How to Get Your Business on Google Maps in Pakistan (Step by Step)

When someone searches “bakery near me” or “best salon in Gulberg”, Google shows a map with three businesses at the top. Getting into that list is free, and for local businesses it can bring in more calls than a website does.

The tool behind it is Google Business Profile (it used to be called Google My Business). Here’s how to set it up properly from start to finish.

Before you start

Keep these ready:

• Your exact business name, the way it appears on your signboard. Don’t add keywords to it, because Google can suspend profiles for that
• Your full address, or the areas you serve if you visit customers
• A phone number someone actually answers, and your website if you have one
• Opening hours
• At least 10 real photos: shopfront, inside, products and team

Step 1: Create or claim the profile

Go to google.com/business and sign in with a Google account you’ll keep long term. Ideally that’s a business account, not an employee’s personal Gmail.

Search for your business name first. If it already shows up, someone (maybe a customer) created it. Claim that one instead of making a duplicate.

Step 2: Pick the right category

This is the single most important setting. Choose the primary category that describes what you are, not everything you do. “Bakery”, not “Food”. You can add a few secondary categories later.

Step 3: Add your location or service area

If customers visit you, enter your address and then drag the map pin to your exact location. Pakistani addresses can be messy, so trust the pin, not the address text.

If you go to customers instead (plumbers, home tutors, event services), set a service area and hide your address.

Step 4: Verify your business

Google has to confirm you’re real before your profile shows publicly. These days the most common method is a short video. Depending on your business, Google may also offer phone, email or instant verification. The old postcard method has been phased out.

Tips for the video:

• Record it in one continuous take
• Start outside: the street, a nearby landmark and your signboard
• Then show the inside and something only the owner can access, like the cash counter, store room or equipment
• Keep it short and steady, and avoid showing people’s faces or private documents

Review usually takes a few working days. If it gets rejected, you can record it again and resubmit.

Step 5: Fill in everything

Half-complete profiles rarely rank. Make sure you add:

• A clear description: what you do, where, and for whom, in plain language
• Opening hours, including special hours for Eid and Ramadan
• Your services or products with short descriptions
• Photos, and keep adding fresh ones every month
• Your WhatsApp number or website link

Step 6: Get reviews the right way

Reviews are one of the biggest ranking factors on Google Maps, and they’re also what convinces people to pick you over the shop next door.

• Ask happy customers right after a good experience
• Send them your review link directly on WhatsApp (you’ll find it in your profile dashboard)
• Reply to every review politely, good or bad
• Never buy fake reviews. Google removes them and can penalise your profile

Step 7: Keep it active

Post updates and offers, answer questions, upload new photos and keep your hours correct. An active profile tells Google the business is real and open.

Common mistakes we see

• Keyword-stuffed names like “Ali Tailors Best Tailor in Lahore Cheap”, which risk suspension
• Two or three duplicate profiles for the same shop
• The pin dropped in the wrong place
• Old phone numbers that nobody answers
• No photos at all, or only the logo

Is it worth the effort?

For any business that serves a local area, yes. It’s free, it shows up exactly when people are searching for what you sell, and it sends them straight to call, WhatsApp or get directions.

Want to show up on regular Google results too? That’s where a website and SEO come in.