Google Business Profile for homestays: set it up and get found

When someone searches for a homestay near a place, Google usually shows a map with a handful of properties before any website. Being on that map costs nothing. This guide covers who qualifies, how verification works now, and what to put on the profile.

Does your homestay qualify?

Google treats a property as lodging when it has someone managing it on site, guests who stay overnight, and a public address. A homestay where you or your staff look after guests meets that. A whole house let out with nobody on site counts as a vacation rental, which Google lists through approved partners rather than a Business Profile.

Name, address and category

• Name: exactly what is on your signboard. Do not add places or keywords ("Best Homestay Manali Riverside"); Google's rules forbid it and profiles get suspended for it.
• Address: the real address, with the map pin on your building, not the main road.
• Category: pick the closest lodging category on offer, such as guest house, bed and breakfast or homestay where it is shown.
• Hours: Google says indoor lodging such as hotels should not list opening hours.
• Signboard: Google expects permanent signage at the property.

Verification by video

Most new profiles are now verified with a short video recorded in the Business Profile on your phone. Google asks for one continuous, unedited recording that shows:

1. where you are: the signboard, the road outside or nearby landmarks;
2. that it is a working business: the rooms, the reception, the kitchen;
3. that you run it: opening a locked door, the keys, or a document with the business name.

Google says review can take up to five business days. Record in daylight, slowly, and keep the signboard in frame.

What to add once you are verified

• Photos: the outside, every room, the view, the bathroom, the food. Add new ones each season.
• Your website link: your own site, not an app listing, so a guest can book you without a commission.
• WhatsApp and phone: the number you answer.
• Amenities: Wi-Fi, parking, meals, hot water, pets.
• Reviews: ask happy guests for one at checkout, with a direct link, and reply to every review, including the bad ones.

Booking links on Google

Google can show free booking links for hotels, set up through Google's Hotel Center or a connected booking engine. There is no charge per click, and you cannot pay to rank higher. A small homestay can still put its own website on the profile, which is where most direct bookings from Google start.

Where StayCraft fits

A StayCraft site gives your profile somewhere to send people: your rooms, rates, photos and a booking form, with the structured data Google reads. Your site's admin also helps you collect guest reviews and point guests at your Google listing.