Google Business Profile · formerly Google My Business
The Google Business Profile is the panel that presents your business on Google and Maps: contact details, hours, photos, reviews, services, posts. It is what appears in the local pack and when someone types your name. For a local business, it is the most frequent first impression.
A concrete example
A prospect types your company name: to the right of the results, your profile shows your rating, photos, hours and a directions or call button. They often decide right there, without ever visiting your website.
Why it matters
The profile is one of the three local pack factors and the direct trigger of calls and direction requests. An incomplete, miscategorized or frozen profile costs real contacts every week, and it is the best effort-to-result optimization in local SEO.
Frequently asked questions
- What should I fill in first?
- The primary category (your exact trade), correct contact details and hours, service descriptions, the service area and about ten real photos. Then keep it alive: new reviews, replies, recent photos.
- Who should control the profile?
- An account the company owns, with access shared internally. A profile managed from a former contractor's personal account is a real risk: the day they disappear, you lose control of your main storefront.