What is Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile — commonly abbreviated to GBP, and formerly called Google My Business or GMB — is the free listing that controls how a business appears in Google Search and Google Maps.
A Google Business Profile — commonly abbreviated to GBP, and formerly called Google My Business or GMB — is the free listing that controls how a business appears in Google Search and Google Maps.
The profile is what produces the panel on the right of a branded search and the entries in the map pack. It carries the name, address, phone number, hours, categories, services, photographs, reviews, questions and posts. It is free, it is claimed and verified by the business owner, and for most local businesses it is the single most valuable piece of digital property they own — more valuable, in call volume, than their website.
GBP stands for Google Business Profile. The product was called Google My Business, abbreviated GMB, until 2021, and a great deal of writing online still uses the old name. They are the same thing. If you see GMB in an article or a proposal, it is describing this.
The profile is managed directly in Google Search and Maps rather than in a separate dashboard, which is a change from the old Google My Business interface. Verification is by postcard, phone, email or video depending on the category and the business.
It is the largest lever most local businesses have and the one most often half-filled. Categories chosen once at setup and never revisited, an empty services list, and photographs from three years ago are the most common things capping an otherwise healthy business.
Assuming that because the listing exists, it is claimed. Google creates unclaimed listings automatically from other data, and an unclaimed profile can be edited by the public and cannot be managed by you.
Google Business Profile is part of local search
Understanding the term is the easy half. The service page describes what the work actually involves, and the free assessment says whether it is the thing your business should be spending on next — which is frequently a different question.
Things that come up alongside it
Request a Free Consultation with a Marketing Expert
A strategist reviews how your business shows up in search today — your listings, your reviews and your site — then walks you through what is working, what is not, and what to fix first.
- No cost, no obligation
- Custom to your industry
- Delivered by a real strategist
Loading the consultation form.