How To Set Up an Apple Business Listing for Your Business

An Apple Business Listing is a digital profile that helps customers find accurate information about your company across Apple services, including Apple Maps, Siri, and Spotlight.
Creating and managing your listing can increase your visibility among Apple users, strengthen your brand presence, and make it easier for potential customers to take action, whether that means visiting your website, calling your business, booking a reservation, or scheduling an appointment.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to set up an Apple Business Listing, how Apple Business has changed, common mistakes to avoid, and how to optimise your profile for greater local visibility.
Contents
- What Happened to Apple Business Connect?
- Why Use Apple Maps If You Already Have a Google Business Profile?
- How To Set Up an Apple Maps Business Listing
- How To Sign Up for Apple Business
- How To Optimise Your Apple Business Listing
What Happened to Apple Business Connect?
Apple Business Listings were previously managed through Apple Business Connect. However, on 14 April 2026, Apple incorporated Apple Business Connect into its wider Apple Business platform alongside several of its other business tools.
The features businesses previously used through Apple Business Connect, including place cards and Apple Maps visibility, remain available. They are now simply managed through Apple Business instead.
Why Use Apple Maps If You Already Have a Google Business Profile?
Google Maps and Google Business Profile remain hugely important for local visibility, with Google reporting that more than one billion people use Maps each month.
However, that doesn’t mean businesses should overlook Apple Maps. Maintaining an accurate Apple Business Listing gives you another opportunity to reach potential customers, particularly those using Apple devices.
There are several reasons to consider it:
- Reach a Large Number of iPhone Users: iPhones remain extremely popular in the UK. In 2025, 55% of women and 51% of men surveyed used an iPhone.
- Connect With Younger Audiences: Apple devices are especially popular among younger age groups, with 69% of 16–24-year-olds and 60% of 25–34-year-olds using an iPhone.
- Appear Across More Apple Services: Your business information can also surface through services such as Siri, Spotlight, and CarPlay, extending your visibility beyond Apple Maps itself.
Rather than treating Apple Maps as a replacement for Google Business Profile, businesses should view it as another important part of a complete local search presence.
How To Set Up An Apple Maps Business Listing
Ready to add your business to Apple Maps? Follow these steps to create your listing.
1. Sign in With the Right Permissions
Log in to Apple Business using an account with permission to manage locations. If you are unsure who has access, check your organisation’s roles and permissions before you begin.
2. Go to Locations
Once you are signed in, navigate to Brands > Locations.
3. Add a New Location
Select Add to begin creating your business listing.
4. Enter Your Business Name & Location
Enter the name of your location and select Locate to find it on the map.
5. Check the Map Pin
Make sure the marker appears in the correct position.
If it has been placed on the wrong building or entrance, adjust the map pin or enter your exact coordinates. You can also zoom in or switch to Hybrid or Satellite view to pinpoint your location more accurately.
6. Confirm the Location
Once you are happy that the map pin is correct, select Next.
7. Add Your Business Details
You will then be asked to provide information about the location, including:
- Your default language
- Your display name
- Your primary business category
- Whether your business is Open or Opening Soon
- Your phone number, including the country code
- Your website or a link to a supported social media profile
Take particular care when choosing your primary category, as this helps Apple understand the type of business you operate and when your listing should appear.
If you manage the listing on behalf of another organisation, you may also need to enter your third-party partner Organisation ID.
8. Add Your Opening Hours
Enter your normal operating hours and check them carefully before continuing.
You should also keep these updated whenever your opening times change, particularly around bank holidays or Christmas.
9. Choose or Create a Brand
Select an existing brand associated with your organisation or create a new one for the location.
10. Confirm Your Category Settings
You can choose to apply the location’s primary category to the associated brand as well.
11. Verify Your Business
The verification process will vary depending on your existing Apple Business setup.
- If your organisation is already verified, you may be able to select Done.
- If you are claiming an existing location, you may need to confirm your organisation or complete phone verification.
- If this is your organisation’s first location, you will need to verify the organisation and submit it for Apple’s review.
Make sure your email filters allow messages from Apple domains so that important verification emails are not accidentally blocked.
12. Complete Your Listing
You may then be given the option to select Get Started and add further information to your location.
The more accurate and complete your listing is, the easier it will be for potential customers to understand your business and decide whether to contact or visit you.
How To Sign Up for Apple Business
Before you can create or manage an Apple Maps listing, you will need an Apple Business account.
Before signing up, check whether your organisation’s email domain has already been registered with Apple Business or Apple School Manager. If it has, you may need to speak to the person who already manages your organisation’s Apple account.
It is also worth remembering that you have 60 days after signing up to verify your organisation.
Visit business.apple.com and follow these steps:
1. Select ‘Sign up now’
This starts the enrolment process.
