Quick guide
How to put my business on Google Maps: a quick guide for Bogotá
Step by step from your phone or computer, how to place the pin correctly, what to do if you work from home and how to improve your position on the map, with no tricks.
To put your business on Google Maps, create or claim your Google Business Profile from the Maps app or a computer, place the pin correctly, fill in name, category, hours and phone, and verify the business. To rank higher, work on relevance and prominence with a complete listing, real reviews and a good website.
To put your business on Google Maps, create or claim your Google Business Profile, place the pin exactly on your entrance, fill in the basic information and verify the business with the method Google assigns you. It's free and you can do it from your phone or computer in a few minutes; verification can take a few days. Appearing is the first step; ranking higher on the map takes steady work, and here we explain both.
First step
Before you start: is your business already on Maps?
Many people ask "how can I put my business on Google?" without knowing their business already shows up. Google Maps sometimes creates listings from public information or from users' suggestions. So before you do anything:
- Open Google Maps and type your business's exact name and neighborhood, for example "Ferretería El Tornillo Kennedy."
- If it shows up, don't create another listing: claim the existing one. Creating a new one produces duplicates that split your reviews and confuse everyone.
- If it doesn't show up, follow the steps below to create it.
Have on hand: the real business name (as it appears on your sign and at the Cámara de Comercio), the full address, a phone number someone actually answers, your hours and, if you have one, your website. Also a business Google account, not an employee's personal one.
Google Maps shows businesses through the Google Business Profile, the tool formerly called Google My Business (Google Mi Negocio in Colombia). This guide is the quick start focused on Maps; if you want the full explanation of every section, verification and reviews, read our definitive Google Business Profile guide.
From your phone
How to add it from your phone
Most business owners in Bogotá handle everything from their phone, between one customer and the next. You can do the whole thing from there. Button names change from time to time, but the path is this:
Open the Google Maps app
Signed in to the business's Google account. Update the app if you haven't in a while.
Find the option to add your business
Tap your profile picture or the menu and look for an option like "Add your business." Another way: long-press the exact spot on the map where your business is and choose to add a place or business.
Enter the name and category
The real name, with no extra words. The most specific primary category possible: "Hair salon," "Auto repair shop," "Colombian restaurant."
Add the address or service areas
If customers come to you, enter the full address and confirm the pin. If you go to the customer, choose service areas.
Add phone and website
Use a number that gets answered during business hours. If you have a website, paste it here.
Verify
Google will show you the method available for your case (phone, SMS, email, video or postcard). Do it as soon as you can.
From your computer
How to add it from your computer
On a computer it's easier to write the description, add services and upload photos. The process is similar:
Go to the official Google Business Profile page
Search Google for "Google Business Profile" and choose the option to manage or add your business.
Find or create the business
Type the name. If Google shows an existing listing that matches, claim it. If not, continue to create it.
Fill in the basic details
Name, category, whether you have a location customers can visit, address, phone and website.
Verify and complete the profile
After verifying, much of the management happens right in Google Search: search your business name while signed in and you'll see the panel to edit it.
While Google reviews the verification, which according to its official help can take up to 5 business days, don't change the name, address or category. If you get a postcard, the code usually arrives within 14 days and expires after 30. In the complete Google Business Profile guide we explain each verification method in detail.
Exact location
The pin: get it right from the start
The pin is the red marker that shows where your business is. If it's wrong, Google Maps sends your customers to the wrong door, which ends in "where exactly are you?" calls or, worse, customers who turn around and leave.
- Zoom in all the way and use satellite view to recognize your building or shop.
- Place the pin on the entrance, not in the middle of the block or on the street.
- In shopping malls (think Unicentro, Andino or Titán Plaza), place the pin on the mall and add the unit number in the address.
- In buildings with several entrances, use the one customers actually use.
- Write the address in full Colombian format, for example "Calle 85 # 15-20, Local 2," and always use it the same way.
Example
A bakery on a corner in 7 de Agosto has its entrance on the carrera, but Google placed the pin on the calle side, where there's a locked gate. Moving the pin to the real entrance keeps customers from circling the block looking for a way in.
No storefront
If you work from home or have no storefront
Many small businesses in Bogotá have no storefront: the electrician who visits apartments, the cleaning company, the person who sells desserts by delivery, the technician who fixes refrigerators. All of them can appear on Google Maps.
- When creating the profile, indicate that you don't serve customers at your address.
- Google will ask for the address to verify, but won't show it to the public.
- Choose real service areas: localidades (boroughs) like Fontibón, Bosa or Teusaquillo, or Sabana towns like Funza or Cota.
- Don't use the address of a coworking space or virtual office where no one is on site.
If you see customers by appointment at your home (for example, a manicurist or a small practice), then you do serve customers there and can show the address, as long as you're comfortable making it public.
Map position
How to appear higher on Google Maps
Being on Maps doesn't mean showing up first. Google explains that it ranks local results based on three factors: relevance, distance and prominence. In plain words:
Relevance
How well your listing matches what the person is searching for. You improve it with the right category, a clear description, complete services and products, and a website that explains what you do.
Distance
How close your business is to the searcher or to the place named in the search. You don't control it: a customer in Suba will see Suba businesses first. Don't try to game it with fake addresses.
Prominence
How well known and trusted your business is, online and offline. It's influenced by the number and quality of reviews, mentions on other websites and directories, and your website's search ranking.
What you can do this week
- Real photos: storefront, interior, products and team. People trust what they can see.
- Real reviews: ask every satisfied customer for an honest opinion and send the direct link over WhatsApp. Answer them all. Never buy or make up reviews, or offer discounts in exchange: Google's policies prohibit fake engagement.
- Up-to-date hours, including holidays and long weekends, which Colombia has many of.
