Half the battle of building a successful business is getting your company in front of the people who need your products or services. For many businesses, this means showing up in search engine results and making it easy for potential customers to visit their website, find contact information, read reviews, and get directions to their location. Google Business Profile is a powerful tool that helps businesses achieve all of this—and more. Best of all, it’s easy to set up and manage. With the right approach, it not only improves your online visibility but also builds trust and credibility with your audience.
What is a Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile is a free service that every small business owner should know about and use. Through your Google Business Profile, you can control the information displayed for your business across all of Google’s services, including Google Reviews and Google Maps. If you change a piece of info in your Google Business Profile, such as your hours or location, it will update everywhere automatically.
Consistency is essential for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), especially in this era of online searching and Google Business Profile makes it easy to provide a great user experience. By taking full advantage of tools like the Google Business Profile, you can help more people find your business, contact your team and learn more about the quality products and services you provide. Here’s how to get started.
What Are the Benefits of Google Business Profile?
Maintaining a Google Business Profile offers three main benefits:
- Increase visibility on Google
- Gain credibility with reviews
- Share business information with customers
Let’s examine each benefit in more detail.
Increase Increase Visibility on Google
When users search for a business on Google, they often see a map and a list of businesses at the top of the search results—called the “local pack” or “map pack.”
Here’s what it looks like:
The local pack appears for location-specific queries or search terms that suggest location, such as “[business type] near me.”
It includes Google Maps results and business information.
Businesses with well-optimized Google Business Profiles are much more likely to appear in these results.
Mobile searches that include phrases like “where to buy” and “near me” increased over 200% between 2017 and 2019.
These are considered “discovery searches.” Instead of looking for a particular brand, users are searching more generally for a category.
If a user is physically near your business and searches for a general term related to your business category, your business is more likely to appear as a geolocated result if it has a well-optimized Google Business Profile (we’ll discuss optimization tips later).
Gain Credibility with Reviews
Online reviews play a significant role in how users perceive local businesses—97% of users read online reviews at least some of the time when looking for local businesses.
The star rating next to business names on Google Maps range from 1 to 5 stars and reflect customer reviews.
Using the Google Business Profile dashboard
Aside from the ability to manage your business’s information, you’ll want to take advantage of other valuable features in the Google Business Profile dashboard.
Info
The info section is where you can post the basics of your business, such as your company name, address, phone number and hours. If any of these change, either permanently or temporarily, it is a good idea to update the info here. Usually, Google will send an email reminder prompting you to do things like update your holiday hours.
Tip
Include keywords in your info section and the product or service section to improve your local marketing efforts. Don’t overstuff them, though, as Google will penalize you for this.
Photos
On the dashboard, you can view images other people have uploaded about your business and add your own. Prospective customers, especially millennials, expect to see visuals about your business, including high-quality product shots (or images relating to your services) and/or location images (including 360-degree virtual tours) and your logo. Having these visual elements can help steer new customers your way.
Products and services
These two sections in the dashboard allow you to tell potential customers about what you sell and what makes your products or services better. When you add a new product or service or stop selling one, update this section. If your business schedules appointments, you can include a URL for scheduling an appointment in this section.
Tip
Do you schedule a lot of appointments and want to manage them more efficiently? Consider an appointment setting service to handle it for you, so you can get back to running your business.
Calls and messages
Google can track calls and messages that come to your business through Google. This gives you more information about prospects, allows you to track your lead generation through Google and call back anyone who did not get through to a person.
The calls feature shows you missed calls by day of the week and time of the day so that you can make sure to man the phones during busy times. Messages allow prospects to reach out to you directly from the Google search results or Google Maps.
Tip
Get the most from your Google Business Profile by taking advantage of industry-specific features. For example, upload your menu if you have a restaurant or display health insurance information if you are a healthcare provider.
Insights
Google Business Profile’s lightweight dynamic analytics dashboard is called Insights. With Insights, you can see how people are finding your business and gain a deeper understanding of whom you’re reaching and whom you aren’t. It also shows you the percentage of people who found you by searching on your company name compared to searching for your product or service.
Posts
Google Posts are great for letting customers know about new offers and advertising what your business does best. Posting sales and promotions, as well as seasonal events and specials, is a great way to get new business. When users see your business on Google, they will also see your recent posts, so a catchy headline is key.
Reviews
One of the most important parts of Google Business Profile is the reviews section. In the reviews section, you can view customer reviews of your business and respond to them.
