Adding your business to Google – is it free?

Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) is a service provided to companies by the Silicon Valley giant. If you have a visible presence on Google, it makes it easy for users to find key information, such as opening hours, location, or contact details of a particular business branch. Creating a profile offers many advantages like improved online visibility, appearing in local Google Maps search results, or expanding the client base. But the big question is whether it’s free to add a business to Google.

Google Business Profiles – set-up fee. Is the service free?

Creating a listing through your Google Business Profile is completely free. However, you can take advantage of paid options, such as Google Ads, that will further boost your company’s online visibility. It’s important to be aware of scammers that charge companies for creating such profiles. So if someone contacts you offering to create a listing for a fee, claiming that your business will not be visible on Google Maps without it, you can assume that you’re dealing with a scam.

For small businesses operating under a single address, managing a Google Business Profile (GBP) listing personally is relatively simple. However, companies offering services across dozens or even hundreds of locations nationwide may face challenges. Managing so many GBP listings requires much more time and resources. In such cases, you should consider getting help from an external company. Just keep in mind that you’re paying external companies mainly for the overall upkeep of your Google Business Profile. This service will include updating information and maintaining your brand’s image, rather than creating the GBP listing. While its creation might be included in the offer, the main purpose of such companies is to foster effective long-term development and management of your Google Business Profile.

Google Business Profile – fees that scammers might demand

Now that you know that creating a Google Business Profile is completely free, find out how scammers operate to extort fees. Here are some popular methods.

• Fee for displaying your GBP listing on Google

Even though employing a third party to create your Google Business Profile and to fill in the necessary data might generate costs, charging a fee for displaying your GBP listing in the search engine and on Google Maps would be an outright abuse. The Google Business Profile tool is completely free, and there is no fee for its display in organic search results.

• Fee for extending Google Business Profile’s validity

Your Google Business Profile, once created, remains valid until you remove it, Google deems it violates their policies, or users report it as a profile of a non-existent business (and Google verifies this report). You can mark your business as “permanently closed” in your Google Business Profile, which will, over time, cause the profile to lose its visibility. Scammers may claim that you need to pay to “maintain” the profile, but this is not true.

• Fee for adding a pin in Google Maps

Creating and verifying a Google Business Profile results in your business appearing on Google Maps. There is no need to pay a fee to ensure that the listing is displayed on Google Maps. You should treat any attempts to charge you for adding a pin as scams.

Keep in mind that any attempts to charge fees for basic functions of the Google Business Profile are illegal. The tool is free and designed to help businesses boost their visibility without any hidden costs.

Google Business Profile – potential costs – fee for profile management

If you choose to have an interactive agency or another organization manage your Google Business Profile, be prepared to pay for their services. However, if you get a call from an unknown person, claiming that you need to pay for managing your profile up till now (such as deleting spam or uploading photos), it’s a scam.

Advertising is another paid service available within the Google Business Profile. Google offers businesses the opportunity to place ads on Google Maps through Google Ads. This allows companies to effectively promote their services in local search results.

Google Business Profile – recap

Creating and maintaining a Google Business Profile listing is completely free, regardless of the number of locations where your company operates. Only additional services offered by Google, such as Google Ads or services offered by agencies that manage profiles, are paid. These additional costs are optional and do not affect the basic, free functions of the Business Profile.