Setting Up Google Business Profile in Gibraltar and Spain

Updated: 13 October, 2026

When someone nearby searches for what you sell, the first results they see are usually on a map, and those come from Google Business Profile. Getting your Google Business Profile setup right is free, takes an afternoon, and matters more than almost anything else for local customers. This guide walks through it for businesses in Gibraltar and Spain, including the details that trip people up on both sides of the border.

Before you start

Have these ready, so you can finish in one sitting:

• Your real business name. Exactly as it appears on your signage, invoices and website.

• Your address. Including the street, number and building name, even if customers never visit.

• One main category. What your business is, for example "Dentist" or "Plumber", plus a few secondary ones if they genuinely apply.

• Opening hours. Including how you'll handle holidays.

• A phone number and website address. Ideally on your own domain.

• A few photos. The front of your premises, the inside, your team and your work.

Step 1: create the profile

Go to Google Business Profile and sign in with the Google account you'll use for the business; a shared business account is easier to hand over later than a personal one. Search for your business name first: if a profile already exists, claim it rather than creating a second one. Google's guidelines allow only one profile per business, and duplicates can be removed or suspended.

Step 2: name and category

Use your real business name and nothing more. Google's guidelines don't allow taglines, locations or services added to the name, so "Smith Dental Clinic" is fine, while "Smith Dental Clinic Best Dentist Gibraltar" breaks the rules and risks suspension.

For categories, Google suggests choosing what your business is, not everything it has: a restaurant with a bar is a restaurant. Pick the most specific main category you can, and add secondary categories only where they're true.

Step 3: address or service area

This is where most mistakes happen.

• If customers visit you, show your address. It must be a real, staffed location: Google doesn't accept PO boxes, remote mailboxes or virtual offices.

• If you go to customers, for example as a plumber, cleaner or web designer, hide your address and set a service area instead. Google still needs a real address behind the profile to verify it; it just isn't shown.

• If you do both, you can show your address and add a service area.

Google's service-area guidelines suggest keeping service areas within roughly two hours' drive of your base. For a Gibraltar business that serves the Campo de Gibraltar, that comfortably covers La Línea, San Roque, Algeciras and Los Barrios.

A note for Gibraltar

Every address in Gibraltar shares the postcode GX11 1AA, so Google can't use the postcode to tell businesses apart. Enter the full street address and building name, and check the pin carefully: drag it onto your actual door if it lands in the wrong place. Use exactly the same address on your website and anywhere else you're listed.

A note for Spain

Use the address exactly as it appears in official records, including the street type (Calle, Avenida, Urbanización), number and postcode. In urbanisations without clear street numbers, the pin matters even more. If you trade under a name different from your company's registered name, use the trading name customers see, as long as it's on your signage.

Step 4: verification

Google decides how you verify, as its verification help page explains; you can't choose. Depending on your business and region, you may be offered a phone call or text, an email, a live video call, a video recording or a postcard with a code.

• Video. Google recommends it where available. You record or show, in one continuous take, your location, your signage or equipment, and proof that you run the business, such as opening the premises or showing tools of the trade. Live video calls only happen during your opening hours.

• Postcard. Most codes arrive within 14 days, and they expire after 30 days, so don't change your address or name while you wait.

• Review time. After you submit, Google's review usually takes up to five working days.

Step 5: complete everything

A verified but half-empty profile loses to a complete one. Fill in:

• Hours, including holidays. Gibraltar and Spain have different bank holidays, and many Spanish towns close for their local feria. Set special hours in advance so customers don't arrive to a closed door.

• Services or products. With prices where you can.

• A description. Plainly explain what you do, who for and where.

• Photos. Real ones, added regularly. Customers trust what they can see.

• Booking or quote links. If you take bookings online, link straight to them.

Step 6: reviews

Reviews are one of the strongest signals for the map results, and the first thing many customers read.

• Ask every happy customer. A short message with your review link after a job works best.

• Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and promptly. Other customers read your replies.

• Don't buy reviews or offer rewards for them. Google removes fake and incentivised reviews and can restrict profiles that use them.

Step 7: keep it alive

Post an update, offer or photo now and then, answer questions people ask on your profile, and check your hours before every holiday. Then connect it all to a website that matches: the same name, address and phone number, with pages that answer what customers search for.

Common mistakes

• Keywords in the business name. It might help briefly, and then risks suspension.

• A virtual office address. It isn't eligible, and profiles using one can be removed.

• Two profiles for one business. Merge or remove duplicates.

• Different details everywhere. An old phone number on one directory and a new one on your website weakens trust in both.

• Setting it up and forgetting it. Out-of-date hours and unanswered reviews cost customers.

Need help?

Our SEO set-up includes a complete Google Business Profile, alongside technical fixes and keyword research: see SEO in Gibraltar and SEO in Marbella. If your profile needs a website to point to, see web design in Gibraltar, or read how much a website costs in Gibraltar.

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Business Profile free?

Yes. Creating and managing a profile costs nothing.

Can I have a profile without premises customers visit?

Yes, as a service-area business: you hide your address and set the areas you serve. You still need a real address for verification.

Can I use a virtual office or co-working address?

Not a virtual office. A co-working space only qualifies if it has your signage, receives customers during your opening hours and is staffed by your business.

How long does verification take?

It depends on the method Google offers. Reviews usually take up to five working days; postcards usually arrive within 14 days.

Should I put my main service in the business name?

No. Use your real business name only. Keywords in the name break Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.