A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Maps and in the local results at the top of Google Search. When someone in Dubai searches “dentist near me” or “marketing agency in Business Bay”, the businesses shown on the map come from these profiles. This guide walks through setting one up, getting it verified and keeping it active, step by step.
How Google decides which profiles to show
Google ranks local results on three things:
- Relevance: how well your profile matches the search, mainly through your categories, services and description.
- Distance: how close your business is to the person searching, or to the area named in the search.
- Prominence: how well known your business is, based on reviews, links, mentions on other websites and your overall presence on Google.
You cannot change your distance from a searcher, so everything below focuses on relevance and prominence. Local results also sit inside your wider SEO; if you are new to it, start with our SEO basics guide.
Step 1: Check if a profile already exists
Before creating anything, search your business name on Google Maps. A profile may already exist, created by a former employee, an agency or Google itself from public data.
- If it exists and you can access it: make sure your company email is an Owner.
- If it exists but you cannot access it: open business.google.com, search for the business and choose “Request access”. The current owner has a few days to reply before Google offers other options.
- If there are two profiles for the same location: keep the one with more reviews and ask Google to remove the duplicate.
Always keep ownership on a company email, not a personal one, so the profile stays with the business when people leave.
Step 2: Create the profile with the right details
Business name. Use your real-world name exactly as it appears on your sign and trade licence. Adding keywords or locations, such as “ABC Dental Clinic Best Dentist Dubai Marina”, breaks Google’s guidelines and is one of the most common reasons profiles get suspended.
Categories. Choose one primary category and up to nine additional ones. The primary category has the biggest effect on which searches you appear for, so pick the one that describes your main service (for example “Dental clinic”, not “Medical clinic”). Look at the categories of the businesses ranking at the top of the map for your main search to see what Google expects.
Address or service area.
- If customers visit you, add the full address as on your licence: unit number, building name and area, such as Dubai Silicon Oasis or Business Bay. Then move the map pin to your exact entrance; in large buildings and free zones the automatic pin is often wrong.
- If you visit customers instead (cleaning, maintenance, mobile car wash), hide the address and add up to 20 service areas, such as Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
- Virtual offices and addresses where no one works during business hours are not eligible.
Phone and website. Use a number that is answered during working hours, and the same number as on your website. Add a tracking parameter to your website link, such as ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp, so visits from the profile show separately in Google Analytics.
Step 3: Verify the profile
A profile does not appear fully on Maps until it is verified. Google chooses the method, and for most UAE businesses today it is a short video recording. Prepare before you start:
- Your business sign, with the same name as the profile, at the entrance or inside the office
- The inside of your workplace, such as reception, equipment or stock
- Proof that you manage the business, such as a key to the office or the point-of-sale system
- Your trade licence showing the business name and address
Record in one continuous take, starting outside so Google can match the location. Verification usually takes a few days. If it fails, the most common reasons are a missing sign or a name that does not match the licence.
Step 4: Complete every section
Google favours complete profiles, and customers compare them before calling.
| Section | What to add |
|---|---|
| Description | Up to 750 characters: what you do, who you serve, where and since when. No links, prices or offers. |
| Hours | Regular hours plus special hours for Ramadan, Eid and public holidays, so customers do not arrive to a closed door. |
| Services or products | Every main service with a short description, using the words customers search for. |
| Attributes | Options such as online appointments, onsite services and languages spoken. |
| Booking link | Your contact or booking page, if customers book appointments. |
| Opening date | The year the business started. |
Step 5: Add real photos and videos
Profiles with real photos look active and earn more clicks than those with only a logo.
- Logo: square, clear on a small screen.
- Cover photo: your team, shop front or workplace, not a design with text.
- Exterior: so customers can recognise the building when they arrive.
- Interior and team: at least five photos.
- Your work: finished projects, products or results.
- A short video: 30 seconds of the office or a job in progress.
Avoid stock images and add new photos every month.
Step 6: Publish posts every week
Posts appear on your profile and show Google and customers that the business is active. Use three types:
- Updates: a new service, a project you finished, or a new article on your website.
- Offers: a limited-time discount with clear dates and terms.
- Events: an open day, workshop or seasonal opening hours.
Each post needs one clear image, a short text and a button such as “Book” or “Learn more” linking to the right page.
Step 7: Get and answer reviews
Reviews are the strongest prominence signal you control, and the star rating appears next to your name in every search.
Getting reviews:
- Ask every customer, at the moment they are happiest: after a delivery, a finished project or a good result.
- Copy the review link from your profile (“Ask for reviews”) and send it by WhatsApp or email.
- Never offer discounts or gifts for reviews, never ask only happy customers (“review gating”), and never post reviews from staff. All three break Google’s policies and can remove your reviews or suspend the profile.
Answering reviews:
- Reply to every review within two days, in the language the customer used, English or Arabic.
- For positive reviews, thank the customer by name and mention the service they used.
- For negative reviews, apologise, avoid arguing in public and give a phone number or email to solve it privately.
- You cannot delete a review. If it is fake or breaks Google’s policies, report it from the profile.
Step 8: Keep your details the same everywhere
Google compares your profile with other websites that mention your business. Use exactly the same name, address and phone number (NAP) on your website, social media profiles and directories such as Yellow Pages UAE. Different versions of the same address make Google less confident about where you are.
Also check the profile every week for “Google updates”: suggestions from users or Google that can change your hours, phone or category without you noticing.
Step 9: Track results
The performance section of your profile shows:
- The searches people used to find you
- How many people viewed the profile on Search and on Maps
- Calls, website clicks, direction requests and bookings
Check it once a month next to the UTM visits in Google Analytics. If views grow but calls do not, improve your photos, reviews and services. If views do not grow, review your categories.
Common mistakes that get profiles suspended
- Keywords or locations added to the business name
- A virtual office or an address with no sign and no staff
- Several profiles for the same location
- Changing the name, address or category many times in a short period
- Fake reviews, or reviews in exchange for discounts
If your profile is suspended, fix the cause first, then submit the reinstatement request with photos of your sign and licence.
Your Google Business Profile checklist
| Done | Item |
|---|---|
| ☐ | Profile owned by a company email |
| ☐ | Name exactly as on the sign and licence |
| ☐ | Primary category plus relevant additional categories |
| ☐ | Full address with the pin on the entrance, or service areas |
| ☐ | Verified |
| ☐ | Description, hours, special hours, services and attributes complete |
| ☐ | Logo, cover and at least 10 real photos |
| ☐ | One post every week |
| ☐ | Review link sent to every customer, every review answered |
| ☐ | Same name, address and phone on the website and directories |
| ☐ | Performance checked every month |
If you want more than the profile, such as location pages, local links and citations, see what affordable SEO packages can include, or let our team handle it through our local SEO services in Dubai.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Creating, verifying and managing a Google Business Profile is free. You only pay if you choose to run Google Ads that show on the map.
A complete, verified profile can start appearing within a few weeks. Ranking near the top for competitive searches usually takes several months of steady reviews, photos and posts.
Yes, if you serve customers at their location. Set it up as a service-area business, hide the address and add the areas you cover. Virtual offices are not eligible.
The most common reasons are keywords in the business name, an ineligible address such as a virtual office, duplicate profiles and fake reviews. Fix the cause, then request reinstatement with proof of your business.
Ask every customer right after a good experience and send the review link from your profile by WhatsApp or email. Do not offer rewards for reviews.
