Claiming means proving you run the place
Most local businesses already have a Google listing, whether or not anyone at the business made it. Customers suggest places, Google pulls in data from elsewhere, and a profile shows up on Maps with your name and a pin. Claiming is the step where you tell Google you’re the person in charge and then prove it through verification. Until you do, anyone can suggest edits to your hours and phone number, and you have no direct way to reply to reviews or post updates.
The claim button only appears on profiles nobody has verified yet. That one detail explains most of the confusion owners run into. If you see Claim this business or Own this business?, the door is open. If you don’t, someone else (a former manager, an old agency, a franchise office, maybe you on a different Gmail) has already done it.
Pick the account first
Pick the Google Account carefully. The account that completes verification becomes the owner, and changing that later is a separate process with waiting periods. A shared business account that stays with the company is a safer bet than one employee’s personal email.
Check eligibility too. Google allows storefronts and service-area businesses that meet customers face to face during business hours. It does not allow profiles for online-only businesses or for properties that are for rent or sale.
How verification fits in
The claim help page doesn’t list which verification methods you’ll get, and that is because the options depend on the business. You might be offered a video recording, a phone or email code, or something else. Pick whatever Google offers and complete it in one sitting if you can. Google does not publish a time frame for reviewing claims on this page, so check back at business.google.com rather than guessing.
If someone else already verified it
If the profile is already verified by someone else and you’re authorized to manage the business, the claim flow won’t help. Google’s instruction is to request ownership from the current owner, which starts a short window for them to respond.
If you find two listings for your business, don’t claim both. Google allows one profile per business, and duplicates get their own clean-up process. And if you can’t find any listing at all, there’s nothing to claim: create a fresh profile from business.google.com/add instead.
If it doesn't work
- There's no Claim button at all: the profile may already be verified. If it's verified by someone else, use the ownership request flow.
- You see no claim button and suspect it's you: Google notes you may already own it. Sign in at business.google.com with every account you use.
- Your business doesn't show up anywhere: you don't have a listing to claim yet. Create a new profile instead.
- Verification stalls or fails: that is a separate process with its own options and rules, covered on our verification pages.
Questions owners ask
Does it cost anything to claim my Google listing?
No. Google's help page says adding or claiming a Business Profile is free. Anyone charging you to claim it is charging for their time, not for anything Google requires, and you can do the same steps yourself in a few minutes.
My listing was created by Google or a customer. Can I still claim it?
Yes. Listings often exist before the owner ever touches them. If the profile isn't verified yet, the Claim this business link is how you take it over. You still have to pass verification before Google treats you as the owner.
Which Google Account should I claim it with?
Use an account the business will keep, ideally tied to a company email rather than one person's private Gmail. Google's getting-started page suggests linking a company email. Whoever claims it becomes the owner, and fixing that later means a transfer.
Sources
- Add or claim your Business Profile (support.google.com)
- Set up a Business Profile (support.google.com)
- Get started with Google Business Profile (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.