Storefront, service area or both
Google's guidelines give you three shapes of profile, and the choice drives everything after it.
| Type | Who it fits in Dubai | Address on the map |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront | Restaurant, salon, clinic, showroom that customers visit | Shown |
| Service-area business | Cleaning, AC repair, mobile car wash, photographers, movers | Hidden; you list areas you serve |
| Hybrid | A shop that also delivers or visits clients | Shown, plus service areas |
A service area "shouldn't extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time" from your base. Listing "UAE" for a Dubai cleaning company breaks that.
The guidelines also close two shortcuts that Dubai founders try:
- Virtual offices. A business that rents a mailing address but doesn't operate there is not eligible.
- Co-working desks. An office in a co-working space counts only if it has clear signage, receives customers and has staff during business hours. A flexi-desk licence address with no sign won't pass.
If you work from home or from a flexi-desk, register as a service-area business. That is the honest option, and it keeps your home address off the map.
The address problem: Makani, P.O. boxes and postcards
Dubai addresses don't fit Google's form well. The UAE has no postal codes; mail is organised around P.O. box numbers from Emirates Post. Google, in turn, says "P.O. boxes or mailboxes located at remote locations aren't acceptable" as a business address.
What works:
- Pin the entrance precisely. Dubai's official geo-addressing system, Makani, gives each building entrance a 10-digit number. Use it to check that your map pin sits on the right door, then write the address as building, street and area, with unit and floor in the second line.
- Keep it identical everywhere. Use the same building name and spelling as on your trade licence, website and signage.
- Don't count on the postcard. Google offers postcard verification only to some businesses, and most codes take up to 14 days to arrive. With mail tied to P.O. boxes, a card sent to a street address may never reach you. Phone, email or video is the realistic route in Dubai.
Verification: the methods and what the video must show
Google chooses which methods to offer you; you can't pick. The options are phone or SMS, email, a recorded video, a live video call and a postcard. Some businesses need more than one. Review takes up to 5 business days.
Google recommends video when you are eligible. The rules for the recording:
- Captured live in the Business Profile on a phone; no uploads of pre-recorded clips.
- One unedited, continuous take of at least 30 seconds.
| What to show | Storefront | Service-area business |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Street signs, building numbers, nearby businesses | Street signs or landmarks near your base |
| The business exists | Storefront, showroom or signage | Tools, equipment or products you work with |
| You manage it | Something only staff can access | You performing a service or opening a business-only asset |
Plan the take before you press record. Start outside with the street sign or the tower name, walk to your door, show the sign, then open a staff-only room, the till or the branded van. If a step goes wrong, record a new full take.
Where sources disagree
Google's page asks a storefront to show its "storefront, showroom, or business signage". One agency guide says Google rejects temporary or printed signs and that a business without permanent signage should switch to a service-area profile. Google's page does not say that. If your sign is a sticker on the door, expect a closer look, and show more proof of management.
Name, Arabic, categories and phone
Name. Use your real-world name as it appears on the sign and licence. Google forbids adding taglines, phone numbers, URLs, hours or location details. "Best Shisha Lounge Dubai Marina" gets profiles suspended.
Arabic. Dubai's advertising decree puts Arabic on outdoor signs, so many shopfronts show two names. Google's guidelines still list "repeating the same business name in multiple scripts or languages" as not acceptable, "even if it appears on storefront signage". Pick one version for the profile name. More on the signage side in our guide to Arabic language requirements.
Categories. Choose "the fewest number of categories it takes to describe your overall core business", as specific as possible. A dental clinic is "Dentist", not "Health" plus "Clinic" plus "Teeth whitening service".
Phone and website. The number should connect to this location, be local where possible and be under your direct control. The website link should point to the page for this location.
Photos and video
Google's specs:
| Media | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Photo format | JPG or PNG |
| Photo size | 10 KB to 5 MB |
| Photo resolution | 720 × 720 px recommended, 250 × 250 px minimum |
| Video length | Up to 30 seconds |
| Video size | Up to 75 MB, 720p or higher |
Google asks for images that are in focus, well lit and "represent reality", without heavy filters. For a restaurant or a clinic, that means real shots of the room, the team at work and the dishes or the equipment. Short vertical clips cut from your reels work as profile videos if they stay under 30 seconds. If you film people, get their consent; our filming permit guide covers the rules for shoots in Dubai.
Reviews: what you can ask for and what gets punished
You can ask every customer for a review, by QR code on the table, a link after the visit or a message after delivery. Google's fake engagement policy bans:
- Offering "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services" for a review, or for changing or removing a bad one.
- Asking only happy customers ("review gating") or discouraging negative reviews.
- Pressuring people to review while they are still on the premises.
- Reviews from staff, former staff, contractors or competitors, and reviews posted from several accounts by one person.
The penalties now hit the business. Google can block new reviews for a set period, unpublish existing reviews and show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed. Owners get an email first and can appeal.
A "free dessert for a five-star review" sign breaks this rule. Ask everyone, reply to every review in the language it was written in, and fix the complaint that keeps repeating.
