Google Maps guide
Google Business Profile: the definitive guide for businesses in Bogotá
Everything you need to know about Google Mi Negocio, now called Google Business Profile: how to create it, verify it, optimize it and take care of your reviews, explained in plain language.
Google Mi Negocio is now called Google Business Profile: the free listing that shows your business in Google Search and on Google Maps. To make it work, create or claim it, verify it with the method Google gives you and keep it complete, with good photos, accurate hours and real reviews.
Google Mi Negocio is the free listing that makes your business appear on Google and Google Maps, and since late 2021 it has been called Google Business Profile. To make it work, you need to create or claim it, verify it with the method Google assigns you and keep it complete: the right category, real hours, photos, services and reviews from real customers. In this guide we explain every step with Bogotá businesses in mind.
The basics
What Google Mi Negocio is and why it changed its name
When someone searches "bakery near me" or "pharmacy in Cedritos," Google shows a map with several businesses and, next to it or below it, listings with name, address, hours, photos, reviews and buttons to call or get directions. That listing is your Google Business Profile, the tool that for years was called Google My Business or, as almost everyone in Colombia knows it, Google Mi Negocio.
Google changed the name in late 2021, and today many settings are managed right from Google Search or the Google Maps app. But people still search for "Google Mi Negocio," "Google Mi Negocio español" or simply "mi business," so we use both names in this guide. They mean the same thing.
Three things worth being clear on from the start:
- It's free. Google doesn't charge for the profile or for appearing organically on Maps.
- It's not the same as a website. It's a listing inside Google. It works much better when connected to a good website, but it doesn't replace one.
- It's not the same as ads. Paid Google ads can appear on Maps, but the profile on its own is organic visibility, earned with complete information, relevance and reputation.
The why
Why it matters for a business in Bogotá
Bogotá is a huge, competitive city. According to the Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá (Bogotá Chamber of Commerce), in 2025 there were 496,686 active companies in the Bogotá region, and between January and November 30, 2025, 81,372 new companies were created, 6% more than in the same period of 2024. That means in almost any category there are dozens of businesses a few blocks away competing for the same customer.
When someone searches for something local, Google usually shows a map with a small group of businesses first, what marketers call the "local pack." Being there with a complete, well-rated listing can be the difference between the customer calling you or the business down the street. From that listing the customer can:
Call
One tap on their phone and they're talking to you.
Message
Many profiles can show a chat or WhatsApp link, depending on what Google enables for your category and country.
Get directions
Google Maps guides them to your door, by car, on foot or on TransMilenio.
Visit your website
Where you show everything that makes your business special.
And in Colombia, a big share of those conversations end up on WhatsApp:
That's why our Google Business Profile service always connects the listing to the channel where your customers already are: WhatsApp.
Step by step
How to create or claim your profile, step by step
Before you start, search for your business on Google Maps. Often the listing already exists because a customer suggested it or Google created it from public data. If it exists, you don't create a new one: you claim it. Creating a second listing is one of the most common mistakes and produces duplicates.
Use a business Google account
Ideally a company email that both you and someone you trust can access. Avoid using an employee's personal account, or the nephew who "helped out"; if that person leaves, you lose control.
Search for your business on Google Maps
If it shows up, open the listing and look for the option to claim the business (it usually says something like "Own this business?"). If it doesn't, go to the official Google Business Profile page and choose to add your business.
Enter the real business name
Exactly as it appears on your storefront, your stationery and your Cámara de Comercio registration. No adding "the best" or "cheap."
Choose the primary category
It's the most important decision in the whole profile. Be specific: "Bakery" is better than "Store"; "Dentist" is better than "Health services."
Say whether you serve customers at a location
If you have a storefront, enter the full address and place the pin correctly. If you serve customers at their homes, choose service areas (explained below).
Add phone and website
A number where someone actually answers and, if you have one, your website. If you don't have a website yet, it's worth considering: it's where the customer confirms you're the best option.
Verify
Google will ask you to verify that the business is yours. It's the step that raises the most questions, so we explain it separately.
If all you want is to show up on the map quickly, we have a short guide: how to put my business on Google Maps, from your phone or computer.
Verification
Verification, according to Google
Verification is how Google confirms that you run the business. Without it, your profile doesn't reach its full potential and you can't fully manage it. This is what Google's official Business Profile help says:
- You don't choose the method: Google does. Based on your category, location and profile information, Google may offer you one or several.
- The review can take up to 5 business days after you complete the method.
