Google Business Profile (called Google My Business until 2021) is the free listing that lets a business which serves customers in person, at its premises or at their door, control how it appears on Google Search and Maps: name, address or service area, opening hours, phone number, photos and reviews. On 9 November 2026, across 6 Italian local searches we checked, the block of business profiles sat above the first organic result 6 times out of 6, and 64 of the 86 sources cited by Google's AI Overviews were business profiles on Maps.
Setting up the profile looks like the easy part.
Then comes the postcard that never arrives, the former employee who was the only owner, the suspension after a name change, the duplicate a supplier created years ago. The real problems with a profile are about managing it, not filling it in, and most guides on page one stop at "how to create it".
Search data shows it. In the UK, "google business profile suspended" averaged 1,600 searches a month over the last year, peaking at 4,400 in October 2025 (Google Ads data via DataForSEO). In Italy, searches for the postcard verification code rose from 50 in October 2025 to 1,900 in September 2026.
This page is the full map of the profile: what it is, how to create it, who should hold the keys, what to do when it disappears and what to fill in afterwards. Each topic has its own in-depth guide; how the profile ranks in the local pack is covered in our local SEO guide.
Google's rules on verification, roles and suspensions change often: everything quoted here comes from the Google Business Profile Help Centre, checked on 9 November 2026.
What a Google Business Profile is, and who can have one (not everyone)
The profile is the panel that appears on the right on desktop, or at the top on mobile, when someone searches for your business name, and the entry that shows in the local pack and on Maps when they search for your service nearby. You manage it from a Google Account, at no cost.
It isn't for everyone. Google reserves it for businesses that meet customers in person during their stated hours: shops, practices, restaurants, and businesses that travel to customers, such as plumbers or cleaners. Online-only businesses and properties for rent or sale are not eligible (Get started with Google Business Profile). A virtual office with no staff is not a valid location either, according to the guidelines for representing your business on Google.
If I pay, will Google rank me higher?
No. In its tips to improve your local ranking, Google explains that local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence, and that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. Paid space exists, but that is advertising: a different game.
And the profile is not the Knowledge Panel, which Google builds from other sources: the differences are in Knowledge Graph and Knowledge Panel.
How much the profile weighs in a local search (6 Italian results pages, 9 November 2026)
To see where the game is played, we read six "service + city" searches on Google Italy, on mobile, on 9 November 2026, using DataForSEO. The data is Italian; the pattern is what matters.
| Search (Italy) | Profiles above the first organic result | Reviews on the profiles shown | AI Overview | AI Overview sources that are Maps profiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| idraulico milano (plumber Milan) | 3 (plus 3 more below the first organic result) | 29-223 | yes | 3 of 6 |
| dentista torino (dentist Turin) | 4 | 846-1,800 | yes (text not returned) | not measurable |
| commercialista roma (accountant Rome) | 4 | 59-170 | yes | 1 of 5 |
| parrucchiere bologna (hairdresser Bologna) | 4 ("Businesses" block) | not shown | yes | 20 of 24 |
| ottico napoli (optician Naples) | 4 | 151-659 | yes | 20 of 27 |
| veterinario bari (vet Bari) | 4 | 538-1,100 | yes | 20 of 24 |
Profiles sat above every website in 6 searches out of 6. On mobile, the first website appeared after three or four profiles.
AI Overviews read the profiles. In all 5 readable answers Google named specific businesses, with address and hours, and 64 of the 86 sources cited (74%) were business profiles on Maps, not websites. For "idraulico milano" the three plumbers named in the AI Overview were exactly the top three in the local pack, with descriptions lifted word for word from their profiles.
That is the point for anyone working on visibility in AI answers: in local searches the profile is the first source Google uses to compose the AI Overview, and ChatGPT and Gemini draw on the same public information about businesses, reviews and directories. A verified profile with an accurate category, a clear description and correct hours is the most direct way to give AI something accurate to repeat. Nobody can guarantee a citation; what you can control is what it finds. Our test on ChatGPT and Gemini is in local AI visibility, and how we work on this is described on our GEO service page.
Review thresholds vary more than tenfold between sectors. In Rome an accountant gets into the pack with 59 reviews; in Turin the dentist with the fewest reviews in the pack has 846. The UK picture is similar: on "dentists london" the three practices in the pack have 212 to 903 reviews (DataForSEO, Google UK, September 2026, from our dental SEO guide).
How to create the profile (and the three fields to get right on day one)
You create it at business.google.com/add with a Google Account: search for the business name and, if it doesn't exist, add it with name, category and location (Add or claim your Business Profile). Use an account on your business email rather than the owner's personal one: if the person who set it up leaves, the access leaves with them.
These three fields decide most of what follows.
- The name on your signage. Google asks for the name you use in the real world, on signs and stationery. Adding "Emergency Plumber London 24h" is the quickest route to a suspension: see keyword stuffing.
- The primary category. The guidelines ask for the fewest categories needed to describe your core business. In the Whitespark 2026 report the primary category is the top local pack factor, with 227 points.
- Address or service area. If customers visit you, show the address; if you go to them, hide it and set a service area.
