How do I get my business on Google Maps?

1. Go to google.com/business and sign in with the Google account you want to own the profile. Use a business email if you have one.

2. Enter your business name exactly as it appears on your truck, cards and invoices. Don't add keywords or towns to the name; that breaks Google's rules and can get the profile suspended.

3. Pick your primary category carefully. It's the most important choice you'll make: choose the one that best matches your main service (for example "Lawn care service" or "Pool cleaning service"). You can add secondary categories after.

4. If customers come to you, add your address. If you go to them, choose a service area (your towns) and hide your address. Google still needs a real address to verify you, usually your home, but it isn't shown. P.O. boxes, virtual offices and co-working spaces aren't allowed.

5. Verify. Google will ask for a short video of your business, a postcard, or a phone or email code.

6. Fill in everything: hours, phone, website, each service (with prices if you can), a short description and real photos of your work.

Google ranks map results on three things: how relevant your profile is to the search, how close you are to the searcher, and how well known you are. A vague category, an unfinished profile, few reviews or a pending verification all hold you back.

Ask every happy customer for a review, and reply to every review, good or bad. Add photos from real jobs and post an update now and then. Never buy reviews or post fake ones; it violates Google's policies and federal rules on fake reviews.

A profile with a website link earns more trust and more clicks. If you don't have one yet, a simple one-page site is enough to start.