How to add your business to Google Maps in Saudi Arabia

Google Maps has two paths that look alike but end very differently:

• Add a place: in the Google Maps app tap Contribute, then Add place; on a computer search the address and choose Add a missing place. Any user can add a place and it shows publicly once added, but it does not let you edit details or reply to reviews
• Create a Business Profile: at business.google.com/add you add your business and verify it, so you become the profile owner. Then you edit the name, hours and photos, reply to reviews, publish updates and see the profile's numbers

If you own or manage the shop, go straight to the second path. Adding as a contributor fits a public landmark or a shop you do not own.

Google accepts a profile for any business with a real location that customers visit, or one that serves customers where they are, such as mobile repair or cleaning. To avoid a stalled verification or a suspension later, prepare these details first:

• The business name exactly as on your shop sign and commercial registration, without a district name, words like "best" or a service keyword
• The precise address where you actually operate, not a P.O. box or a virtual office. If Google cannot find the building number, drop the pin on the map yourself
• Permanent signage with the business name at the address; Google expects it from every business that shows its address
• A primary category that says what your business is, not what it has, such as Restaurant or Car wash, plus as few extra categories as possible
• A phone number under your control that a person answers, because automated voice systems cannot receive the verification code
• Your real customer-facing opening hours

1. 1Open business.google.com/add on your phone or computer and sign in with the Google account that will stay the profile owner
2. 2Type your business name. If it appears in the list it is already on the map, so select it and claim it instead of creating a new profile
3. 3If it does not appear, choose Add your business to Google
4. 4Follow the screens and enter what you prepared: the name as on the sign, the primary category, the address or pin, the phone number and a website if you have one
5. 5If you serve customers at their location and they do not visit you, set a service area and hide your address
6. 6Pick one of the verification options offered and follow the on-screen steps
7. 7After verification, complete hours, photos and the description under Edit profile

Create the profile with an account that stays with the business, then add helpers as managers instead of sharing the password. That way the profile is not lost when an employee leaves or an agency contract ends.

Many shops appear on Google Maps before their owners register them, because any user can add a place. Google wants one profile per business, and a second profile for the same location causes problems with how it shows. The right path depends on the profile's status:

• Unverified profile: search Google Maps for your business name and city, open its page, select Claim this business, then Manage now, and choose a verification option. In the app the option is under the About tab
• Profile verified by someone else, such as a former employee or an agency: go to business.google.com/add, enter the name and address and pick your business. You will see that someone else may manage the profile; select Request Access and fill out the form
• The current owner then gets an email and has 3 days to respond. If there is no response after 3 days, you may get the option to claim the profile

Do not create a replacement for the old profile: it starts without reviews and can be treated as a duplicate.

Google decides which verification methods each business sees, so you may get one option or several. As Google's help center describes them:

• Text or phone call: you receive a code to enter on the profile, so make sure you answer that number yourself
• Email: follow the steps in the message; you must be able to use the address shown on the verification screen
• Video recording: you film it on your phone inside the profile, and Google's review can take up to 5 business days
• Live video call: not available to every business, held during the location's business hours while you are on site
• Postcard with a 5-digit code: not available to every business; most codes arrive within 14 days and codes expire after 30 days

While you wait for a postcard, do not edit the name, address or category and do not request a new code; either one makes the mailed code useless. In some cases Google verifies a profile instantly, for example when your website is verified in Google Search Console.

Google's video rules: one continuous, unedited recording with no breaks, at least 30 seconds long, recorded and uploaded from a mobile device through your Business Profile, not filmed earlier and uploaded later. Plan the shots before you press record, in this order:

1. 1Start outside: a street sign, the building number or neighboring shops, so Google can match your location on the map
2. 2Move to your shop sign; the name on it must match the profile name exactly
3. 3Walk in and film the area where customers are served
4. 4Show something only staff can access: the kitchen, the storage room, opening the cash register or the point-of-sale system
5. 5If you serve customers at their location: film your tools and equipment, unlock a vehicle with your business branding, or show a license or invoice in the profile's name

Keep bank account, tax and ID numbers out of the video, and other people's faces too. If you get a Review issues notification, the video was not accepted; read the reason Google gives and record a new one.

• Adding words to the name that are not on the sign, such as "Best Mandi Restaurant Riyadh". Google's guidelines do not allow it and it can lead to a suspension
• A virtual office or an address where you do not actually operate, which is not eligible for a profile
• More than one profile for the same location, in one account or across several
• Changing the name or moving the address after verification, which can trigger verification again
• A phone number that forwards callers to another number or to a page that is not the location's own

If your profile is suspended, do not open a new one. The way back is a formal appeal with documents that match the location's name and address; the steps are in our suspended profile guide.

Google says inaccurate details can keep your profile from showing in relevant searches nearby, so complete the profile in the first week:

• Opening hours, plus special hours for Ramadan and Eid
• Clear photos of the storefront and interior; an exterior photo helps customers recognize the shop when they arrive
• A business description of up to 750 characters, without links
• Your menu or services, if the feature is available for your business
• A reply to every review you get, in the reviewer's language

Repma does not create or verify your profile for you; it starts right here. You connect the Google account that owns or manages the profile, and Badr replies to every new review in Saudi dialect or English, Repma sorts complaints from your reviews, writes Google posts for verified profiles with at least three photos, and builds a QR menu for restaurants and cafés. From 119 SAR per location per month with a 7-day trial.