What Is Google Business Profile and Why Does Every Local Business Need One?

Google Business Profile — formerly known as Google My Business — is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to manage how they appear in Google Search and Google Maps. When someone searches for a local service and a map with business listings appears at the top of the results, those listings come from Google Business Profile. For any business that serves customers in a specific geographic area, having a fully optimised profile is one of the most effective and cost-free marketing tools available.

Despite being free and straightforward to set up, a significant number of local businesses either have no Google Business Profile at all, or have a profile that is incomplete, inaccurate, or unverified. This is a significant missed opportunity: research consistently shows that the majority of local search clicks go to the three businesses shown in the "Local Pack" — the map section at the top of local search results. If you are not there, you are effectively invisible to a large proportion of potential customers who are actively looking for what you offer.

What Google Business Profile Does

A verified Google Business Profile displays your business name, address, phone number, website, opening hours, and category in both Google Search and Google Maps. When someone searches for your business by name, your profile appears in a prominent panel on the right-hand side of the search results (on desktop) or at the top of the page (on mobile). When someone searches for a type of business near them — "dentist near me," "builders in Norwich" — Google uses Business Profile data to determine which businesses are relevant and how prominently to display them.

Beyond the basic information, Google Business Profile allows you to post updates, respond to customer reviews, answer questions from potential customers, add photos of your premises and work, list your products or services, set special opening hours for public holidays, and even book appointments directly through your profile on some plans. Each of these features contributes to a richer, more trustworthy presence in local search results.

Why It Matters for Local SEO

Google Business Profile is the single most important factor in local SEO for most businesses. The algorithm that determines which businesses appear in the Local Pack considers three main signals: relevance (does your profile match what the person is searching for?), distance (how close are you to the searcher?), and prominence (how well-known and trusted is your business, based on reviews, links, and other signals?). Optimising your profile directly addresses the relevance and prominence factors.

A business with a complete, accurate, regularly updated profile and a healthy collection of positive reviews will consistently outperform a competitor with a sparse or unverified profile, even if the competitor has been trading for longer. This levels the playing field in a way that paid advertising cannot replicate — you cannot buy your way into the organic Local Pack with Google Ads. It is earned through the quality of your profile and the reputation of your business.

How to Set Up and Verify Your Profile

Setting up a Google Business Profile takes around fifteen minutes. Go to business.google.com, sign in with a Google account, and search for your business name. If it already exists (Google may have created a listing automatically based on public data), claim it. If not, create a new listing. You will need to provide your business name, category, address, phone number, and website. Choose your primary category carefully — it is the most important category signal Google uses when matching your profile to relevant searches.

Verification is essential. Without it, your profile will not appear in Maps and will have limited visibility in Search. Google typically verifies businesses by sending a postcard with a PIN to the business address, though video verification and phone verification are increasingly offered as alternatives. Once verified, fill out every section of your profile completely, add high-quality photos, and set up regular posting to keep your profile active. Xpose, based in Norwich, helps local businesses set up and optimise their Google Business Profiles as part of a broader local SEO service.