To claim a Google Business Profile, open Google Maps, search the business by name and city, select Claim this business, then Manage now and follow the verification steps Google offers. If no profile exists yet, add one at business.google.com/add first. Claiming can be quick, but verification may take longer: it confirms the business is yours to manage, and the details on the profile decide whether nearby searches turn into visits. The complete local SEO guide covers the wider checklist.
How does a restaurant claim a Google Business Profile?
On a computer, open Google Maps, search the business name and city, then select Claim this business → Manage now. In the Maps app, open the business listing, tap About, then Claim this business → Manage now. Either route ends with a verification option to complete.
If the business isn’t on Google yet:
- Go to business.google.com/add.
- Select Add your business to Google.
- Enter the name, address, and category as customers see them.
- Choose the verification option Google lists for that location.
Two situations change the route:
- The profile is already verified. If someone else manages it, request ownership instead of creating a second listing.
- A duplicate already exists. Use Google’s duplicate review process to confirm which listing is real.
Google’s guidelines for representing your business require profiles to reflect real, eligible businesses. Delivery-only kitchens, food trucks, and service-area businesses follow separate conditions, so check eligibility before creating a profile or displaying an address.
Which verification methods can Google offer?
Google decides the available methods for each profile based on business type, public information, region, and hours. The options can’t be changed, and some restaurants need more than one method to finish verification.
| Method | How it works | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Video recording | A live, unedited video of the premises, uploaded from a phone | Google recommends it when the business is eligible; review can take up to 5 business days |
| Live video call | A support agent joins a call during business hours and views the location | Be on site with access to a kitchen, cash register, storage room, or keys |
| Phone or text | A code is sent to the business number | An IVR phone system can’t receive the code |
| A code and steps arrive at an address the owner can access | Use the address shown in Google’s verification screen, and make sure you can open it | |
| Mail (postcard) | A code is posted to the business address; most arrive within 14 days | Don’t edit the name, address, or category while waiting |
Verification options vary by account and region; Google’s verification guide shows the current steps for each method.
How does Google Business Profile video verification work?
Video is Google’s recommended method when it is available, but it needs planning. The recording must be live, unedited, at least 30 seconds long, and uploaded from a mobile device through the profile. Pre-recorded clips are rejected.
For a restaurant with a customer-facing storefront, the video needs to show three things:
- The location: street signs, the building number, or nearby landmarks that confirm the address on Maps.
- The business: the storefront or signboard, with the name printed on a permanent fixture and matching the profile name.
- Proof you manage the business: access only staff would have, such as a kitchen, storage room, cash register, or point-of-sale system.
Keep out bank, tax, or ID numbers and other people’s faces. Google lists these requirements in its video verification guide. Google’s review of the video can take up to 5 business days. If a video is rejected, the profile shows Review issues with the reason—a missing storefront name, for example—and a new recording can resolve each point.
The problem: The video tours the dining room but never shows the street, and the wall sign reads “Joe’s Corner Diner” while the profile says “Joe’s Diner”. Five days later, verification fails.
The real-world fix: Walk the route before recording: street sign and building number first, then the storefront sign facing the camera, then the kitchen or register. Keep it one unedited take, and line up every sign with the profile name.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
Google’s verification review takes up to 5 business days, though some profiles clear instantly—for example, when the restaurant’s website is verified in Search Console, or through bulk verification for multiple locations.
Postcard details worth remembering:
- Most codes arrive within 14 days.
- Codes expire after 30 days.
- Editing the name, address, or category voids the code.
- Requesting a new code invalidates the first one and lengthens the wait.
If Get verified appears again after the review, the profile needs re-verification, possibly through another method. And Google never asks for the verification code—keep it private, even from people who help manage the profile.
How should a Google Business Profile be optimized after verification?
Fill every section customers use before promoting the profile anywhere. Google’s profile editing guide covers each field; this order matters most for a restaurant:
- Name: exactly as it appears on signage. Renaming a verified profile can trigger re-verification.
- Categories: the most specific accurate primary category, then only the relevant secondary ones (Google allows up to 9 more, but fewer is better).
- Address and pin: the accurate address when guests can visit. If they can’t, hide the address and set a service area instead, where eligible.
- Hours: regular hours plus special hours for holidays.
- Contact: the primary phone number plus up to two more, and the website URL with
https://. - Description: up to 750 characters on what the business offers, with no URLs or promotion talk.
- Photos: exterior, signature dishes, and seating, so guests recognize the place at a glance.
- Menu: a menu link or the menu editor; see how to add a restaurant menu to Google Business Profile.
- Attributes: Wi-Fi, outdoor seating, and other factual details guests filter by.
Edits are reviewed before going live, so allow a few days for changes to appear. When the menu or hours change, the profile needs the same update—how to update restaurant opening hours everywhere covers the full channel routine. A Nommy restaurant website gives you one menu page to keep updated and link from the profile and other places guests check.
What should restaurants check after a Google Business Profile goes live?
Open the profile from a customer’s phone and test the call button, directions, website, and menu link. Then keep the profile in a light routine:
- Give staff their own access. The owner adds managers rather than sharing one login, following Google’s owners and managers roles.
- Check after every change. Hours after holidays, prices after menu updates, and reviews after busy weeks. How to get more Google reviews covers a simple, policy-safe review loop, and a Google review QR code on tables and receipts makes it easy to start.
- Expect re-verification for big changes. A new business name or a moved address can require verification again.
- Review what Google collects. In select regions, Google may confirm hours and services through automated calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages. Updates from these conversations can appear on the profile, so check them and edit or remove anything wrong (details).
Google Business Profile claiming, verification, editing, and ownership guidance from Google’s Help Center was checked on October 10, 2026. Controls and eligibility vary by account, region, and business type.
Give the profile one link worth trusting: a Nommy restaurant website with a current menu and hours, then start free with Nommy.
A verified profile gets the restaurant found; accurate details are what turn a search into a visit.