How much does Google Business Profile setup cost?
Creating a Google Business Profile is free. Here is what people pay for, and what is worth paying for.
Short answer
A Google Business Profile costs nothing. Google does not charge to create it, verify it, keep it live or show it on Maps. What costs money is someone else's time to set it up or manage it, and ads, which are a separate Google product.
The profile itself is free
Google does not charge to create or run a Business Profile. You can do it yourself in about half an hour, then verify it. A call or email asking you to pay Google to "keep your listing active" is not from Google.
What people pay agencies for
Setup, category and description choices, photos, and help with verification. When we checked setup offers in September 2026, one-time setups ran from about $97 to $500. Ask for the list of what is included before you pay.
What monthly plans do
Monthly plans post updates, answer reviews, add photos and keep your details correct. That helps if you will not do it yourself, but none of it is secret. Nobody can buy you a position on Google Maps, so walk away from anyone who guarantees one.
How much does Google Business Profile optimisation cost with us?
Our prices are on the page, so you can compare. Profile setup is part of the $399 website package, together with the site on your own .com and a logo. If you want us to keep looking after the listing afterwards, our Google Maps listing care and reviews add-on is $50 a month. Both are our fees for the work, not payments to Google.
If you pay someone to manage your profile, what access should you give?
Make them a manager and stay the owner. Google's owners and managers help page, read November 6, 2026, says a manager has nearly the same access as an owner but cannot add or remove people, change roles or remove the profile. A profile has one primary owner, and that should be you. To invite someone, go to business.google.com, open More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access, select Add, enter their email and choose Manager. If you stop paying them, you remove them yourself and the profile stays with you.
Verification is the hard part
Google may ask for a short live video, postcard or phone code. We cannot promise approval, because Google decides.
Service-area businesses
If you travel to customers, you can hide your home address and list the areas you serve.
Google Ads are a different thing
Google Ads and Local Services Ads cost money per click or per lead. They are not part of your Business Profile, and you do not need them to have one.
What is worth doing
Choose the right main category, add every service, upload real photos, add your website link, and collect real reviews. Step by step. Then add the right keywords in the places Google reads.
Is paying worth it?
Pay if your time is worth more than the fee, or if verification keeps failing. Do it yourself if you have an hour and real photos. Either way, the profile works better when it links to a real website with the same services on it.
Kingpin Sites
Our $399 package includes Google Business Profile setup, linked to a website that matches it. See a free preview first.
Free preview within one business day. $399 once if you like it.