What Is a Google Business Profile? What It Does and Why It's Worth Setting Up Right
When you search Google for a café, a plumber or a service nearby, you’ve probably noticed a box with a map, opening hours, reviews and a phone number. That’s a Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) — a free listing from Google that shows your location, contact details, hours, services, reviews and photos when someone searches for your business, or for what you do, in their area.
For a lot of local searches, it’s the first thing a person sees before anything else on the page.
One profile puts you in multiple places at once: the map, the list of businesses at the top of local results, and the info panel that appears when someone searches your business name directly.
Most businesses use it to collect reviews and show their contact details and hours. It works best as part of a wider SEO strategy, paired with a strong website: your profile tends to capture customers who are already close to acting, while your website does the convincing for everyone still deciding.
Key Takeaways
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Google Business Profile vs your website: what each one does
Google Business Profile | Your website | |
Primary role | Digital business card & local discovery point | Digital storefront & full brand experience |
Best for | Fast contact info, local SEO, map directions, quick reviews | Deep service breakdowns, brand story, portfolio, custom lead forms |
SEO impact | Dominates local map searches and the top local listings box | Builds broader organic search authority and topic expertise |
User experience | Structured format, controlled by Google | Fully custom design, brand identity and user journey |
Primary goal | Drive immediate calls, directions or website clicks | Build trust, educate visitors, convert leads into enquiries |
The takeaway: Designed to work together, not replace one another; each wins different searches, different buyer stages, and serves a different purpose | ||
How a Google Business Profile works
If you’ve ever wondered what the box that appears when you search for a business is called — the one with the hours, the contact details, the photos, the reviews and a map pin — that’s a Google Business Profile: a free platform from Google that lets you manage how your business appears across Google Search and Google Maps.
Think of it as a digital business card. Handing someone a physical card gives them your number, address and name on the spot — an optimised profile does the same thing digitally, showing your key details the instant someone searches for what you do, except this time, actually reaching you is only a click away.
One profile can show up in several places, depending on how someone searches: alongside other listings at the very top of a local search, as a pin on Google Maps, or as the info panel beside a direct search for your business name.
What a Google Business Profile shows
The essentials
Business name, category and description
Address or service area, integrated into Google Maps with instant directions
Phone, email, WhatsApp and website link
Years in business, shown once you've added your opening date
Hours and availability
Standard hours, plus special hours for holidays and closures
Live popular times, showing how busy you typically are
Photos, video and branding
Logo, cover photo, and general photos and videos
Trust and engagement
Filterable reviews, and your replies to them
Social media links, and integration with your recent posts able to show automatically
Attributes — accessibility options, amenities, identity-based tags and more
Content and updates
Posts — short updates like offers or announcements
Industry-specific extras
Menus for food and drink businesses
Live product catalogues and other category-specific tools
Bookings, for eligible categories
Behind the scenes
A Performance dashboard — real numbers on views, clicks, calls and more
Suggested edits — a queue of publicly proposed changes to your listing that you can review, approve or reject
If you’ve heard it called Google My Business, that’s the same thing — Google renamed it Google Business Profile in late 2021 and moved management directly into Search and Maps.
Why it matters: one profile, multiple places you show up
People search for a business like yours in many different ways — and the same Google Business Profile is behind several of the local results they see, for example:
"plumber near me" → a map with the top three local listings usually sits right at the very top of the results before anything else, complete with ratings and photos — known as the Local Pack.
Your business name → a box with your contact details, hours and rating shown right alongside the search, often among the first thing someone sees when checking you out — known as the Knowledge Panel.
Opening Google Maps directly → a pin on the map itself, right when someone's actively looking for somewhere nearby.
That's genuine, free value from one profile: showing up in exactly the spot someone's looking, often at the moment they're closest to actually needing you, whether they're searching broadly, by name, or navigating in real time. Get the basics right once, and that same effort carries across all of these different searches.
Research Google commissioned found customers were 2.7× more likely to consider a business reputable when they found a complete Business Profile on Search and Maps, and 70% more likely to visit one. The study is a few years old now, but nothing since has pointed the other way. |
It's not just about being seen in more places, either. Local searches tend to carry higher intent than a broader search — someone searching "plumber near me" is generally closer to actually needing one than someone just browsing, though of course nothing's guaranteed. And once someone does find you, your profile works as a direct interface with everything they need — hours, contact details, reviews — while also acting as a funnel to your website for anyone not quite ready to become a customer yet, giving them somewhere to go for more information to help them decide.
