See if you show up in searches or if someone else is using your business name
This article first appeared 2 Oct. 2025
You’re reading the Your News Biz newsletter. My goal is to help digital media entrepreneurs and small businesses find viable business models.
The most frequent question I get from colleagues is, “How can I get more clients/customers with digital marketing and social media?” For me, it’s all about building authentic relationships, trustworthy relationships. Social media isn’t always the answer. Last week, I talked about the power of LinkedIn as a marketing tool.
This week, I’ll tell you why you should check to see if your business has a Google Business Profile, and why you should have one. Here are the steps:
1. Search for your company name on Google Search or Google Maps:
- Open Google Search or Google Maps.
- Type in the exact name of your business and its city (e.g., “Your Business Name, City, State”).
- If a profile exists, it will appear on the right side of the search results page (on desktop) or as a prominent listing with a map pin (on Maps). This is your Google Business Profile. If you don’t have one, go to the next step.
2. Use the Google Business Profile Manager:
- Sign in to the Google Account you would have used to create or manage your business profile.
- Go to the Google Business Profile Manager
- If you have a profile linked to that account, it will appear in the dashboard. If you don’t see one, it’s possible you either don’t have a profile or it’s associated with a different Google account.
3. What to do if you can’t find a profile:
- Try searching again with different variations of your business name.
- Check other Google accounts you may have. The profile is linked to the specific Google account that created it.
- Look for a “Own this business?” link. If you find your business listed but it’s not claimed, you’ll see an option to “Own this business?” or a similar prompt. You can then follow the steps to claim and verify ownership.
- Create a new profile. If you can’t find any existing listing for your business, you can create a new one through the Google Business Profile Manager.
When you’re set up properly, people will be able to see where your business is located, if it’s a retail business, when you’re open, and find your website.
More tools
Here’s a handout I use at public events while volunteering for SCORE.org, which gives free mentoring to small businesses and entrepreneurs: 5 Digital marketing tips to build your business.
This post explains the power of trustworthy relationships in a crowded digital ecosystem: Trust people not bots: Your guide to thriving as Google search results plummet
Final Tip