2. Enter Your Organisation's Details
You will be asked to provide information including:
- Your organisation’s name
- Whether you want to receive Apple Business news, updates and promotions
- Your website URL
- Your organisation’s location and address
Adding your website is optional, but it may help with the verification process.
If you are creating an account for your own organisation, do not select the agency option. This is intended for third-party partners managing brands on behalf of other businesses.
3. Select ‘Next’
Continue once you have checked that your organisation details are correct.
4. Add Your Personal & Account Information
You will then need to provide:
- Your first and last name
- Your country or region
- A password
- Your phone number and region code
- The characters displayed on screen
The person registering the organisation should use their real legal name rather than a generic job title or shared account name.
5. Continue to Verification
Select Next once everything has been completed.
6. Verify Your Email Address
Enter the verification code Apple sends to your email address.
7. Verify Your Phone Number
Enter the code sent to your chosen phone number.
8. Agree to the Terms
Review the Apple Business Terms and Conditions and select Agree.
9. Add Optional Business Information
Apple may ask which features you are interested in and how many employees your organisation has.
You can complete this information or choose to skip it.
10. Verify Your Organisation
Finally, complete Apple’s organisation verification process.
Once your organisation has been approved, you will be able to manage your business information and locations through Apple Business.
How To Optimise Your Apple Business Listing
Creating your listing is only the first step. Keeping it complete, accurate and up to date can help customers trust the information they see and make it easier for them to interact with your business.
Here are some of the most important areas to focus on.
Keep Your Opening Hours Accurate
Update your opening hours whenever they change, including temporary or seasonal adjustments.
Incorrect opening times can quickly frustrate potential customers, particularly if they make a journey based on outdated information.
Add Special & Holiday Hours
Make sure bank holidays, Christmas opening times, and other temporary changes are reflected on your listing.
This helps customers know exactly when you are available.
Use a Consistent Business Name
Your business name should be consistent across Apple Maps, your website, Google Business Profile, and other important online directories.
Consistency makes your brand easier for customers to recognise and reduces the risk of conflicting information appearing online.
Choose the Most Relevant Category
Select the category that most accurately describes your core business activity.
It is also worth reviewing this periodically, as Apple may introduce new or more specific categories over time.
Review Your Profile Regularly
Business information changes, so avoid treating your listing as a one-off task.
Set a reminder to review it every few months and check that your address, phone number, website, categories, and opening hours are still accurate.
Complete Business Verification
Make sure you complete Apple’s verification process.
Verification gives you greater control over your business information and helps ensure customers are seeing details supplied directly by your organisation.
Add High-Quality Images
Use clear and professional images of your premises, products, services, or team where appropriate.
Good photography can help potential customers recognise your business, understand what you offer, and feel more confident about visiting or contacting you.
Need Help Improving Your Local Visibility?
Your Apple Business Listing is just one part of your wider local search presence.
At Beyond Your Brand, we help businesses improve their visibility across search engines, maps, and other platforms through our SEO services.
We can help you set up and optimise your Apple Business Listing, keep your information accurate, and develop a broader local SEO strategy designed to help more of the right customers discover your business.
Contact us to find out how we can support your local search visibility.
FAQs
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What is an Apple Business Listing?
An Apple Business Listing is your business profile across Apple’s ecosystem, including Apple Maps, Siri, Wallet, and Spotlight.
It can display information such as your address, opening hours, phone number, and photos to people searching through Apple devices and services.
Listings are now managed through Apple Business, which incorporated Apple Business Connect in April 2026.
Claiming and verifying your listing gives your organisation greater control over the information customers see.
-
Is Apple Business Connect still available?
No, Apple incorporated Apple Business Connect into its wider Apple Business platform on 14 April 2026.
Features previously available through Apple Business Connect, including place cards, Showcases, and Maps visibility, are now managed through Apple Business.
Existing users can continue to access these tools through the newer platform.
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How much does an Apple Business Listing cost?
Creating, claiming and managing a standard Apple Business Listing is free.
There is no charge to add your business, verify your organisation or update core information such as your place card, photographs, and opening hours.
Apple has also announced paid advertising products for Maps in some markets, but these are separate from its standard business listing tools.
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How long does Apple Business verification take?
Verification can take several working days after you submit the required information, although timings may vary.
Apple also requires organisations to complete verification within the specified period after creating an account, so it is worth starting the process promptly.
Depending on your organisation, Apple may offer different verification methods, such as business identification, domain validation, App Store Connect association, or supporting business documents.
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Do I need a D-U-N-S number to set up an Apple Business Listing?
Not necessarily. A D-U-N-S number may be one way to support organisation verification, but Apple can offer alternative verification methods depending on your business and account.
These can include domain validation, App Store Connect, or supporting documentation such as a business licence, lease agreement, or utility bill.
For businesses that do not already have a D-U-N-S number, one of these alternative methods may be more convenient.
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