Google Business Profile

The Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is the free business listing in Google Maps and Google Search. It is the single most important local SEO asset for local businesses.

What the profile contains

Name, address, phone number, opening hours, website, category, description, photos, services, Q&A, posts, reviews. Plus internal statistics such as searches and calls. When maintained correctly, the profile appears in Google Maps, in the Local Pack and in the Knowledge Panel to the right of the classic search results.

Creating and verifying it

Create a new listing at business.google.com. Use the name exactly as it is officially registered, with no added keywords, because that violates the guidelines. Choose the address and category carefully. Verification is typically done by postcard with a code, sometimes by phone or video. Where website signals already exist, automatic verification has also been possible since 2024.

Essentials for a complete profile

A category that specifically matches your industry, not just a generic one. Exact opening hours, with special days kept up to date. At least five to ten good-quality photos: exterior, interior, team, products or services. A description covering your core offer, without keyword stuffing. A services list with concrete services, because Google uses it for industry searches.

What influences ranking according to Google

Google names relevance, distance and prominence as the main factors, with reviews and web signals feeding into prominence. In practice, these tend to help: recent, genuine customer reviews with replies from the owner, consistency with your own website and other directories, up-to-date profile data and interactions from the profile.

Related terms

Local SEO · NAP · LocalBusiness Schema