including local holidays (9 October, San Vicente, Fallas): Google shows special hours and nobody likes arriving at a closed door.

5. Phone, website and booking link

A phone number someone actually answers and your website URL (the same one shown on your site, without odd redirects). If you work by appointment, add the booking link: it converts better than "call us".

6. Your own photos, kept current

Shopfront (so they recognise it on arrival), interior, team and product or service. Photos taken with a phone in landscape, in natural light, no filters. Upload a few new ones every month: Google recommends photos and videos to help people decide, and a listing with photos from 2019 signals neglect.

7. Description and services

The description (up to 750 characters) should say what you do, for whom and where, in plain language. Under "Services" or "Products" break down what you offer with an indicative price if you can; it feeds relevance for specific searches.

8. Attributes

Wheelchair accessible, terrace, Wi-Fi, card payment, online booking, women-led business… These are filters people use in Maps.

How to get reviews (without breaking the rules)

Reviews are the prominence factor you control most. According to the official guide, the right way is to remind customers they can leave a review and give them a direct link or a QR code (generated from the profile itself). What is "strictly prohibited": offering discounts, gifts or services in exchange for reviews, and also offering anything in exchange for changing or deleting a negative review. Google treats that as fake engagement and may remove reviews or suspend the listing.

• Timing: ask for the review right after a job well done, in person or on WhatsApp, with the link. Customers need a Google account to leave one.
• A QR code on the counter or on the invoice works better than a generic email.
• Reply to all of them, positive and negative. Google advises short, clear, polite replies, "like a friend, not a salesperson". Faced with a negative one: find out what happened, own what was your mistake (and not what was not), apologise if appropriate and sign with your name.
• Do not buy reviews. Besides the suspension, your neighbourhood customers can smell it a mile away.

What we check every month

1. New reviews left unanswered.
2. User questions and answers (anyone can answer on your behalf if you do not).
3. Special hours for the following month.
4. Two or three new photos and one post (offer, news, event).
5. Edits suggested by third parties: Google lets others propose changes and sometimes applies them.
6. The performance report: calls, directions, clicks to the website and which searches found you.

The listing and the website feed each other

The listing brings the first visit; the website convinces. Make sure name, address and phone match exactly in both places, that the website has a page per service and per area if you cover several, and that it includes contact details in structured format (LocalBusiness in JSON-LD). In our marketing services we set both up together so they never contradict each other.

Frequently asked questions

How long until my business shows on the map after verifying?

The listing is usually visible within a few days of verification, but reaching the top positions for competitive searches takes weeks or months of reviews, photos and activity.

Can I have a listing without premises?

Yes, as a service-area business: you hide the address and define the area you cover. What you cannot do is use the address of a coworking space or a mailbox where you do not serve customers.

What do I do about a fake review?

Reply calmly stating that there is no record of them as a customer and report it from the profile. Google reviews it, though it does not always remove it; a composed reply already protects your image with whoever reads it.

If you would like us to get your listing in shape together with your website, tell us about your project and we will tell you where to start.