Adding a business that isn't on Maps
Anyone can suggest a place on Maps, but only the person who claims and verifies the profile controls it. A place added and never verified is a listing you don't control. The steps, including the difference between adding and claiming, are in how to add a business to Google Maps.
Service area: the profile without an address
Service-area businesses can have only one profile for the whole area they cover and set up to 20 service areas by town, city or postcode; changes can take up to 48 hours to appear (Manage your service areas). Hybrid businesses, such as a restaurant that delivers, show the address and a service area.
So I list 20 towns and show up everywhere? No: the service area says where you work, but distance from the searcher still counts. What to set, and when hiding the address is compulsory, is in Google Business Profile service area.
The right category (and how many to add)
Every profile in the pack shows its category under the name: it is the quickest way to see what the competitors ahead of you use. How to choose yours, and how many secondary categories to add, is in Google Business Profile categories; how to use it to climb on Maps is in how to improve your Google Maps ranking.
Verification: phone, email, video or postcard (Google picks the method)
Without verification you can't edit the profile or interact with customers. Google chooses the method based on business type, public information, region and opening hours, and you can't change it (Verify your business on Google).
- Phone or text: you need to be able to answer the business number; an automated phone system (IVR) won't receive the code.
- Email: to the address shown on the verification screen.
- Video: a recording or a live video call, during opening hours only, showing signage, equipment and a staff-only area. Google recommends it when available.
- Post: a 5-digit code that in most cases arrives within 14 days.
After verification Google takes up to 5 working days to review it. The rule that saves the most time? While the postcard is on its way, don't change the name, address or category and don't request a new code: the first one stops working. What to do if the code never arrives, or the video is rejected, is in how to verify your Google Business Profile.
Who holds the keys (and why it shouldn't be one employee)
Every profile has one primary owner, plus any number of owners and managers (Manage owners and managers). Managers can do almost everything: edit hours, reply to reviews (including from AI-drafted replies), publish posts. They can't add or remove users or delete the profile. Everyone signs in with their own Google Account, without sharing passwords.
The practical rule: the primary owner is the business owner, on a business account; agencies and staff are managers. If you change supplier, you remove one user and that's it.
Giving an agency access
A reputable agency asks to be added as a manager, never for your login and never for primary ownership. Roles, transferring ownership and what to check when a supplier leaves are in Google Business Profile managers.
Claiming a profile someone else controls
If the profile is already verified by someone else (a former partner, a previous agency) you request ownership from business.google.com/add: the current owner gets an email and has three days to respond (Request ownership of a Business Profile). If they don't reply you can go on to claim it; if they refuse you can appeal. Every case is in how to claim a Google Business Profile.
When the profile disappears: suspensions, duplicates and Google's edits (the problems that cost customers)
A suspended profile doesn't appear on Maps or Search. For a business that lives on calls from the local pack, the phone stops ringing until the problem is fixed.
Suspended profile: one appeal, with the right evidence
Google suspends profiles that break its guidelines. You appeal through the dedicated tool once only, and it pays to attach evidence with the name and address exactly as on the profile: business registration, licence, tax certificates, utility bills for electricity, phone, water or internet (Fix suspended or disabled profiles). Google flags it as important: don't create a new profile for the same business.
The most common causes, and how to prepare the appeal before you use it up, are in Google Business Profile suspended.
Duplicate profiles: only one survives
You can have one profile per business; a profile treated as a duplicate isn't shown on Search or Maps (Resolve duplicate profiles and ownership issues). It happens when a verified profile already exists, when several profiles share an address, or when a business opens one profile per service. How to find them and which to keep, without losing the reviews on the right one, is in duplicate Google Business listings.
Changes you didn't make
Google updates profiles with information from users and other sources (how Google sources business information), and the owner can accept or reject the proposed updates. Hours changed by a user, a wrong phone number, a category switched: suggested edits on Google Business Profile explains how to spot them early.
Is your profile suspended, duplicated or controlled by someone else?
You've just seen that you only get one appeal and that a duplicate profile stops showing on Maps. We check ownership, roles, duplicates and compliance with the guidelines with you, prepare the evidence before the appeal and lock down access so it doesn't happen again.
Book a strategy callWhat to fill in after verification (six sections, in order of urgency)
Google says it in its local ranking page: businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to appear in local results (Tips to improve your local ranking). After name, category and location, fill in the rest in this order.
Services and products
This is the section that tells Google, and the AI Overview, what you actually do beyond the category. A plumber who lists "boiler replacement", "leak detection" and "drain unblocking" describes three jobs the category alone doesn't (Manage services on your Business Profile). How to write them without stuffing them with keywords is in Google Business Profile products and services.
Photos, videos and logo
The official specifications: photos in JPG or PNG between 10 KB and 5 MB, 720 x 720 pixels recommended (minimum 250 x 250), videos up to 30 seconds and 75 MB at 720p or higher (Manage photos and videos on your Business Profile). The logo is highlighted when the profile shows basic details. Which photos to add first, and how often to refresh them, is in Google Business Profile photos.
Reviews and replies
Google lets you ask for reviews with a link or a QR code, and does not allow incentives, such as free or discounted goods, in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review (Tips to get more reviews). The method for collecting them is in how to get Google reviews.
