What it does for you
- Puts you on the map. The three-business map pack at the top of local searches is made of Business Profiles, not websites.
- Collects reviews. Google reviews live on the profile. They are the reviews most people read and the ones that drive the map ranking.
- Answers quick questions (open now? phone? directions?) without the person visiting your site, and sends the rest to your website.
- Shows up for your own name. When someone searches your business, the profile is the panel on the right (or the top on a phone).
Setting it up properly
Claim it at google.com/business and verify it (Google may ask for a video, a postcard or a phone call). Then fill in everything: the primary category that best describes what you do, secondary categories, your service area if you travel to customers, hours including holidays, services with descriptions, real photos of your work, your team and your premises, and a link to the right page of your site. Reply to every review. Post occasionally. Keep the name exactly as the business is known; stuffing keywords into it violates the rules and gets profiles suspended.
If you work from home or on site, you can hide the address and show a service area instead. You still need a real location to verify.
Profile and website together
The profile gets you found; the website closes the sale. A profile that links to a slow or outdated site loses the lead at the last step, and a strong site with no profile misses most local searches entirely. Together they are the core of local SEO. If you are deciding whether you need a site at all, see do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile and social media.