What Is Google
My Business?
What Google My Business actually is, why it was renamed Google Business Profile and how this free tool puts your business on Google Search and Maps so nearby customers can find you.
Google My Business is the free tool from Google that lets a business manage how it appears on Google Search and Google Maps, through a listing called a Google Business Profile.
In 2021 Google renamed the tool Google Business Profile, so the two names refer to the same thing, the free listing that shows your name, location, hours, photos, reviews and contact details when people search for you or what you offer nearby.
It is the foundation of local visibility, since it is what appears in the map and local results, so any business that wants to be found by nearby customers needs one set up and managed well.
Google My Business, explained
Google My Business is a term you will see everywhere in local SEO, often used interchangeably with Google Business Profile. It is worth understanding plainly, because it is the single most important tool for getting a business found on Google. Here is what it is and why it matters.
A free tool from Google
Google My Business is a free tool that lets you manage how your business appears across Google, mainly on Search and Maps. You use it to create and control your listing, the information Google shows about you, so that nearby customers searching for what you offer can find and choose you.
It is free and central to being found. The difference in names is covered in What Is the Difference Between Google My Business and Google Business Profile?
Now called Google Business Profile
In 2021 Google renamed the tool from Google My Business to Google Business Profile. The names refer to the same thing, so do not be confused if you see both, since older guides and many people still say Google My Business while Google now officially calls it Google Business Profile.
Same thing, two names. The rename is explained in What Is the Difference Between Google My Business and Google Business Profile?
It powers your listing
Your profile is what appears when someone finds your business or searches for what you offer nearby. It shows your name, location, opening hours, photos, reviews, contact details and more, so it is effectively your business's home on Google and the first impression many customers get.
The listing is your shopfront on Google. How to add your business is covered in How Do I Add My Business to Google?
It puts you on the map
The local map, the short list of businesses Google shows above the normal results for local searches, is built from these profiles. Appearing there is the prize of local SEO and it is your profile that gets you in, so without one you are largely invisible on the map customers use.
The map runs on profiles. The map pack is explained in What Is the Google Local Pack and How Do You Get in It?
It is free to set up and use
One of the best things about it is the price: nothing. Setting up and running a profile costs no money, only a little time, so it gives any business its strongest route to local visibility at no cost, which makes it essential rather than optional for being found nearby.
Free visibility is rare and valuable. Setting one up is covered in How to Set Up a Google Business Profile for a New Business
It affects your ranking
A complete, active profile does not just show your details, it helps you rank. Google uses the information, categories, reviews and activity on your profile to decide which businesses to show and in what order, so how well you manage it directly affects how visible you are locally.
The profile shapes your ranking. Optimising it is covered in How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO
Reviews and updates live here
Your Google reviews, posts, photos and answers to customer questions all sit on your profile. It is a living thing you keep current, not a one off setup, so managing it well, with fresh content and prompt replies, is part of getting the full value from it over time.
It is a living listing, not a one off. Reviews are covered in Do Google Reviews Help SEO?
Why it matters
Google My Business or Google Business Profile, is the foundation of local visibility, the free listing that decides whether you appear in the map and local results. Any business wanting nearby customers needs one set up and managed well, which is what the rest of this guide helps you do.
It is where local visibility begins. The whole guide is gathered in the Google Business Profile Guide
In short, Google My Business is the free tool, now called Google Business Profile, that puts your business on Google Search and Maps through a listing of your details, reviews and photos. It is the foundation of local visibility and the rest of this guide shows you how to use it.
This guide is part of our complete Google Business Profile Guide. The hub brings together every question a business asks about Google Business Profile, from setting up and verifying through to optimisation, reviews, insights and ranking in the map, each written in plain UK English.