It is the free listing that puts your business on Google Maps and in the map pack. For most local businesses, more customers see it than see the website.
A Google Business Profile is the free listing Google uses to show your business on Google Maps and in the local results, with your hours, phone, reviews, photos and services. It replaced Google My Business. For a local business it is often the first thing customers see, and it is what gets you into the three-listing map pack.
Search for a plumber, a dentist or a restaurant and Google shows a map with three businesses, each with a rating, hours and a call button. Click one and a panel opens with photos, reviews, services, a website link and directions. That listing is the business’s Google Business Profile.
The same profile appears in Google Maps searches, in the knowledge panel on the right side of a branded search, in Google Assistant and, increasingly, as the source AI answers use when they recommend local businesses. It is a single record that Google syndicates everywhere it talks about your business.
It was called Google My Business until the rename. Nothing changed for the customer; the management moved from a separate app into Google Search and Maps directly, so you edit it by searching your own business name while logged in. It is free, and there is no paid tier for better placement. The ranking factors are covered in how to rank on Google Maps.
For a local business, the profile is the first impression far more often than the website is. The map pack sits above the organic results, it answers the customer’s immediate questions (open now? rated well? close by?) and it has a call button. Many customers never click through to the site at all.
Look at your own numbers: the profile’s performance report shows views, calls, direction requests and website clicks. For most service businesses, calls from the profile outnumber calls from the website. That does not make the website unimportant, since Google reads it to verify the profile and it is where customers go to decide. It means the two have to work together: same name, address, phone and services on both, and the profile linked to a page about those services.
The broader picture of how the profile, the website and reviews combine is in what is local SEO.
Then the ongoing part: posts, photos, review responses and keeping the information current. A profile Google sees being maintained is treated as a live business.
Search Google for your business name. If a profile appears with "Own this business?", click it and follow the verification steps, which may involve a video walkthrough, a phone call or a postcard. If no profile appears, go to the Business Profile setup, enter your details and verify.
Two situations need care. If a profile already exists and was claimed by a former employee or an old agency, request ownership through the profile; Google contacts the current owner and transfers it if they do not respond. If there are duplicate profiles, which happens after moves and rebrands, report the duplicates so they are merged or removed, because duplicates split your reviews and confuse ranking.
Once it is verified and complete, the single most valuable habit is a consistent review ask after every job, covered in how to get more Google reviews. If you would rather hand all of this off, the Google Business Profile service page covers what managed profile work includes.
REALTOP founder Nik Tsoukales on the same question, from the agency’s YouTube channel.
Yes. Creating, verifying and managing a Google Business Profile is free, and there is no paid option that improves placement in the map pack. The only costs are the time to complete it and keep it active, or the fee if you hire someone to manage it for you.
Yes. The profile gets you into the map pack and handles quick decisions like calling or getting directions. The website is where customers learn enough to choose you, and Google reads it to verify and rank the profile. They work as a pair, with identical business details on both.
Search your business name on Google while logged in. If a listing shows "Own this business?", click it and complete verification by video, phone or postcard. If none exists, create one through Google Business Profile setup. If someone else owns it, request ownership through the listing.
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