Facts checked October 25, 2026, against the sources listed at the end.

If a veteran owns your business, you can add the "Veteran-owned" label to your Google Business Profile. Go to your profile, select Edit profile, then More, edit the identity group, set Veteran-owned to Yes and save. Google launched the label as "Veteran-led" in 2018, and its Help page lists it as "Veteran-owned" today.

Check this first: sign in to the Google account that manages your profile. Then search Google for your business name and town, or for "my business." Google says you must be signed in to the linked account to find and edit your profile (Find your business on Google). If you cannot find an Edit profile button, fix that before anything else.

How do I turn on the veteran-owned attribute on Google?

An attribute is a small fact Google shows on your listing, like whether you take cash or have Wi-Fi. Google's current steps are on its page Manage your business attributes:

  1. Go to your Business Profile.
  2. Select Edit profile, then More.
  3. Next to the group of attributes you want to change, select Edit. Google's page puts the veteran label in a group it calls "Business identity."
  4. Next to Veteran-owned, select Yes.
  5. Select Save.

Google reviews the change before it shows. Google says that review "usually takes about 10 minutes, but sometimes it can take up to 30 days." Google also warns that attribute names "may change over time." If your screen uses slightly different words, look for the same group of identity labels.

Is it called "Veteran-led" or "Veteran-owned"?

Both names are real, from different years.

Google announced the label on its blog on August 27, 2018. That post called it the "Veteran-Led" attribute. It said a business that is "owned, led, or founded by a veteran" could turn it on (Google blog, 2018).

Google's Help page today lists the label as "Veteran-owned." It says, "When you add this attribute, you inform everyone that your business is owned by someone of that identity" (Manage your business attributes).

So the wording moved from "led" to "owned." Google does not explain the change. It also does not say whether a veteran who leads or founded a business, but does not own it, still qualifies. The current page only talks about ownership. If that is your situation, the plain reading of today's page is that the label is for veteran-owned businesses.

Why don't I see the veteran-owned option on my profile?

Google does not give a full list of reasons. Here is what its Help pages do say, in the order to check:

  • Your location or category. Google says "some attributes can only be changed in certain locations, countries, or business categories." It does not say which countries or categories can use the identity labels. We could not confirm that on any Google page as of 2026-10-25.
  • Your verification. Before a profile is verified, Google says you can still edit some details, like name, category, address, hours, phone number and website. Attributes are not among its examples. To edit everything, Google says to verify first (Understand what happens to your Business Profile edits).
  • Your access. Managers have "mostly the same access" as owners. The exceptions are adding or removing users and removing the profile (Manage owners and managers). Google's table of roles shows that managers can edit attributes. If you are not an owner or a manager, you cannot.

What other identity labels does Google list?

The veteran label sits in a group with other identity labels. As of 2026-10-25, Google's attributes page lists these:

  • Asian-owned
  • Black-owned
  • Latino-owned
  • LGBTQ+ owned
  • Disabled-owned
  • Indigenous-owned
  • Veteran-owned
  • Women-owned
  • Small business

Google says you can choose more than one. The small business label has its own rules. Google says a franchise cannot be a small business, and a small business "makes less than $10 million a year." Google may also mark a business as small on its own, based on what it knows.

Do customers actually search for veteran-owned businesses?

Some do, and they type it in plain words. When we typed "veteran owned hvac" and "veteran owned plumbing" into Google's search box on 2026-10-25, Google suggested searches like these:

  • "veteran owned hvac near me"
  • "veteran owned hvac companies near me"
  • "veteran owned plumbing company near me"
  • "veteran owned contractors near me"

Google says its suggestions "reflect real searches that have been done on Google" (How Google autocomplete predictions work). That tells you people search this way. It does not tell you how many, and we have no count to give you.

Notice the word customers use: "owned." That matches the label Google uses today.

Will the veteran-owned label help me show up on Google?

Google's answer is careful, so ours is too. Google says, "If you add certain attributes, your business might show up in searches for places with those attributes" (Manage your business attributes). The word is "might." Google does not say how much it matters, or for which searches.

Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and how well known a business is (Tips to improve your local ranking). A label is one detail on your profile. It does not replace the basics Google names: a verified profile with complete, current information.

Where the label clearly helps is the customer who already cares. Say you run a heating and cooling company, and a homeowner picks between three listings. Google says attributes show on your profile in Search and Maps. If the homeowner wants to hire a veteran, the label answers that before the first call.

Can I take the label off later?

Yes. Google says you "can opt-in or opt-out of a business identity attribute at any time" (Manage your business attributes). Use the same steps and select No.

Does the label have to be true?

Yes. Google says adding an identity label tells "everyone" that the business is owned by someone of that identity. Its policies also say anything on a profile "must accurately represent" the business (Business Profile policies). Google says a profile that breaks its guidelines can be disabled or suspended (Find your business on Google). Only turn the label on if it describes your business today.

Where does Alloro fit in?

A note about our own work. Alloro manages the Google Business Profile for local businesses, and drafts replies to new Google reviews. Every change Alloro drafts waits for the owner's okay. It costs $499 a month per location, with no contract.

Sources

How this article was made: AI helped draft it. A person checked every fact against the sources listed above and approved it before it was published.