Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is a free listing that controls how a business appears in Google Search and Google Maps, including its name, address, hours, categories, photos, reviews, posts and links to call, book or visit the website.
Why it matters
For many local businesses, the profile brings more calls and visits than the website. It is how you appear in the local pack. Google says local ranking depends mainly on relevance, distance and prominence (Google Business Profile guidelines), and a complete, active profile helps with the two you can influence.
What a strong profile includes
- The correct primary category and relevant secondary categories
- Accurate hours, including holidays
- Services or products with descriptions and prices
- Real, recent photos
- A steady flow of reviews, all with replies
- Regular posts about offers and updates
Rules to follow
Use your real business name, a real staffed address or a service area, and never buy or write reviews. Fake reviews are unlawful in the UK under the DMCC Act (Cooley on the DMCC Act, April 2025) and penalised under the FTC's 2024 rule in the US (US FTC, Aug 2024). See GBP optimisation and common GBP mistakes.