Short answer
A new business should create and verify its Google Business Profile before or on opening day, fill every field honestly, and start asking each customer for a review from week one. Add a simple website or landing page with your services and contact details. Expect visibility to grow over months, as Google gathers reviews, activity and mentions that show you are real and trusted.
Before you open the doors
- Decide your final business name and put it on the signboard. Changing names later is harder.
- Create your Google Business Profile with the address (or service area), phone, category and planned hours.
- Start verification early. Google may ask for a video of your premises, a postcard, phone call or other proof, and it can take time.
- Use pre-opening or opening date settings if your profile offers them, so people know when you start.
- Take good photos of the finished shopfront and inside as soon as it is ready.
Opening week
Post an opening announcement on your profile with dates and any genuine opening offer. Tell friends and neighbours you have opened, but do not ask them to post reviews unless they have actually been customers. Ask every early customer, politely and in the same way, to share feedback on Google. Put a small QR card at the counter.
Reply to every review, even the short ones. Early replies set the tone for your profile.
A simple website is enough to start
You do not need a large site on day one. One clear page with what you offer, where you are, opening hours, photos and a call or WhatsApp button is far better than nothing. Add service pages as you learn what customers ask for most. If you have no website at all, a landing page can hold you over until you build one, though a page on your own domain is better long term.
Months two and three
- Post on your profile every week or two.
- Add photos as stock, menu or services change.
- Get listed accurately on the few platforms customers in your trade use.
- Join the local trade association or market body and ask to be listed.
- Look at your first monthly numbers: are people finding you on Search or Maps, and what are they doing next?
Patience and what to avoid
New profiles often appear for searches of the exact business name first and for general searches later. That is normal. Resist shortcuts like buying reviews, putting extra keywords in the name, or creating extra profiles at other addresses. These can get a new profile suspended just as it starts gaining ground.
Starting out with AI Marketing Master
Onboarding works even if you have no website yet. You can save your business facts and offers once, and the AI uses them to draft your opening posts, a landing page with an enquiry form that feeds the CRM, and replies to your first reviews, all for your approval. Once your Google Business Profile is connected (which needs Google's API approval for the platform), the completeness audit shows what is still missing. The 30-day calendar can include local festivals from a checked list for your country.
What it does not do
- Profile features in the app need Google's API approval for the platform.
- Landing pages made in the app live on the app's /lp/ address, not your own domain.
Questions people ask
Can I create the profile before I open?
Yes. Google supports setting an opening date for many businesses, so the profile can be ready when you open.
How many reviews do I need?
There is no set number. Focus on a steady flow of honest reviews and replying to each one.
My verification is taking long. What can I do?
Follow Google's instructions exactly, keep signboard and premises photos ready, and avoid editing key details while verification is pending.
We only describe what the product really does today. Results depend on your business, your market and many things no tool controls.