Google Business Profile

It used to be called Google My Business, and it is separate from your website: a business can have a profile with no website at all, and a website does not create a profile. The profile is what appears in the map results, and in the panel beside the results when someone searches for your business by name.

For most local businesses it is the most visible thing they own in Google, often seen more than the website. It is also the main lever in local SEO, because Google ranks map results largely from profile information, reviews and distance.

How it works

You claim or create the profile with a Google account and verify that you run the business. Google decides the verification method, which can include a video of the premises, a phone or email code, or a postcard. Once verified, you choose a primary category, add hours, services, photos and a link to your site, and you can reply to reviews and publish updates.

Google can also change your profile from other sources, such as edits suggested by the public, so the information needs checking regularly. Businesses that serve customers at their premises, like a shop or clinic, show their address; service-area businesses, such as a plumber, can hide it and list the areas they cover instead.

Google reports the profile's performance separately from your website. The performance view shows how many people saw the profile, which searches led to it, and how many called, asked for directions or clicked through to the website. Those numbers are the quickest way to check whether work on the profile is paying off. Because the public can suggest edits and Google can update details from other sources, it is worth turning on notifications and checking the profile whenever Google reports a change.

Example

A family restaurant notices that Google shows it as closed on Sundays, although it started opening on Sundays a year ago, and the profile still lists an old phone number. The owner verifies the profile, corrects the hours and number, adds holiday opening times and current menu photos, and starts replying to each review. Calls from the profile begin arriving on Sundays, a day that used to be silent.

A few weeks later the owner opens the performance view and sees that most people found the profile by searching for the type of food near them rather than for the restaurant's name. That suggests the categories and photos matter more than she thought. She adds a secondary category for the cuisine, uploads photos of the dishes actually on the menu and marks the services she offers, such as takeaway and outdoor seating.

Why it matters for your business

For a business with premises or a local service area, the profile is free and often produces more calls and direction requests than the website. Wrong hours or an old phone number lose customers directly. The trade-off is upkeep: a profile needs fresh photos, accurate hours and replies to reviews, and an online-only business with no local customers gains little from one.

Common mistakes

• Choosing a broad primary category, such as Restaurant, when a more specific one describes the business better.
• Using a name or phone number that differs from the website and other listings, which undermines NAP consistency.
• Adding keywords to the business name, which breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
• Creating a second profile for the same location instead of fixing the original one.

Questions people ask

Does a Google Business Profile cost anything?

No. Creating, verifying and managing a Google Business Profile is free. Anyone selling a guaranteed position in the map results is selling something Google does not offer. You can pay for local ads separately, but the profile itself has no fee.

Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?

A profile alone can bring calls and visits, but it gives you little room to explain your services, show prices or capture enquiries. A website can also rank for searches the profile does not cover. Most businesses benefit from both, with the profile linking to the site.

How long does Google Business Profile verification take?

It depends on the method Google offers. Phone, email and video checks can finish within days, while postcard verification waits on the post. Google sometimes asks for more evidence, so having signage, registration documents or other proof of the business ready speeds things up.