Worth remembering, too: plenty of people scroll straight past the map to the standard organic results, or get an AI-generated answer instead of clicking anything at all — both are won by having a quality website and strong content, not by your profile. This is why it is essential to remember that a Google Business Profile works best as part of a system, rather than on its own.
Google says local results are ranked on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher, or the location they typed) and prominence (how well known you are — reviews, review scores, links and your wider web presence all feed in). You can’t change distance. You can change the other two. |
Who should set up a Google Business Profile?
Most businesses benefit from setting one up, but especially physical storefronts (shops, cafés, clinics), service-area businesses that travel to clients (plumbers, mobile groomers, consultants), and hybrid businesses serving a defined local area. If you fall into one of these, it's worth doing without much second-guessing.
For businesses without a physical location or a local area to serve, it tends to matter less. However, there are circumstances where it may still benefit you, such as wanting a listing to show up when clients search your brand name, or wanting genuine Google reviews rather than just testimonials on your own site, for instance. Since it's free either way, if you can see it being useful for your situation, there's little downside to just setting one up.
How to set up and verify a Google Business Profile
If you don't have one yet, it's a two-part process: claiming or creating your listing, then proving to Google you're actually the owner.
Claiming or creating your listing
Claiming or creating your listing is straightforward — go to business.google.com, or search for your business directly on Google or Maps, and follow the prompts. If your business already has an unclaimed listing (Google sometimes creates these automatically), you'll claim it. Otherwise, you create one from scratch. If you’d rather it was handled for you, our Google Business Profile service covers the full setup — locating or claiming your listing, a health check against your website and directories, guided verification (including coaching through video verification, since that's the step people tend to get stuck on), and the core profile build: categories, hours, description and services. Book a 30 min discovery call to find out more.
Verifying your listing
Verifying it is the step people find confusing, mainly because Google assigns the method rather than letting you choose. Depending on your business, you might be asked to verify by:
Video (the most common method now)
Phone or email
Postcard by mail
Instantly, if your website is already verified through Google Search Console
(as of September 2026)
Once you're verified, it typically takes up to a week for your profile to fully appear in Search and Maps.
8 Google Business Profile best practices for small businesses
Here's what actually matters — whether you're just setting up your profile or you've already got one running. Doable yourself with a bit of time each month, or something we can take off your plate as part of ongoing management if you'd rather not think about it.
1. Build a system for reviews. Reviews are modern word-of-mouth and a genuine ranking factor. Generate a review link or QR code from your dashboard and send it right after a job, while the experience is fresh. The best part is, these same reviews can be displayed on your site as a widget or embed, so visitors can see real customer testimonials without ever leaving your site.
Google’s own advice is plain: “When you reply to customer reviews, it shows that you value their feedback. Positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out.” |
2. Be detailed and specific for searches. Instead of listing your services or products as broad categories like "Landscaping," add specifics like "Retaining Wall Construction" or "Seasonal Garden Maintenance" — specifics capture searches a broad category might miss.
3. Upload authentic photos regularly. Genuine photos of your team, space and work consistently outperform generic or stock imagery.
Google’s research also found profiles with photos received noticeably more direction requests and website clicks than those without — 42% and 35% at the time. |
4. Post regularly. Treat Google Posts like a lightweight news feed — offers, highlights, or a link to a new blog post. This is also something professional services (including ours) can take care of for you.
5. Keep everything current. Update your details, services, products and public holiday hours as they change. It keeps you accurate for search, but just as importantly, it limits confusion — like customers turning up to a closed door or asking about something you no longer offer.
6. Keep your details consistent everywhere. Your business name, address and phone number should match, word for word, across your website, your profile, and any other directories you're listed on. A mismatch is treated as a genuine inconsistency signal, not just untidiness.
7. Check your Performance dashboard. Under "Performance," Google shows real numbers — views, clicks, calls, bookings — a free way to see if the effort's actually working.
8. Turn on bookings or product listings, if your category supports them. Bookings let someone act immediately without leaving Google; product listings give browsers a look at what you sell before they click through.