- Don't edit the name, address or category while you wait. Changing that data can restart or complicate the process.
| Method | How it works | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or SMS | Google sends a code by call or text message. | The number must be the business's and must be available. |
| A code or link arrives by email. | Check your spam folder too. | |
| Live video | You do a video call or record a video with someone from Google support. | You must be at the business during opening hours and show signage or storefront, equipment or tools, and proof that you manage it (for example, opening the register or showing business documents). |
| Postcard | Google mails a postcard with a code to the business address. | It usually arrives within 14 days and the code expires after 30 days. |
Tip for the video: before recording, plan a short, continuous walkthrough. Start outside showing the sign and the street address marker, walk into the business, show your equipment or products and finish with something only the owner or manager can show. Do it in good light; in Bogotá it rains when you least expect it, so don't leave it for late afternoon.
Optimization
How to optimize your profile
A verified but empty profile competes at a disadvantage. Optimizing it means filling every section with real, up-to-date information.
Categories
Choose a very precise primary category and add secondary categories only if you really offer those services. A restaurant that delivers and serves an almuerzo ejecutivo (set lunch) can have related categories, but adding "Bakery" makes no sense if it doesn't bake bread.
Hours, including holidays
Colombia has many public holidays and long holiday weekends (puentes festivos) throughout the year, and each one is a chance to look good or bad. Use the special hours option to show whether you open, close or have reduced hours on a holiday Monday. Nothing generates more negative reviews than a customer who crosses half the city and finds the shutter down.
Photos
Upload real, recent photos: storefront (so people recognize you from the street), interior, products, team and finished work. Avoid stock photos.
Products and services
Describe what you sell in the words your customers use. If you run an auto shop, write "oil change," "alignment and balancing," "brakes." If you run a pharmacy, "home delivery," "blood pressure checks," "injections," as long as it's true.
Attributes
These are details like "wheelchair accessible," "Wi-Fi," "accepts cards" or "delivery." They vary by category. Mark them honestly: they help the right customer find you.
Posts
You can publish updates, offers and events directly on your profile. A simple post every week or two, with a good photo and a call to message you on WhatsApp, keeps your listing active.
Customer questions
If your profile shows the questions section, review it and answer clearly. And put your customers' frequent questions on your website: they also help Google and artificial intelligence understand your business.
All of this is part of local SEO in Bogotá: the work of showing up when someone nearby searches for what you offer.
Would you rather we help with your profile?
We review your Google Business Profile, tell you what's missing and explain how we'd work on it. Free quote, no commitment.
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Reviews: how to ask for them and how to answer them
Reviews are your customers' voice and one of the things people look at most before deciding. They also tell Google that your business is known and trustworthy.
How to ask ethically
- Ask at the right moment: right after good service, when the customer is happy.
- Make it easy: from your profile you can get a direct link to leave a review. Send it over WhatsApp with a short, friendly message.
- Ask for an honest opinion, not five stars: "Would you share your opinion on Google? It helps us a lot" works better than pressure.
- Ask everyone, not just the people you know will rate you well.
What you should never do: buy reviews, make them up, ask relatives or employees to pose as customers, or offer discounts or gifts in exchange for a review. Google's policies prohibit fake engagement, and Google can remove reviews, restrict the profile or suspend it. It's not worth risking years of work.
How to answer them
Answer every review. For positive ones, say thanks personally. For negative ones, respond calmly, without arguing in public, and offer to continue the conversation privately. Every future customer reads your reply.
Example
A review says: "I ordered delivery and it arrived cold." A good reply: "Thank you for letting us know, and we're sorry. We want to look into what happened with that order. Could you message us on WhatsApp with the date and address? We want your next experience to be what it should be."
Watch out
Common mistakes that cost you customers
1. A badly written address
Addresses in Bogotá follow their own logic: type of street, number, the "#" sign, the number of the cross street and the distance in meters. Write it out in full and always the same way, and don't forget the unit if there is one (local, oficina, interior, torre).
Example
Right: "Calle 85 # 15-20, Local 2, Bogotá." Wrong: "Cll 85 con 15," "Calle 85 #15 20" in one place and "Cl. 85 No. 15-20" in another. Pick one format and use it the same way on Google, your website, your social media and directories.
Also check that the pin sits exactly on your entrance. In areas like Galerías or Restrepo, with many shops on the same block, a few meters of difference confuses customers.
2. Mixing keywords into the name
"Panadería La Espiga" is fine. "Panadería La Espiga – Best Bread Bogotá Delivery Chapinero" is not. It may look like an advantage, but it goes against Google's guidelines and can end in suspension. Keywords belong in the description, services, posts and your website.
3. Outdated hours or a business that shows as closed
If you changed your hours, closed for vacation or open on holidays, update it. And if you ever marked the business as temporarily closed, don't forget to reopen it on the profile.
