To put your business on Google Maps, you create a Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, at google.com/business. It’s free and doesn’t require a CNPJ (Brazilian company registration number). Signing up takes about ten minutes; what takes longer is verification, which in Brazil is now almost always done by video. Once verified, the business shows up on Maps and Search with its address, hours, phone number, photos and reviews.
This is the step-by-step for the map. If your question is about ranking well, and not just existing on Maps, the topic is covered in how to show up on Google Maps in your city.
What to gather before you start
Five things prevent most rejections.
- A Google account that will stay with you. Avoid an employee’s or the agency’s email.
- The real business name, the same as on the storefront, the invoice or the website. No “Cheap Delivery Pizzeria Downtown”.
- The address where you serve customers, or the list of neighborhoods and cities, if you go to the customer.
- Phone number and website, if you have them. Instagram also works as a website.
- The primary category, the one that describes what you are, not everything you do.
Step-by-step signup
- Go to google.com/business and click Manage now, using the account that will manage the profile.
- Type the business name. If it appears in the list, a profile already exists. Skip to “When the business already shows up on Maps”, further below.
- Choose the primary category. Start typing and select the most specific one, like “Dental clinic” instead of “Health”.
- Answer whether the business has a location customers visit. If so, enter the address and check the pin on the map. If not, you will set up a service area.
- Enter the phone number and website.
- Choose the verification method that Google offers.
- While verification is pending, move ahead with the rest: hours, services, description and the first photos.
Video verification
For new businesses in Brazil, Google asks for a short video, recorded in one take, that proves three things.
- Where the business is located, showing the storefront, the street number or sign and something from the surroundings.
- That the business operates, showing equipment, inventory, the service area or the work vehicle.
- That you are responsible for it, by opening the door with the key, showing the cash register or a document with the business name.
The review usually takes a few business days. If it’s rejected, Google gives the reason and lets you record again. The details of each case are in the step-by-step guide to signing up for Google Business Profile.
A business without an address can also be on Maps
If you serve customers at their homes (plumber, cleaner, technician, photographer), you set up a service area and hide the address. The business shows up on Maps for people searching in that region, without exposing your home.
What you can’t do is use an address that doesn’t actually exist, like a virtual office where nobody serves customers. It’s the most common cause of suspension. The full case is in Google Business Profile without an address.
When the business already shows up on Maps
Sometimes the profile already exists, created by a customer, a former employee or Google itself from public data. Don’t create another one. Two profiles for the same business split the reviews and can be suspended.
Open the profile on Maps and look for Claim this business or Own this business?. Google asks for the same verification. If someone else already manages the profile, you can request access through the same form, and they receive the request.
And if what you want is to mark a place that isn’t yours, like a relative’s home or a square, the path is different: how to add a place on Google Maps.
I signed up. Why don’t I show up?
A verified profile shows up when someone searches for the business name. Showing up for people searching for the service (“dentist in Campinas”) is another story.
According to Google’s own documentation, Google ranks local results by three criteria: relevance (the profile clearly says what you do), distance (how close you are to the person searching) and prominence (reviews, photos, how often the business is mentioned online). You can’t change distance. The other two are the work of optimizing Google Business Profile.
Mistakes that make Google reject or suspend a profile
- Putting a keyword in the name (“John’s Bakery Hot Bread South Side”).
- Using a coworking or PO box address where no one serves customers.
- Creating a new profile because you forgot the password to the old one.
- Changing name, address and category all at once, right after verification.
- Choosing the category based on what gets the most searches, not on what the business is.
If the profile was suspended, there is a way to appeal: suspended Google profile, what to do.
Frequently asked questions
Is putting a business on Google Maps free? Yes. Google Business Profile is free, and Google doesn’t charge to appear on the map. Whoever charges is the one doing it for you.
Do I need a CNPJ? No. Google doesn’t ask for a CNPJ at signup. In verification, it wants to see that the business exists and operates, and that applies to a MEI (individual micro-entrepreneur) and to self-employed people.
How long does it take to show up? Signup takes minutes. Once verification is approved, the profile usually shows up within a few days for people searching for the business name.
Can I do it from my phone? Yes. The path is the same, through your phone’s browser at google.com/business or through the Google Maps app, and the verification video is recorded on the phone itself.
Can I add more than one address? Yes, one profile for each location with real customer service. Branches that don’t serve the public don’t qualify.
Want to know what your profile is missing?
With the free Google Business Profile audit, you receive on WhatsApp your profile compared with 3 competitors in your area and a list of what to fix first. If you prefer to do it yourself, there is the GMN Express Kit, and if you want us to do it, see the Google Business Profile optimization plans. Pricing depends on scope and is sent on request.
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