Posts
Posts show text, photos or video in the "Updates" or "Overview" tabs of the profile, and are meant for offers, events and news (Create and manage posts). But do they move rankings? Fair question, and the answer with data is in Google Business Profile posts.
Bookings
Some businesses can take bookings straight from the profile by connecting a partner provider (Set up bookings through a provider). Which sectors are covered and what changes compared with a link to your own site is in Reserve with Google.
Insights
The profile has its own performance panel, separate from Search Console and GA4. To see what people who came from the profile do on your site, tag the website link with UTM parameters and read it in GA4. How to read the numbers without being misled is in Google Business Profile insights.
Moves, closures and multiple locations (one-off jobs that often go wrong)
These are the rarest changes and the riskiest, because they touch the name, the address or the number of profiles: exactly what Google checks for duplicates.
Changing your address
A move is handled by editing the address on the existing profile, not by opening a new one: the reviews live on the profile, and two profiles for the same business are a duplicate. Timing, re-verification and what to update on your site are in changing your address on Google Business Profile.
Closing or removing the business
Removing and closing are not the same. If you remove the profile from your account you stop managing it; if you mark it as permanently closed, it doesn't vanish from Maps straight away but fades out gradually (Remove a Business Profile from your Google Account). The three routes (temporary closure, permanent closure, move) are in how to remove a business from Google Maps.
Multiple locations
Businesses with several locations manage them in groups, with the bulk management tool and bulk verification (Get started with Google Business Profile). Each location has its own profile, and its own page on the website. How to organise them is in Google Business Profile with multiple locations, with chain examples in franchise SEO.
When you need Google support (and what it can actually do)
The Help Centre itself points you to support when none of the verification methods works. For suspensions and ownership, the tools are the ones above: the appeal and the ownership request. Which channels actually exist and what to write in the request is in Google Business Profile support.
The profile across sectors (nine UK cases)
How much the profile matters changes a lot from one sector to another. These are the cases we measured in our sector guides.
- Dentists: on "dentists london" (5,400 searches a month) the local pack shows three practices rated 4.8-4.9 with 212 to 903 reviews, above every organic result. See SEO for dentists.
- Hotels: the profile feeds the Google Hotels panel with photos, reviews and prices, and "hotels london" gets around 60,500 searches a month in the UK. More in SEO for hotels.
- Clinics: patients compare ratings and reviews in the local pack before they open a site. How to optimise for healthcare is in SEO for healthcare.
- Therapists: on "therapist london" (5,400 searches a month) the local pack shows three practices with 22 to 71 reviews, and The London Practice also ranks fifth organically with its home page. See SEO for therapists.
- Accountants, architects and surveyors: the profile captures searches such as "accountant near me" (12,100 a month in the UK) and "architect near me" (6,600). See SEO for professional services.
- Restaurants: on "pizza london" (3,600 searches a month) the local pack shows three pizzerias with 2,000 to 7,500 reviews each, while the organic results below are mostly guides and directories. Data in SEO for restaurants; for catering, parties and corporate dinners, which the profile can't sell on its own, the sums are in Google Ads for restaurants.
- Estate agents: "estate agents london" gets 6,600 searches a month, and the profile is the first thing a vendor sees. See estate agent SEO.
- Law firms: "solicitor near me" gets 14,800 searches a month in the UK, answered by the local pack. See SEO for law firms.
- Builders: in the local pack for "builders london" all three businesses are rated 5.0 but have only 4 to 18 reviews each, so a handful of extra reviews can change who shows up. See SEO for builders.
Sources and dates for each figure are in the sector guides linked above. If you would rather we look at your profile alongside your website, it is part of our SEO service.
Google Business Profile FAQs
Yes. Google My Business is the old name, changed in 2021. The listing, its data and its reviews are the same; only the name of the service changed.
No. Creating and managing the profile is free, and there is no way to pay Google for a better local ranking. You only pay if you choose to run ads, which are a separate product.
Yes, if you travel to customers and don't serve them at your premises. In that case you hide the address and set up to 20 service areas by town, city or postcode. A virtual office with no staff is still not a valid location.
It depends: Google chooses the method. By post, the code arrives within 14 days in most cases; whichever method you use, Google can take up to 5 working days to review the verification.
Yes. The agency is added as a manager with its own Google Account: it can edit the profile, reply to reviews and publish posts, but it can't add or remove users or delete the profile.
No. Google explicitly says not to create a new profile for the same business: it would be a duplicate. Fix the violation and submit an appeal, once only, with documents showing the same name and address as the profile.
In short (and the idea to take away)
The profile costs nothing, but only businesses that meet customers in person qualify.
Real name, one precise category, address or service area.
Google picks the verification method; leave the profile alone while the postcard travels.
The owner is primary owner, the agency is a manager.
One appeal, and never a second profile.
The profile is no longer just your shop window on Maps: it is the text Google reads to write the answer for you. For "idraulico milano" the AI Overview reused three profile descriptions word for word. So write your description like an answer: what you do, for whom, where and when, in sentences that stay true even if someone copies them out of context.
