How to Find a Business on Google My Business

Trying to find a specific local business online can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but Google’s platform makes it incredibly simple once you know how to use it. Whether you’re searching for a restaurant a friend recommended, scoping out competitors, or just checking your own company's online visibility, there's a quick and efficient way to do it. This guide will walk you through several easy methods for finding any business using Google Search and Google Maps, along with some extra tips to get you the right information every time.

Understanding Google Business Profiles (Formerly Google My Business)

Before we get started, let’s quickly clarify what we’re looking for. What used to be called "Google My Business" (GMB) is now known as a "Google Business Profile" (GBP). This is the information hub that pops up in Google Search and Google Maps for a local business. Think of it as a digital storefront that provides customers with all the essential details about a company at a glance.

A complete Google Business Profile typically includes:

• Business name, address, and phone number (NAP)
• Hours of operation
• A link to the business’s website
• Customer reviews and star ratings
• Photos and videos from both the business and its customers
• A Q&A section where anyone can ask questions
• Products or services offered
• Updates, offers, and posts from the business

When you "find a business on Google," you're really just pulling up this profile. The methods below are all different ways to get to this valuable information panel.

The Easiest Method: The Direct Google Search

If you already know the name of the business you're looking for, a simple Google search is your fastest route. This method works best when you have a reasonably unique business name and its general location.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Google Search: Head to google.com in your web browser.
2. Type the Business Name and Location: In the search bar, enter the name of the business followed by its city or neighborhood. The more specific you are, the better. For example, instead of just typing "Corner Coffee," you’d have more success with "Corner Coffee Shop Portland Oregon".
3. Look for the Knowledge Panel: If Google finds a match, you'll see a large information box appear on the right side of the search results page (on desktop) or at the top of the results (on mobile). This is the Google Business Profile knowledge panel. It will contain the business's address, hours, photos, reviews, and a map pinpointing its location.

This direct approach instantly gives you everything you need to know. You can click the "Directions" button to navigate there, tap the phone number to call, or click the website link to learn more, all without ever leaving the search results page.

Finding a Type of Business in Your Area

What if you don’t have a specific business in mind, but you know what you need? Maybe you’re looking for a good place to get tacos or need an emergency plumber. This is where "discovery searches" come into play.

These searches leverage keywords related to a business category or service along with your location.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Open Google Search or Google Maps: This method works equally well in both.
2. Use a Category and Location Keyword: Type in the kind of business or service you’re looking for, followed by "near me" or "in [your city name]". Let your browser or phone share your location for the best "near me" results.

Some examples of effective discovery searches include:

• "bookstores near me"
• "vintage clothing stores in Austin"
• "24-hour locksmith"
• "best brunch spots downtown"

Understanding the "Local Pack"

When you perform one of these searches on Google, you'll likely see a special result at the top of the page called the "Local Pack" or "Local 3-Pack." This is a box containing a small map with three business listings displayed below it. Each listing includes the business name, its average star rating, and a key piece of information like its address or hours.

The Local Pack is Google’s way of showing you the most relevant, prominent, and highly-rated options for your search query. From here, you can click on any of the three listings to see their full Business Profile or click the "View all" link to see a more comprehensive list of all businesses in that category mapped out.

Using Google Maps for a Visual Search

For many people, especially on mobile devices, Google Maps is the go-to tool for finding local businesses. Its visual interface makes it incredibly easy to see where businesses are in relation to you and discover new places you might not have known about otherwise.

Searching on the Map

The search process within Google Maps is similar to a regular Google search. Just type the business name or category into the search bar at the top of the screen. Instead of a knowledge panel, you'll see pins appear on the map for all relevant businesses. You can click on any pin to bring up a summary of that business's profile, including their star rating and a "Directions" button.

Browsing and Discovering

One of the best features of Google Maps is the ability to discover businesses without explicitly searching. Simply open the app, zoom into a neighborhood or commercial street, and business icons will start to appear. You’ll see little icons for forks and knives (restaurants), beds (hotels), shopping bags (retail stores), and more.

Tapping any of these icons will pull up the business's name and details. This is an excellent way to explore a new city or even find hidden gems in your own neighborhood that you’ve been walking past without realizing.

Take Advantage of Filters

When you search for a category in Google Maps (like "sushi"), a set of filters will appear under the search bar. These are powerful tools to narrow down your results. You can filter by:

• Open now: Shows only businesses that are currently open.
• Top rated: Sorts results to show businesses with 4.5 stars or higher first.
• Price: Lets you choose a price range ($, $$, $$$).
• Cuisine Type: Allows you to pick specific food genres.

Using these filters can save you from digging through dozens of listings to find exactly what you're looking for.

Pro Tips for Nailing Your Search Every Time

If you're still having trouble finding what you need, here are a few extra techniques to refine your search.

Be Hyper-Specific with Keywords

Sometimes, broad terms are too generic. Instead of searching for "italian restaurant," try "restaurant with handmade pasta" or "trattoria with outdoor seating." The more details you give Google, the more accurate list of businesses it can provide you. This is especially helpful in crowded markets like large cities.

Try Different Name Variations

A business might have a legal name that's different from the name everyone calls it. If you can't find "Mike's Bike Shop," try searching for "Michael's Bicycles" or just "bike shop" in that area to see if it comes up under a different name.

Leverage User Photos and Reviews

Found a business but aren’t sure it’s the right one? The user-submitted photos within a Google Business Profile are a goldmine of information. They can give you a true sense of a place's atmosphere, the quality of its products, or an idea of how busy it gets. Read through recent reviews to see what other customers are saying, as this often gives you the most honest assessment.

For Business Owners: How to Check Your Own Visibility

If you're a business owner, you're not just a searcher - you need to know how customers find you. Regularly searching for your own business on Google is a way to perform a quick health check of your online presence.

1. Search your exact business name: Make sure your profile appears correctly and all your information (address, hours, phone number) is up to date. This is what returning customers will likely see.
2. Search your business category in your service area: Look up what you do - for example, "air conditioning repair Dallas" - to see where you rank in the Local Pack compared to your competitors.
3. Use an Incognito window: To get the most objective results, always perform these searches in a private or incognito browser window. This prevents your personal search history and location data from influencing the results, giving you a better idea of what a brand-new customer would see.

Seeing your business from a customer's perspective is invaluable. It helps you spot outdated information, identify negative reviews that need a response, and understand what your competitors are doing to attract customers on Google.

Final Thoughts

Finding a business on Google is a straightforward process, whether you're using a broad search query in Google Search or visually exploring a neighborhood in Google Maps. By knowing the business's name, its category, or even just a general location, you have everything you need to pull up a detailed profile with all the information you need in just a few clicks.

Once you’ve confirmed your business is easy to find on Google, the next move is often making sure your social media presence is just as visible and effective. Managing that daily juggle of scheduling content, engaging with followers across multiple platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook can get overwhelming fast. We built Postbase to solve this chaos. We focused on making it incredibly simple to schedule video and photo content everywhere at once, manage all your comments and DMs in a single inbox, and see your analytics clearly - all from one clean planning calendar.