Answer · SEO Services

What’s Google Business Profile?

2 min read313 words

WDCT Senior Strategist Web Design Company Tampa · Editorial

Updated May 16, 2026

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The short answer

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the free listing that controls how your business appears in Google Maps, the local pack, and the Knowledge Panel on branded searches. It’s the highest-leverage local SEO asset for any business with a physical address or service area.

№ 01The longer answer

GBP is what populates the box on the right side of a branded Google search — the photo, address, phone, hours, reviews, services list. It’s also what gets you into the 3-result local pack at the top of geographic queries.

Setting up GBP is free. Optimizing GBP — categories, services list, photo uploads, Posts, review responses, Q&A management — takes 8-15 hours of initial work plus 2-4 hours of monthly maintenance. The ROI on that time is the highest of any SEO investment for service businesses.

Verification: Google requires postcard, phone, video, or live-walk verification to confirm the business is real and at the listed address. Postcard takes 5-14 days. Video verification (sometimes required for service-area businesses) takes 7-30 days. Plan around the verification window when launching local SEO.

Common mistake: setting up GBP and never logging in again. Inactive profiles get demoted in the local pack. Active profiles (Posts shipped weekly, photos uploaded monthly, reviews responded to within 48 hours) rank higher than identical-but-inactive competitors.

№ 02Do I need GBP if I’m 100% online and have no physical location?

Service-area-only GBPs are allowed (no displayed address, just service area). They rank weaker than addressed listings but still help. For pure online B2B with no local component, GBP is optional.

№ 03Can I have multiple GBP listings for one business?

One per physical location. Single-location businesses get one listing. Multi-location chains get one per location, each with its own categories, photos, reviews.

№ 04What’s the difference between GBP and Google Maps?

GBP is the listing data; Google Maps is the consumer-facing app and SERP feature that displays GBP data. You edit in GBP; users see it in Maps.

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