Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free tool that lets businesses manage how they appear on Google Search and Google Maps. It includes your business name, address, opening hours, phone number, website link, photos, reviews, and services. When someone searches for 'plumber near me', 'SEO agency London', or 'restaurants open now', Google Business Profile listings appear prominently in what is called the 'Local Pack' — three map results displayed above organic search results. For any business with a physical location or defined service area, a complete, optimised Google Business Profile is the single highest-impact free marketing action available.
Google Business Profile is free to set up and manage, which makes it an extraordinary opportunity for UK businesses — particularly local businesses — relative to the visibility it delivers. Businesses with complete, regularly maintained profiles appear more prominently in local search, receive more calls and website visits, and are more likely to appear in Google AI Overviews for local queries than those with sparse or unclaimed profiles.
What information appears on a Google Business Profile
- Business name, address, and phone number (NAP) — must be consistent with your website and other directories
- Opening hours — including special hours for bank holidays; incorrect hours are a top source of negative reviews
- Business category — primary and secondary categories that determine which searches you appear for
- Business description — 750-character summary of what your business does and who it serves
- Photos — interior, exterior, team, products, and work examples; listings with photos receive 42% more direction requests
- Reviews — Google reviews with your responses; the most influential local ranking factor after relevance
- Products and services — a structured catalogue of what you offer, with descriptions and prices
- Posts — weekly updates, offers, and events that appear on your profile; keep the profile fresh
- Q&A section — publicly asked and answered questions that inform potential customers
How Google Business Profile affects local rankings
Google's local ranking algorithm considers three main factors: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close your business is to the searcher), and prominence (how well-known and authoritative your business is based on reviews, links, and citations). Optimising your profile directly improves relevance and prominence — ensuring your category accurately describes your business, your description uses naturally occurring search terms, and your review count and quality are strong.
Yes — Google My Business was rebranded as Google Business Profile in 2022. The tool, the functionality, and the management interface are the same; only the name changed. You manage your Google Business Profile either through the dedicated Business Profile Manager, directly through Google Search (searching your business name while logged into your Google account), or through the Google Maps app.
Yes, but with significantly reduced visibility. Google sometimes creates automatic listings for businesses based on data from directories, review sites, and websites — but these unverified listings are less prominently displayed, cannot be edited by the business, and cannot receive responses to reviews. Claiming and verifying your Google Business Profile takes full ownership of your local listing and gives you complete control over the information displayed and the ability to engage with customers through reviews and Q&As.