How to get your Tenerife business on Google Maps
· 3 min read · The Isla IA team
When someone searches for "restaurant near me" in La Laguna or "garage in Adeje", Google doesn't show them websites first: it shows them a map with three businesses. If yours isn't there, for that customer you don't exist. The good news is that appearing on Google Maps is free and largely up to you.
1. Create (or claim) your Google Business Profile
Go to business.google.com with a Google account and search for your business name. One of two things will happen:
- It already exists, because Google created it or a customer added it. Click "Claim this business".
- It doesn't exist. Create it with your business's real name, exactly as it appears on your shopfront.
Google will ask you to verify that the business is yours: usually with a short video showing the premises, the sign and something that proves you run it (the till, the keys, your work equipment). Without verification, the profile barely shows up.
2. Choose your main category carefully
It's the single most important detail. "Restaurant" is too generic if what you run is a "Canarian restaurant" or a "guachinche". Choose the most specific category and add two or three secondary ones. Look at the categories used by the businesses that rank at the top in your area: it's the best clue.
3. Fill in everything, and we mean everything
Complete profiles appear more often and are more convincing. Check:
- Opening hours, including public holidays (the Canaries have many local and island holidays: Canary Islands Day, Candelaria, the Cristo de La Laguna…).
- Phone and WhatsApp, website and booking link.
- A 750-character description explaining what you do, for whom and in which area. Write it with the way people search in mind: "fresh fish in Los Abrigos", "diving in Las Galletas".
- Services or products with guide prices.
- Attributes: terrace, wheelchair accessible, English spoken, parking…
4. Photos: lots of them, good and recent
Profiles with photos get considerably more visits and calls. Upload at least 10: the front (so people recognise you when they arrive), the interior, the team, your products and, if you're a restaurant, dishes in good natural light. Add new photos every month; Google values activity.
5. Get reviews (without buying them)
Reviews are what most sets apart two similar businesses. The trick is to ask for them at the moment of greatest satisfaction: when the customer thanks you, when the activity ends, when you hand back the car.
- Print a card with a QR code that leads straight to writing a review.
- Send the link on WhatsApp after the service, with a short, personal message.
- Reply to all of them, the bad ones too, politely and in the customer's language.
Never buy reviews or offer discounts in exchange: Google detects them, deletes them and may suspend your profile.
6. Consistency: the same name, address and phone everywhere
Google cross-checks your profile with your website, your social media and directories such as TripAdvisor, the Yellow Pages or your town hall's directory. Writing "C/ Real 5" in one place and "Calle Real, nº 5, bajo" in another isn't a big deal, but an old phone number or a different name does undermine trust.
7. Post once a week
The profile lets you publish news, offers and events. One post a week (today's set menu, a new excursion, the summer opening hours) keeps the profile "alive".
How long until you see results?
Changes to the profile show up within days; climbing the rankings usually takes a few weeks and depends a lot on your reviews and on how competitive your area is. Be wary of anyone promising "guaranteed first place": nobody controls Google's algorithm.
If you'd rather we took care of it, our local SEO and Google Maps service leaves your profile spotless and gives you a simple system to get reviews every week.