4. Duplicate profiles
Two listings for the same business split your reviews and confuse both Google and customers. If you find a duplicate, don't ignore it: report it from Google Maps or ask Business Profile support to remove or merge it.
5. Nobody answers
A perfect profile is useless if the phone rings and nobody answers, or if WhatsApp messages sit for days. This is where an AI agent for business can give the first reply, always with someone on your team checking quality.
No storefront
Businesses without a storefront: plumbers, deliveries and home services
Not every business receives customers at a location. A plumber, an electrician, a cleaning company, a baker who sells by delivery or a computer technician may work from home and serve the whole city. For them there's the service-area business profile.
- You verify with your real address but hide it from the public. Nobody sees where you live.
- You define service areas: localidades (boroughs), neighborhoods or towns. For example, Suba, Engativá and Usaquén, or Chía and Cota if you also serve the Sabana.
- Be realistic about the area. Marking half of Colombia won't help you; Google considers where the business actually is.
- Don't use a virtual office or coworking space where no staff are present; it can get the profile rejected.
If you have a storefront and also deliver, you can show the storefront address and indicate service areas at the same time.
Action plan
30-day checklist
If you want to do it yourself, here's a realistic plan for the first month. It's not magic: it's consistency.
Week 1: the foundation
- Search for the business on Google Maps and claim or create it (without duplicating).
- Use a business Google account and add a second trusted manager.
- Enter the real name, a precise primary category and the address in a single format.
- Complete verification with the method Google assigns and don't edit the name, address or category while you wait.
Week 2: the information
- Add regular hours and special hours for upcoming holidays.
- Write the business description in plain language.
- Add products and services using the terms your customers use.
- Mark the attributes that apply and connect your website and chat or WhatsApp channel if available.
Week 3: the image
- Upload real photos of storefront, interior, products, team and work.
- Publish your first post with news or a featured service.
- Check that the pin sits exactly on the entrance.
Week 4: the reputation
- Create the direct review link and save it as a quick reply in WhatsApp Business.
- Ask every satisfied customer of the week for a review.
- Answer every review, new and old.
- Check that name, address and phone match on your website, social media and directories.
- Schedule a monthly profile review.
To wrap up
The next step
Google Mi Negocio, or Google Business Profile, is one of the most powerful free tools for a neighborhood business, a small business or a startup in Bogotá. But it's only the first step of the journey: getting found. Next, your website has to show why your business is worth it, and every visit has to convert into a WhatsApp conversation, a call or a form.
At Bogotá SEO we work the whole journey: Google Business Profile management, SEO in Bogotá and web design that converts. Behind the team is Eye To Ad Media's technology, headquartered in Denver and working with businesses all over the world since 2012, and Spanish-language service is led by Stephany, who grew up in Bogotá.
We don't promise miracles or first place on Google; we promise serious work, honesty and the best tools. If you'd like us to review your profile, contact us for a free quote or let's talk on WhatsApp.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does Google My Business still exist?
Yes, under a different name. Since late 2021 Google has called this tool Google Business Profile. It is the same free listing that shows your business in Search and on Google Maps, with your address, hours, phone, photos and reviews. Many people in Colombia still search for it as Google Mi Negocio.
How much does a Google Business Profile cost?
Creating and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Google does not charge for the listing or for appearing organically on Maps. What does cost something is the time to optimize it properly, or hiring someone to do it, plus ad spend if you decide to run paid Google ads.
How long does Google Business Profile verification take?
It depends on the method Google assigns you. According to Google's official help, the review can take up to 5 business days, and if you get a postcard, the code usually arrives within 14 days and expires after 30. While you wait, don't change the business name, address or category.
Can I have a Google Business Profile if I work from home?
Yes. If you serve customers at their location, like a plumber or a delivery business, you can create a service-area business profile. You verify with your address but hide it from the public, and show the areas of Bogotá and the Sabana where you provide the service.
How do I get more Google reviews without cheating?
Ask for them. After good service, send the direct review link over WhatsApp and ask the customer for an honest opinion. Don't buy reviews, don't make them up and don't offer discounts in exchange, because Google's policies prohibit fake engagement and your profile can be penalized.
Why doesn't my business show up on Google Maps?
The most common causes are an unverified profile, a wrong address or misplaced pin, a category that doesn't fit, or a duplicate profile. Distance matters too: Google shows businesses close to the searcher first. Check each point, or ask us for a free review.
Can I put keywords in my business name on Google?
It's not a good idea. The profile name should be the real business name, as it appears on your storefront and documents. Adding words like best, cheap or the city goes against Google's guidelines and can lead to the profile being suspended.
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