What Is a Google Business Profile and Do You Need One?

If you've ever searched a local business and seen a box on the right with their star rating, opening hours, photos, and a map pin, that's their Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). It's free, and for a local business it's one of the highest-leverage things you can set up properly. It's also usually the first thing we check when a new client comes on board, before we've touched a single line of the website.

Why it matters so much

For local searches, Google often shows the "local pack": three business listings with a map, above the normal search results entirely. Ranking there doesn't need a website at all in the strictest sense, though a connected website helps significantly.

What needs doing

• Claim and verify the listing (postcard, phone, or email verification)
• Pick the right primary category and add relevant secondary categories
• Add real photos of the business, the team, and the work itself
• Keep opening hours accurate, especially around holidays
• Respond to reviews, good and bad

The businesses that treat this as a one-time setup task usually underperform the ones that treat it as a living profile: posting updates, adding new photos, and staying active. Google rewards activity, not just existence.

Once this is sorted, the next steps are usually local SEO fundamentals, getting more Google reviews and our own reviews.