Google business account: the free one, the paid one, the ads one
A Google business account means one of three different products, and the one most people are looking for is free. The Google Business Profile puts your business on Maps and in search results with hours, photos and reviews, and costs nothing. Google Workspace gives you email on your own domain plus Drive, Docs and Meet, from £5.90 per user per month excluding VAT. A Google Ads account is free to open and charges per click when you advertise. Here is which one you actually need, and in what order.
First: the free profile that puts you on the map
The Google Business Profile is the highest-value free asset a local or service business can claim. It is the panel that appears when someone searches your name: opening hours, directions, phone, website, photos and the reviews that decide whether people call you or the next result. Claiming it takes an evening at google.com/business, verification arrives by post, video or phone depending on the business type, and service businesses can hide their address and show a coverage area instead. If you do one marketing task this month, do this one.
Second: Workspace, when gmail.com stops being acceptable
Workspace is what turns you@gmail.com into you@yourcompany.co.uk, with the same Gmail underneath plus shared Drive, Docs and Meet. UK pricing in 2026, excluding VAT: Business Starter at £5.90 per user per month on an annual commitment or £7 flexible, Business Standard at £11.80 or £14, Business Plus at £18.40 or £22. For a one-person business the £5.90 Starter tier is the one that matters: the credibility upgrade of a domain email costs less than a coffee a week. You will need to own the domain first, which is exactly what the name check confirms is available.
Third: the Ads account, last and optional
A Google Ads account is free to create and only costs money when you run campaigns, paid per click. It is the third priority for a reason: paid clicks on top of a weak profile and no proper email is money spent sending people to an unconvincing destination. Claim the profile, sort the email, then decide whether ads earn their keep.
The order of operations
- Claim and verify the free Business Profile. Fill in every field; complete profiles rank better locally.
- Register your domain if you have not, then add Workspace Starter if you want domain email.
- Collect reviews steadily; they are the profile's ranking fuel and your best salesperson.
- Only then consider Ads, with a budget you can afford to treat as an experiment.
And underneath all of it, the boring foundation: getting paid still needs a proper business bank account, six of which cost nothing monthly.
Questions people actually ask
Is a Google business account free?
The one most people mean, a Google Business Profile for appearing on Maps and Search, is completely free. Google Workspace, the paid product with professional email on your own domain, starts at £5.90 per user per month excluding VAT on an annual plan.
What is the difference between a Google Business Profile and Google Workspace?
A Business Profile is your public listing on Google Maps and Search: opening hours, reviews, photos. Workspace is your private toolkit: Gmail on your own domain, Drive, Docs, Meet. A local business usually needs the free profile first and Workspace only when it wants email that does not end in gmail.com.
How much does Google Workspace cost in the UK in 2026?
Business Starter is £5.90 per user per month excluding VAT with an annual commitment, or £7 on a flexible monthly plan. Business Standard is £11.80 annual or £14 flexible, and Business Plus £18.40 annual or £22 flexible. VAT at 20% is added to all of them.
Do I need a Google Business Profile if I have no shop?
If customers ever search for you by name, yes. Service businesses can list without showing an address. The profile is what puts your reviews, hours and phone number in the results panel, and it is free, so the only cost is the setup evening.
Is a Google Ads account the same thing?
No. A Google Ads account is a third thing: free to create, you pay per click when you run adverts. You can hold all three, and the Business Profile is the one to sort first because it works without spending anything.
Figures checked 4 July 2026; confirm details with the provider before applying. We may earn a commission through links on this page.