The essentials
- Definition: Google Business Profile is the free business listing shown in Google Search and Google Maps: contact details, hours, reviews, photos, posts, products and services.
- The rename: Google My Business became Google Business Profile in 2021; management now happens directly from Google Search and Maps.
- Setup: claim, verify, choose the primary category, complete it to 100%, then keep it alive.
- What's at stake: it is the leading factor in local SEO and often the first point of contact with your customers.
Google Business Profile (the Google business listing, formerly Google My Business) is the free service through which a business controls how it appears on Google Search and Google Maps: name, address, hours, phone, site, photos, reviews, posts, services, products, questions and answers. When someone searches your name or an activity near them, it is this listing they see, before your site. It is the central asset of local SEO and determines your presence in the local pack.
What the listing shows
| Element | Role | Influence on ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Name, primary category | Identity and activity | Strong (relevance) |
| Address or area served | Location | Strong (distance) |
| Hours, phone, site | Contact and trust | Medium |
| Reviews and rating | Reassurance | Strong (prominence) |
| Photos and videos | Appeal | Medium, strong on click-through rate |
| Services, products, attributes | Precision of the offer | Medium (relevance) |
| Posts | News, promotions | Weak directly, strong on engagement |
| Questions and answers, messaging | Interaction | Poor |
Creating and verifying your listing
- Check whether a listing exists : search for your business on Google Maps. An unclaimed listing shows "Own this business?". Never create a duplicate.
- Claim or create it from google.com/business with a Google account belonging to the business (not an employee's or a supplier's).
- Fill in the basic information : the exact name (with no keywords added, Google penalises them), the primary category, the address (or a service area with no address for home-service businesses), the phone, the site, the hours.
- Check : Google asks for proof of legitimacy, by video (the most common in 2026), by post, by phone or by email depending on the case. The video shows the exterior, the sign, the interior and evidence you run the place (the till, the tools).
- Wait for activation, from a few hours to a few days.
Setting the listing up to 100%
| Step | Best practice | Frequent mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | The most precise one for your main activity ("Plumber" rather than "Contractor") | A category that is too broad, or chosen for a keyword |
| Secondary categories | 2 to 5, for activities you genuinely offer | Adding ten to "cover the ground" |
| Description | 750 characters max: the activity, the area, specialisms, what sets you apart | A list of keywords, promotions |
| Hours | Exact, with special hours (public holidays) | Wrong hours: negative reviews guaranteed |
| Photos | Logo, cover, exterior, interior, team, completed jobs; 10 to start, then regularly | Stock images, blurry or irrelevant photos |
| Services and products | Each service with a description and an indicative price | An empty section |
| Attributes | Accessibility, payment, options (see the attributes) | Not filled in |
| The site link with UTMs | To measure the traffic in GA4 (see UTMs on the listing) | A link to a page that redirects |
The detail of the optimisations that weigh most on ranking is in optimising your listing to appear in the local pack, and setting hours, services and photos is in optimising hours, services and photos.
Keeping the listing alive: what makes the difference
- Reviews : ask after every job, respond to all of them within 48 h (see Google reviews).
- Posts : one a week (news, an offer, a completed job, an event), see posting regularly.
- Photos : a few a month, taken on site where possible.
- Questions and answers : post and answer the frequent questions yourself.
- The statistics : views, calls, directions, clicks, to be tracked monthly (see tracking your listing's performance).
What the listing actually brings
The statistics of an active tradesperson's or local shop's listing commonly show several hundred views a month, a significant share of which turns into actions: calls, direction requests, clicks to the site. For many small businesses, the listing generates more enquiries than the site itself, at no cost. It is also the main source for AI assistants when someone asks them for a local recommendation: a complete, well-rated listing gets cited, an empty one is ignored.
The rules to respect
Google suspends listings that break its guidelines: a name altered with keywords or a town, a PO box or coworking address with no real presence, an unrelated category, multiple listings for the same location, reviews solicited for a reward. A suspension is lifted through a reinstatement request, with supporting documents, and can take several weeks: better to respect the rules from the start. For networks of several locations, how to organise is described in multi-location local SEO.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's Google Business Profile module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google My Business still exist?
The service exists, under the name Google Business Profile since 2021. The dedicated mobile app was removed; management happens directly from Google Search (by searching the business name while signed in to the managing account) and from Google Maps. The functions are the same.
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes, entirely: creation, verification, photos, posts, reviews, statistics, messaging. The only possible spend is local advertising through Google Ads, which is separate from the listing, and a supplier to manage it if you want one.
How do you verify a Google Business Profile listing?
Google chooses the method: most often a live video showing the exterior, the sign, the interior and evidence you run the business; sometimes a letter with a code, a call or an email. Verification takes from a few hours to a few days; if refused, a reinstatement request with supporting documents (company registration, invoices, photos) is possible.
Can you have a listing with no physical address?
Yes, for businesses that travel to their customers (tradespeople, home services): the listing declares a service area and hides the address. Businesses with no physical presence and no service area (pure e-commerce, online services) aren't eligible.