The power duo: pairing your profile with your website
Your profile is one way people discover you locally, but it's not the only one. Plenty of people click onto your website from your Google Business Profile, others skip straight past it — heading directly to the organic results, or some might be shown an AI-generated overview instead of clicking anything at all, which is why a quality website and SEO, and increasingly AI optimisation (due to recent changes, more here - Search Is Changing: What Google's AI Updates Mean for Small Businesses) is essential to getting found online. This is why it's important to remember that Google Business Profile is just one piece of the puzzle, and works best as part of a system rather than on its own.
Why one doesn’t replace the other
While there is some overlap at first glance, a Google Business Profile and a quality website are designed to do different jobs, such as:
Different purpose. Your profile is a digital business card — fast facts, at a glance, but with limits. Your website is the full storefront — your story, your work, your brand. For some businesses, that's more than a difference in depth: the profile format is genuinely too limited to represent what they do, and the website has to carry the full weight on its own.
Different search types. Your profile is what shows up for "near me" searches, direct name searches, and quick map lookups. Your website is what wins across broader SEO and AI Overviews and Recommendations like comparison and research-style searches, earning you organic traffic, where someone's reading rather than glancing. On top of that: Even within the same search, people interact differently too — some click straight into your profile, others skip it entirely in favour of the organic listing underneath.
Different buyer stages. Your profile does well with people who are already close to acting — searching nearby, ready to call or visit today. Your website carries more weight for people who aren't quite there yet or need more information — comparing options, researching, or needing a bit more convincing before they reach out.
One wins the customers who are ready now; the other wins the ones who need a little more before they are. That's exactly why it's worth both being strong, not just one.
Here's how that actually plays out. Someone searches "plumber near me" on their phone. Google shows the map at the top with a handful of local listings, including yours — your rating, a couple of photos, your hours. If they're ready to act, they might tap "Call" right there and never see your website at all. Someone else might skip the map altogether and scroll straight down to the organic results, landing on your website without ever looking at your profile. And if they want a bit more first, or are comparing their options — a proper look at your range of services, your credentials and experience, a sense of who you actually are — that's when they click through to your website, whichever route brought them there. Your profile got some of them in front of you; for others, your website did that job on its own. Either way, it's your website that closes the gap for anyone who needed a little more.
Making sure that's true for your business — that whichever moment someone lands in, both sides are actually ready for them — is exactly what our Website Audit & Business Blueprint checks, looking at your profile and website together rather than either in isolation.
Better together: ways to link your profile and website
A few out of many ideas:
Feature your Google reviews on your website — a full widget or embed, or even just a line like "Rated 4.9 from 150+ Google reviews" — so the same trust signal reinforces you in both places, including with visitors who found you directly and never saw your profile at all.
Your website can embed your actual Google Map, pulled straight from your profile, on a contact or "find us" page.
Add your website link to your Google Business Profile — and link back to your profile from your contact page
Link a Google Post to the exact page it's about — a new offer, a fresh blog post — so the free visibility actively pulls people deeper into your site, rather than dead-ending at the post itself.
Should you use Google Ads with your Google Business Profile?
Google Ads is Google's paid advertising system. Instead of earning a spot in the results over time — the way your profile or website does — you pay to appear at the top the moment someone searches. These are the results labelled "Sponsored" that you'll have seen sitting at the top of a search.
How this affects your Google Business Profile
Sometimes at the top of business listings, some of the businesses will be labelled as "Sponsored", while showing their business name, phone number and even address — that's a Google Ad. The benefit: it puts you at the very top spot, without needing to out-rank anyone or wait for reviews and history to build up — something free optimisation alone cannot always promise.
Google now draws on your Business Profile to build Google Ads campaigns. It's essential if you're considering Google Ads to ensure your Google Business Profile is set-up and done well so your campaigns are accurate and can perform to their highest potential.
Your Google Business Profile and Google Ads can work great together. Our recommendation is, if Google Ads is something you're interested in, get your Business Profile sorted first, since Ads are built from its content, meaning a good foundation will get you better results. Worth thinking of Ads as another layer for getting found on Google, once the free side is solid — we've gone deeper on when it's actually worth it in Google Ads for Small Businesses: When It's Worth It (And What to Have Ready First).
Our Advice and Where to go from here
A Google Business Profile is a free, genuinely powerful part of getting found locally — but it works best as one half of a pair, with a website that can carry the weight your profile can't. Get the basics right, keep it active, and treat it as part of the same strategy as your site, not a separate task sitting off to the side.
