Local SEO
Google Business Profile
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What is Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly known as Google My Business, is a free tool that allows businesses to manage how they appear across Google Search and Google Maps. A GBP listing displays the business name, address, phone number, website, hours, photos, reviews, services, and posts directly in the SERP, particularly in local pack and map results.
For businesses serving local customers — whether brick-and-mortar stores, service area businesses, or professionals — a fully optimized GBP listing is the single most important local SEO asset. Google uses information from the GBP listing as a primary data source for populating local search results, making accuracy and completeness critical.
Why it matters for SEO
Google Business Profile is the cornerstone of local search visibility. An incomplete or unverified GBP listing puts a business at a significant disadvantage in local pack results, where the majority of clicks for local queries are captured. Optimizing GBP — including selecting accurate categories, adding photos, responding to reviews, and keeping hours current — directly impacts local pack rankings and customer acquisition.
Example
A family bakery in Leeds verifies its profile, sets "Bakery" as the primary category and "Wedding bakery" as secondary, adds opening hours including bank holidays, uploads photos of its counter and cakes, and replies to every review. When someone nearby searches "birthday cake Leeds", the profile has everything it needs to appear in the local pack.
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