Google Business Profile FAQ, 50+ Expert Answers

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free profile that lets your business appear in Google Maps, Google Search Knowledge Panel, and the local Map Pack. It's the most valuable digital marketing asset for local businesses.

Go to business.google.com, search for your business or create a new listing, and complete verification (postcard, phone, email, or video). Verification is required before your profile can rank.

Postcard: 5-14 days. Phone: instant if eligible. Email: 24-72 hours. Video: 5 business days for Google's review.

Most common reasons: unverified, wrong primary category, address mismatch, ranking outside the search radius, or recent edits triggered re-review. Run our diagnostic at profile not showing up.

Three pillars: optimized GBP (especially primary category), 80+ NAP-consistent citations, and 5-10 new compliant reviews per month. Done together, top-3 in 60-120 days for moderate competition.

Plans are available on request for 1-location small businesses. See pricing tiers.

Yes , with 4-6 hours upfront and 2-3 hours per month for maintenance. Many small businesses do.

Same thing. Google rebranded "Google My Business" to "Google Business Profile" in 2021.

20+ at launch, 5-10 fresh per month. Profiles with weekly photo uploads earn 35% more clicks.

Build a compliant SMS/email automation that asks every recent customer for a review with a direct review link. Aim for 5-10 new reviews per month. Never gate (don't filter for happy ones first), never pay for reviews. Full guide.

Google can suspend a profile for policy violations: keyword stuffing in name, virtual office addresses, fake reviews, or duplicate listings. Our suspension recovery service reinstates suspended profiles.

Highly recommended. Your website provides E-E-A-T signals that strengthen your GBP rankings. But a fully optimized GBP can drive customers in the early months even without a website.

Name, Address, Phone , the exact same format across your website, GBP, and every directory citation. NAP inconsistency fragments your local SEO authority.

Standard posts expire after 7 days. Event posts stay until the event date. Offer posts can last up to 30 days. Post weekly to maintain freshness signals.

One per physical location. Multi-location businesses need separate verified profiles per location, all managed under one Business Profile Manager account.