Your Google Business Profile: what it is, why it matters, and how to claim it

• A Google Business Profile is a free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Maps – it used to be called Google My Business.
• It’s the single biggest factor in whether you appear in Google’s local “map pack” results.
• Claim it, verify it (often by a short video these days), then complete every field – not just the basics.
• Gather genuine reviews – they build trust with customers and help you rank.

Someone near you reaches for their phone and searches for a business like yours. Maybe they add “near me”, maybe they don’t. Up comes a little map with a handful of businesses pinned to it, each with a star rating, a phone number and a set of opening hours. Those are the businesses that get the call, the visit and the booking. If yours isn’t there, you’re invisible at the exact moment someone’s ready to buy.

That map, and the tidy information panel next to it, are powered by something free that plenty of businesses still haven’t set up properly: a Google Business Profile. Here’s what it is, why it matters so much for local businesses, and how to claim and complete yours.

A Google Business Profile is the free listing Google gives every business so it can show up on Google Search and Google Maps. You might remember it as “Google My Business” – that’s the old name, and Google has retired it. There’s no separate app anymore either. You manage everything straight from Google Search and Maps once you’re signed in with the right account.

Your profile holds all the practical details someone needs to choose you: your business name, address, phone number, website, opening hours, the categories you fall under, photos and – crucially – your reviews. Get it right and it becomes a mini shopfront that works around the clock, even when your actual doors are shut.

You’ve almost certainly used one without thinking about it. Search a business by name on a computer and you’ll often see a panel down the right-hand side with the logo, photos, a star rating and buttons to call, get directions or visit the website. That’s the profile.

On a phone, or in Google Maps, it shows up as a pin on the map and a card you can tap for the full details.

Then there’s the part that really matters for local businesses: the “local pack”. When you search something with local intent – “plumber in St Albans”, “coffee near me” – Google drops a map with (usually) three businesses right at the top, above the normal blue links. Those three slots are pulled straight from Google Business Profiles. Landing in there is one of the most valuable positions in local search, and you can’t get there without a profile.

Local search is huge, and it’s growing. Around 46% of all Google searches have local intent, and the overwhelming majority of people – roughly 98% – now go online to find nearby businesses. When those searches happen on a phone, they turn into action fast: a large share of “near me” searches lead to a visit or a call within a day.

A few reasons a Google Business Profile earns its keep:

• It’s usually your first impression. For a lot of people, your profile – not your website – is the first thing they see. A complete, tidy profile with good photos and recent reviews builds trust before they’ve clicked anything. Google’s own figures suggest a complete profile gets around seven times more clicks than an empty one.
• It’s where local rankings live. Google leans heavily on your profile to decide who shows up in the map results. Claiming and completing it is the single biggest lever you’ve got for local rankings.
• It’s free. This is the rare bit of marketing that costs nothing but a little time. For a small business up against bigger competitors, it’s one of the few places you can compete on a genuinely level footing.
• It drives real actions. Calls, direction requests, website clicks, bookings – the buttons on your profile point straight at the things that make you money.

Here’s the process, step by step. It isn’t complicated, but the order matters.

1. Search for it first

Before you create anything, search your business name on Google or Google Maps. Google often generates a basic listing automatically, and you must never create a second one (more on that below). What you find decides your next move.

2. If there’s a “claim this business” link, click it

If an unclaimed profile already exists, you’ll see a prompt like “Claim this business” or “Own this business?”. Click it, sign in with the Google account you want to own the profile, and skip ahead to verification.

3. If nothing exists, create it

No listing at all? Head to google.com/business, sign in, choose “Add your business to Google” and enter your exact business name. You’ll then set your main category, your address or service areas, your phone number and your website. Enter everything exactly as it appears elsewhere online – that consistency helps Google trust the details.

4. Verify that it’s really yours

Google needs to confirm you actually run the business before it’ll trust your profile. Depending on the business, it might ask for a short recorded video, a live video call, a code by phone or text, an email link, or a code posted to your address. Video verification is now the most common, so have proof handy – your premises, signage, a branded vehicle, or anything that shows the business is really yours. The review can take a few working days.

5. If someone else has already claimed it, request access

Sometimes you’ll find a managed listing with no claim link – often because a former employee or a previous agency set it up and still holds the login. Track down that account first, as it’s usually the quickest route. If you can’t, use the “Request access” option and complete the form. Google emails the current owner, who has a few days to respond.

Here’s where a lot of businesses stop – and it’s a mistake. Verification gets you on the map, but it’s completing the profile that lifts your rankings and wins customers. Once you’re verified, fill in everything:

• Accurate opening hours, including bank holidays
• A natural, honest description of what you do
• Your full list of services or products
• Plenty of good photos – your premises, team, work and products
• Relevant attributes, like wheelchair access or free parking

The more complete and genuine your profile, the more Google trusts it, and the better it performs.

Reviews are one of the strongest trust signals going, for customers and for Google. Something like 97% of people read reviews for local businesses, and most won’t seriously consider anywhere rated below four stars. Your profile has an “Ask for reviews” option that gives you a short link to send to happy customers. Even ten or twenty honest reviews can noticeably improve how you show up on the map – and if you’re starting from zero, the difference is bigger still.

Never create a duplicate. If a listing already exists, always claim it rather than starting a new one. Duplicates split your signals, confuse customers, and can get your listing suspended.

Whoever owns the account controls the profile. Set it up on a business email account you’ll keep long term – something like [email protected] rather than a personal Gmail or a staff member’s account. If an agency helps you manage it, add them as a “Manager”, not an “Owner”, so control always stays with you.

A Google Business Profile is free, doesn’t take long to set up, and is one of the highest-impact things a local business can do to get found. Claim it, complete every field, keep it fresh and gather a few reviews, and you’ll turn up exactly where people are already looking for you.

If you’d like a hand getting yours set up – or you want it to be part of a bigger local SEO push – we’re always happy to talk it through. It’s the kind of quick win we love helping our clients with. Get in touch.