- Posts from time to time, so the listing looks active.
This is what we do in our local SEO service in Bogotá: work on relevance and prominence in an organized way. We don't promise first place, because nobody can honestly guarantee it; we promise serious, measurable work.
Consistency
Same name, address and phone everywhere
Google compares your business information across many places: your profile, your website, your social media and online directories. If one place says "Cra. 15 # 93-40" and another "Carrera 15 No 93 40 Of 301," or you have an old phone number on Facebook, you're sending mixed signals.
Without consistency
- Three versions of the address in three places.
- An old phone number in a directory.
- The name spelled differently on Instagram.
- Customers calling a number that no longer exists.
With consistency
- One way of writing the address.
- The same phone and WhatsApp everywhere.
- The same name as on the sign and at the Cámara de Comercio.
- More trust from Google and from customers.
Make a list of where your business appears and fix them one by one. It's tedious, but it's one of the best effort-to-result tasks in local search optimization.
Convert
Your website and WhatsApp: where the sale closes
The Google Maps listing gets you found. But many people, before calling, tap the website button to see more: photos of past work, approximate prices, services, areas served, how to order. If you have no website, or yours is slow and confusing on a phone, that's where you lose the customer.
A good website connected to your profile:
- Strengthens relevance, because it tells Google in detail what you do and where.
- Shows what makes your business special, with photos and explanations that don't fit in the listing.
- Has a visible WhatsApp button, because in Colombia the conversation almost always starts there.
Depending on the category and country, Google may allow a chat or WhatsApp link right on the listing. If it's not available to you, the profile → website → WhatsApp path works very well. If you need the website, see our web design in Bogotá, built to turn visits into conversations. And if messages arrive while you're busy, an AI agent for your business can give the first reply, always with someone on your team checking.
Want us to review how your business shows up on Maps?
We'll tell you what's working, what's missing and how we'd improve it. Free quote.
Message us on WhatsApp Request your quoteTroubleshooting
What if it doesn't show up? Troubleshooting
You've done everything and you search for your business on Google Maps, but it doesn't appear. Before you despair, check these in order:
| What's happening | Possible cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| It doesn't appear even when searching the exact name | The profile isn't verified or verification is still under review. | Check the status on your profile. Finish verification and wait without editing the name, address or category. |
| It used to appear and disappeared | The profile was suspended, for example for keywords in the name or an address that doesn't meet the guidelines. | Fix whatever doesn't comply and request a review from your profile. |
| It appears by name, but not for "bakery in Chapinero" | The listing exists but lacks relevance or prominence compared with other businesses. | Improve category, services, photos, reviews and your website. |
| It appears in the wrong place | The pin is misplaced. | Edit the location and move the pin to the entrance. |
| Two listings for your business appear | There's a duplicate profile. | Report it from Google Maps or ask Business Profile support to remove or merge it. |
| It only appears when you're near the business | That's the distance factor, and it's normal. | Work on prominence and, if you serve customers at home, define your service areas well. |
A useful detail: when you test, also do it from another phone or a private window, and from another neighborhood. What you see from your shop isn't what a customer in Usaquén sees.
Don't forget
Quick checklist
- I searched for my business on Google Maps before creating a new one.
- I used a business Google account, not an employee's personal one.
- The name is the real one, with no extra keywords.
- The primary category is as specific as possible.
- The address is in full format and the pin is on the entrance.
- If I have no storefront, I hid the address and set real service areas.
- I completed verification and didn't edit key details while waiting.
- I added hours, including holidays, phone and website.
- I uploaded real photos of storefront, interior, products and team.
- I have the direct review link ready to send over WhatsApp.
- Name, address and phone match on my website, social media and directories.
Appearing on Google Maps is the first step to getting found. At Bogotá SEO we work the whole journey: getting you found, making your website show what makes your business special and turning every visit into a conversation. If you'd rather we handle your Google Business Profile or your SEO, request your free quote. We don't promise miracles; we promise serious work, honesty and the best tools.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I put my business on Google Maps from my phone?
Open the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture or the menu and choose to add your business, or long-press the exact spot on the map where your business is and choose to add a place. Fill in the name, category, address and phone, then verify the business with the method Google gives you.
How much does it cost to appear on Google Maps?
Appearing on Google Maps with a Google Business Profile is free. Google doesn't charge for the listing or for organic visibility on the map. It would only cost something if you decide to run Google ads or hire someone to optimize your profile and local presence.
How long does it take for my business to appear on Google Maps?
It depends on verification. According to Google's official help, the review can take up to 5 business days after you complete the method, and if you get a postcard, the code usually arrives within 14 days. Appearing is not the same as ranking high: that depends on relevance, distance and prominence.
Can I put my business on Google Maps if I don't have a storefront?
Yes. If you serve customers at their location, create a service-area business profile. You verify with your real address but hide it from the public, and show the boroughs or towns where you work, like Suba, Kennedy or Chía, in Bogotá and the surrounding Sabana.
How do I get my business to rank higher on Google Maps?
Google ranks local results by three factors: relevance, distance and prominence. You can improve relevance with a complete listing and the right category, and prominence with real reviews, good photos and a solid website. Distance depends on where the searcher is. Nobody can guarantee first place.
Why doesn't my business show up when I search for it on Google Maps?
Check whether the profile is verified, whether it was suspended, whether the pin is in the right place and whether there's a duplicate. Also search for the exact name: if it shows up that way but not by category, the listing exists and what's missing is relevance and prominence.
Can I connect WhatsApp to my business on Google Maps?
Depending on your category and country, Google may let you show a chat or WhatsApp link on the listing. If it's not available, put the WhatsApp button on your website and link the site from your profile. That way the customer reaches a conversation with you in two taps.
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