Google Business Profile guide.
The free listing that puts your New Zealand business in Google Maps. Claim and verify it, fill in categories, hours, services and photos, then keep collecting genuine reviews.
By Craig Stewart, founder of Airea Digital · Updated 22 October 2026
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How to set up a Google Business Profile in NZ
Search for your business on Google Maps first. If a listing already exists, claim it rather than making a second one.
Claim or create the profile
Sign in with a Google account the business controls, not a staff member's personal account, and add your business at business.google.com. If someone else already manages the listing, request access through Google rather than starting a duplicate.Enter your real business name
Use the name on your signage, website and invoices. Google does not allow taglines, location details, phone numbers or other unnecessary words in the name.Choose storefront or service area
Decide whether customers come to you, you go to them, or both. This sets whether your street address shows.Pick your primary category
The single most specific category that describes what the business is, for example "Electrician" rather than "Contractor".Add contact details and website
A local phone number that rings through to a person, and the page on your website that best matches the listing.Verify, then complete everything else
Once verified, fill in hours, services, products, description, attributes and photos. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show in local results.Google Business Profile verification methods
Google chooses which verification methods your business is offered, and you cannot change them. The options depend on your business type, region, public information and opening hours, and some businesses are asked for more than one.
Video recording
Google recommends this when it is offered. You record one continuous, unedited video of at least 30 seconds on your phone through the profile, showing your location or street signage, your tools or equipment, and proof you manage the business, such as unlocking a signwritten van or showing a business document.Phone, text or email
Google sends a code or a link. Codes by phone will not reach an automated phone menu, so use a line a person answers.Live video call
A Google support person asks you to show your location and proof of management. Only available during your business hours, and not offered to every business.Postcard
A five-digit code posted to your address. Google says most arrive within 14 days and codes expire after 30. Do not edit the name, address or category while you wait, as the code will then not work, and do not request a new code, as that invalidates the one in the post.After you finish a verification step, Google can take up to five business days to review it. If your website is already verified in Google Search Console, Google may verify the profile instantly.
Service-area business or storefront in New Zealand
A storefront business has a staffed address customers visit during opening hours, such as a café, clinic or shop. A service-area business visits customers, such as a plumber, cleaner or mobile groomer. Google's guidelines say a service-area business should have one profile for its base, hide the street address and list the areas it covers, which Google suggests should not stretch beyond about two hours' drive from that base. A hybrid business, such as a mechanic with a workshop who also does call-outs, can show its address and a service area.
Working from home is fine; just hide the address. A PO Box, a mailbox service or a virtual office is not eligible, and a co-working space only counts if it has your signage, is staffed by your team and receives customers during your hours.
How to optimise a Google Business Profile in NZ
Categories
Add the fewest extra categories that describe the business accurately. Categories say what the business is, not every product it sells, and stuffing them with keywords breaks Google's guidelines.NAP consistency
Keep your name, address and phone number identical on your website, Facebook page, NZ directories and industry listings. Mismatched details, such as an old phone number or a former address, make it harder for Google to trust which version is right.Hours and public holidays
Set regular hours, then add special hours before Waitangi Day, Easter, Anzac Day, Matariki, Christmas and your regional anniversary day, so nobody drives to a closed door.Services and products
List each service in the words customers use, with a plain description. Retailers can add products with prices in NZD.Photos
Real photos of your team, premises, vehicles and finished work. Add a logo and cover photo, and keep adding recent ones. Avoid stock images.Posts
Updates, offers and events appear on your profile. A short post about a recent job or a seasonal offer keeps the listing current.Website link
Link to a fast, mobile-friendly page that repeats your name, address or service areas and phone number. Multi-location businesses should link each profile to its own location page.Your profile and your website work together. Our local SEO service covers both, and our SEO and AI search page explains how the rest of your site supports it.
Google reviews on your Business Profile
Ask every customer for a review, reply to all of them (good and bad) and keep it honest. Google's policy bans paying for reviews, offering discounts or freebies in exchange, asking only happy customers (review gating), and reviews from staff or anyone with a conflict of interest. Google removes reviews that break these rules and can suspend the accounts involved.
Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers simple, compliant ways to ask.
Google Business Profile Q&A and Ask Maps
BrightLocal reports that Google has discontinued the old questions and answers feature. Google shut the Q&A API on 3 November 2025 and is replacing the feature with Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered tool in Google Maps that answers questions from your profile, reviews and website. BrightLocal's April 2026 update said Ask Maps was only available in the USA and India as of March 2026, so New Zealand profiles may show neither for now. The practical answer is the same either way: put the answers to common questions in your services, description and website, where both people and Google's AI can read them.
Common Google Business Profile suspension causes
Google can suspend a profile that breaks its guidelines for representing your business. Common breaches include:
- Keywords, suburbs or slogans added to the business name
- A virtual office, PO Box or mailbox address used as a location
- Showing a home address for a service-area business instead of hiding it
- Duplicate profiles for the same business or location
- Fake, paid or incentivised reviews
If a profile is suspended, fix the problem first, then use Google's appeal tool. Google says appeals can only be submitted once, so attach supporting documents whose name and address match the profile, such as a Companies Office record, NZBN details or a utility bill. Do not create a new profile while you wait.
Google Business Profile help from Airea Digital
Audit & Strategy
$950 + GST, one-off A full local audit, including your profile, a written plan and a consult. Your first month on any package is free when you go ahead.Local SEO Starter
$999 + GST a month One location: Google Business Profile, on-page fixes, one content piece a month and a monthly report.Packages have a three-month minimum. Full details on our local SEO page. We cannot guarantee a position in the map results; nobody can.
Google Business Profile NZ questions
- Is a Google Business Profile free in New Zealand?
- Yes. Creating, verifying and managing a profile costs nothing. You only pay if you hire someone to manage it or run ads.
- How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
- Google says reviews can take up to five business days after you complete a step. Postcard codes, the slowest option, usually arrive within 14 days.
- Can I choose my verification method?
- No. Google sets the available methods based on your business type, region and information, and they cannot be changed.
- Can I have a Google Business Profile without a shopfront?
- Yes. Home-based and mobile businesses set up as service-area businesses, hide their address and list the areas they cover.
- Why is my business not showing on Google Maps?
- Common reasons are an unverified profile, a suspension, a duplicate listing or strong nearby competitors. Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, and says complete information and more reviews can help. Our local SEO service starts with an audit to find the cause.
- Should I add keywords to my business name?
- No. Google's guidelines do not allow unnecessary information in the business name, and breaking them can lead to suspension. Put keywords in your services, description, posts and website instead.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help, verify your business, video verification, guidelines for representing your business suspended profiles and how local ranking works; Google Maps fake engagement policy; BrightLocal, Google Business Profile Q&A (April 2026). Checked 22 October 2026.