Our advice: People search for a business like yours in genuinely different ways — sometimes landing on the map, sometimes on an AI-generated answer, sometimes scrolling straight past both to the organic results. The reliable approach isn't about one doing the whole job — it's making sure your profile, your reviews, and your website are all genuinely solid, so you're covered no matter which way someone finds you.
If you want to see exactly where you currently stand, that's exactly what we built the Website Audit & Business Blueprint to do.
Get a Website Audit & Business Blueprint
A full AI visibility report, a clear gap analysis, and a prioritised 90-day roadmap — covering your traffic, search performance, content gaps and how you compare to competitors. Action it yourself, or have us implement it for you.
Or, if you’d like to talk it through with me directly, a free 30-minute call comes with no pressure either way.
Google Business Profile FAQs
Is Google My Business the same as Google Business Profile?
Yes. Google renamed Google My Business to Google Business Profile in November 2021 and retired the standalone app, so you now manage your listing directly in Google Search or Google Maps. Anything you read about “GMB” applies to Google Business Profile — the name changed, the listing didn’t.
Is a Google Business Profile really free? Yes — it's one of the few genuinely free tools with a direct line to local visibility on Google.
Is a Google Business Profile part of SEO, or something separate? It's part of it — specifically local SEO. Your website's own SEO covers the broader, organic half of visibility.
How many categories should I use on my Google Business Profile? Up to ten in total — one primary category and nine secondary ones. More isn't automatically better: only add categories you genuinely offer, since padding with irrelevant ones dilutes your relevance rather than helping it.
What happened to the Q&A section on Google Business Profile? Google discontinued it and replaced it with an AI tool called Ask Maps, which answers visitor questions using your profile, reviews and website directly. It's worth making sure all three sources agree with each other, since the AI is effectively answering on your behalf now.
How often should I update my Google Business Profile? Little and often. Google publishes no official schedule, but a monthly rhythm works: check hours and special holiday hours, add a few new photos, post one update, and reply to any reviews. An hour a month keeps the profile active and accurate — and beats a big clean-up once a year.
Can I have a Google Business Profile without a website? Yes, but the profile then has to do the entire job on its own, with no handoff to a fuller site. That works fine for a small number of very simple, appointment-only businesses, but it's a genuinely more limited position for most others — anyone who wanted a bit more before deciding has nowhere else to go.
Can I have a Google Business Profile without showing my address?
Yes. If you travel to customers rather than serving them at a premises — plumbers, mobile groomers, cleaners, consultants — set your profile up as a service-area business. You list the suburbs or regions you cover and hide your street address. Google still shows you in local results for those areas.
How do I verify my Google Business Profile? Google assigns the method rather than letting you choose — usually video (the most common now), with phone, email, postcard, or instant verification (if your website is already verified through Google Search Console) offered in some cases.
Can I turn on messaging or bookings on my Google Business Profile? Bookings are available for eligible categories. Messaging works a bit differently now — Google removed its native in-profile chat feature, so the current option is adding a WhatsApp or text-message link to your contact info, which is only available in select regions.
Does my Google Business Profile affect my Google Ads campaigns? Yes — Google increasingly builds Ads campaigns using the information already sitting in your profile (category, hours, address, phone number)
rather than your website. A well set-up profile is genuinely the foundation your paid campaigns are built on too.
Can I get professional help with my Google Business Profile? Yes — professional help is available, ranging from a one-off setup to ongoing management and content, or a full audit that reviews your profile alongside your website. We offer all three, if you'd like support with any of them.
How long does it take for a Google Business Profile to show up?
Once you’re verified, most profiles appear on Search and Maps within a few days, though Google says it can take up to a week. Verification itself is the slower step — video verification is usually reviewed within a few days, while a postcard can take up to 14 days to arrive in Australia.
What are the three things Google ranks a Google Business Profile on?
Relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance is how closely your categories, services and description match what was searched. Distance is how far you are from the searcher. Prominence is how well known you are — reviews, ratings, links and mentions across the web. Distance is fixed; the other two are where the work goes.
Does a Google Business Profile help with AI search and Google AI Overviews?
Increasingly, yes. Google’s AI features in Search and Maps — including Ask Maps and AI Overviews for local queries — draw on your profile, your reviews and your website together. A complete, consistent profile gives the AI accurate facts to repeat about you; a thin one leaves it guessing.
