Google Business Profile (Google My Business) Guide
Set up and manage your Google Business Profile with steps for verification, NAP consistency, reviews, and the ranking factors behind local visibility.
Google Business Profile is your business's official listing that appears in Google Search and on Maps. Until 2021 the tool was known as "Google My Business"; the name changed, the role expanded: today it is the core infrastructure of local visibility.
Why does it matter so much?
In "near me" searches and map results, the card users see first is your profile, not your website. For businesses serving customers in person, it is the highest-return free marketing tool available; and AI assistants now draw on this profile data when making local recommendations.
How do you create a profile?
- Start the listing: Create your profile at google.com/business with your business name, category, and location.
- Complete verification: The verification method varies by business: video verification is now the most common; postcard, phone, and email are offered to some businesses.
- Fill in every detail: Opening hours, phone, website, service list, photos. An incomplete profile is a low-trust signal for the algorithm.
- Keep NAP consistent: Name, address, and phone must be written identically on your site and across other directories.
How do you manage the profile?
| Routine | Frequency | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Responding to reviews | Weekly | Ranking + trust |
| New photos | Monthly | Card clicks |
| Posts and offers | Monthly | Visibility freshness |
| Monitoring Q&A | Weekly | Decision-moment information |
| Information accuracy (hours, address) | Immediately on change | Wrong information = lost customer |
Address and information changes are made directly from the profile dashboard; Google may run a short review after a change.
What determines ranking?
Local ranking has three components: relevance (the accuracy of your category and service descriptions), distance, and prominence (review volume, rating, mentions). Of these, reviews are the area a business can control most: regular, genuine, and answered reviews lift both ranking and conversion; how to structure review requests is covered in our word of mouth glossary entry.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is setting up the profile once and forgetting it; a card that goes stale erodes trust. The second is picking a category that is too broad: choose the most specific option, "Kebab restaurant" rather than "Restaurant." The third is leaving negative reviews unanswered or replying with boilerplate; the real reader of your reply is the undecided customer. The full toolkit for small businesses is covered in our article on digital marketing tools for SMBs.
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