Although you may think that you should respond only to negative reviews to tell your side of the story, it is a good idea to respond to both positive and negative reviews to express your gratitude for good ones and try to correct problems highlighted by bad ones. People who leave a bad review and then get their issue resolved can later edit their review to make it better. Since this is a crucial part of your online reputation, we’ll discuss managing your Google reviews in more detail below.
Other functions
Google Business Profile has other functions, such as the ability to add users, such as an in-house marketing employee or a marketing firm, create a Google website for your business, get a custom Gmail account for your business and run Google Ads campaigns.
Benefits of using Google Business Profile
Google is by far the leading search engine, with around 5.4 billion searches each day and a 92 percent market share. That means it’s extremely likely that your target market is on Google, possibly looking for the products and services that your company sells.
In terms of digital marketing, not being on Google is akin to being invisible. By claiming and managing your Google Business Profile, your business can:
- Show potential customers that you exist.
- Garner credibility and legitimacy.
- Tell potential customers about what you do or sell.
- Let potential customers know where you are and how to get to you.
- Show the days and hours you are open.
- Inform potential customers how current and past customers feel about you.
- Let people know anything else you decide to tell them.
- Get traffic to your website.
Did You Know?
Nearly nine out of 10 consumers (88 percent) who do a local search on their smartphone call or visit a store related to their search within a day, according to research by Nectafy.
Reviews offer valuable feedback about your business. And replying to reviews helps build trust with your customers.
Customers don’t expect perfect reviews. A mix of positive and negative reviews appears more trustworthy, According to Google.
Responding to all reviews—both positive and negative—is an effective way to build trust and credibility with current and future customers.
Share Business Information with Customers
Your Google Business Profile allows you to display your business hours, contact information, services, and more.
You can also update customers about temporary changes.
For example, you can display holiday hours or indicate if your business is temporarily closed or has fully reopened.
Why a Google Business Profile Is Important:
1. Boosts Local Visibility
- Appears in Google Maps and local search results (e.g., “bakery near me”).
- Helps people nearby discover your business quickly.
2. Increases Trust and Credibility
- Verified businesses look more trustworthy.
- Customers can see reviews, photos, and updates directly from you.
3. Free Marketing Tool
- It’s completely free to set up and use.
- You can post updates, offers, and events just like social media.
4. Customer Engagement
- Customers can call, message, or ask questions directly through your profile.
- You can respond to reviews and build a better relationship with your audience.
5. Improves SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Helps your business rank higher in local search results.
- Increases the chances of getting organic traffic to your website.
6. Provides Insights & Analytics
- Shows how many people found you, where they came from, and what actions they took.
- Helps you make better business decisions.
7. Showcases Products or Services
- You can list what you sell or offer, along with prices, descriptions, and photos.
Top Effects of a Google Business Profile
1. More Local Customers
- Your business shows up on Google Maps and in local search results.
- People searching for your product/service nearby can easily find you.
2. Increased Website and Foot Traffic
- Customers are more likely to visit your website or walk into your store after finding you online.
3. Higher Conversion Rates
- With visible phone numbers, directions, and reviews, people can quickly decide to call, visit, or buy from you.
4. Improved Online Reputation
- Reviews on your profile help build trust.
- Responding to reviews shows you care about customers, improving your image.
5. More Calls and Messages
- Customers can contact you directly from your profile, leading to more inquiries and bookings.
6. Better Customer Engagement
- Post updates, offers, photos, and events to keep your audience engaged and informed.
7. Insights into Customer Behavior
- You get data on:
- How customers found you
- What they searched for
- What actions they took (calls, clicks, requests)
- How customers found you
8. Stand Out From Competitors
- A fully optimized profile with reviews, photos, and updates makes you look more professional and appealing.
Conclusion
In today’s digital-first world, having a well-optimized Google Business Profile isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. It directly increases your visibility in local searches, drives more traffic to your website and storefront, and connects you with customers who are ready to buy. By showcasing reviews, photos, services, and real-time updates, you build trust, credibility, and authority in your market.
Businesses that actively manage their profile experience higher conversion rates, better customer engagement, and a stronger online reputation—all while gaining valuable insights into consumer behavior. With over 88% of local searches leading to contact or visits within a day, your Google Business Profile can be the difference between being found—or being forgotten.
If you want to grow your business, attract more customers, and stay competitive, your Google Business Profile is not optional—it’s your digital front door.