Google Business Profile

Entity Optimization

The Google Business Profile is arguably the most important presence for most small businesses on the internet. However, before claiming or creating any online business listings, you should take a moment to consider how your business should appear across search platforms. Entity optimization is an important consideration before establishing any accounts.

Your business name, address, and phone number, commonly referred to as NAP, should be accurate and consistent across every platform. Before completing any online listings, document exactly how you want this information to appear. For example, if your official business name includes “Inc.” or “LLC,” determine whether that designation is part of the name you publicly use and apply the name consistently across all platforms and your website.

The objective is to make it easy for Google, other search engines, and AI platforms to recognize that listings across different websites refer to the same business entity. Inconsistent names, addresses, or telephone numbers can create uncertainty for AI platforms, particularly when multiple businesses have similar names or operate in the same geographic area. Maintaining consistent information helps establish a clear and recognizable digital identity.

This is especially important to address before creating your accounts because some platforms restrict changes to certain business information or require additional verification before updates can be made. Taking the time to establish a standardized business identity and NAP information before beginning can prevent unnecessary complications later and provide a stronger foundation for your broader search optimization strategy.

The Importance of the Google Business Profile

For businesses serving local customers, the Google Business Profile (GBP) is nearly as important as their website. often, this is the first place potential customers encounter your business. When people search for local products and services, Google frequently displays business listings directly within its search results and on Google Maps.

Surprisingly, some businesses never claim or verify their Google Business Profile. Others have claimed their profile but rarely update it or respond to customer feedback. It’s important to actively manage the Google Business Profile, as the listing provides customers with immediate access to important information about your business, including your location, hours of operation, services, reviews, photographs, and contact information. For many local businesses, the GBP is a major driver of customer discovery and new business.

Google remains the dominant search destination. Although the growth of AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, has begun changing how consumers find information, Google continues to account for the overwhelming majority of traditional search engine activity. According to Statcounter, Google represented approximately 90% of worldwide search engine market share in September 2026.⁹ Nonetheless, consumers will move toward obtaining recommendations and answers without visiting traditional search results or individual websites.

Despite these changes, the Google Business Profile remains one of the most important starting points for local business marketing, and fortunately it is free. It is a central component of a modern digital marketing strategy because it helps customers discover your business, evaluate its credibility, and also take action. For small businesses with limited marketing resources, establishing and maintaining a complete Google Business Profile should be the highest priority.

The GBP is the First Step for AI Optimization

Another key reason that the Google Business Profile is important is because it will force you to think in a way that is optimal for getting information onto AI platforms. One of the most critical aspects of the Google Business Profile is the category selection. When you set up a profile, You should select a category. Google has been clear on the importance of this, and their own documentation confirms that business categories influence local search rankings.⁴ Other sources have confirmed this and ranked the primary Google Business Profile category as the most influential individual factor for Google Maps and Local Pack rankings, based on the assessments of local search experts.⁵

You can only select one category, even though most businesses will typically identify a few categories for their business. As an example, if you’re an electrician, you do electrical work, you do data wiring, and you do electrical repairs. You may do business in various categories, but Google will only allow you to select one, which should be the most appropriate overall category of your business.

After you select a category, then you should select services to represent the other things you do. Think of services as sitting under the primary category. You have more flexibility when adding services to your profile. The services section is where you note the various other product and service categories in which you operate. This is not an intuitive approach, but it is the approach you must follow on for the GBP. This is also why you should think through how you categorize your business before taking any action (Chapter 1). You should add as many individual services as you can, and you should revisit this detailed categorization of your business from time to time. As you add new services, you should update those in your Google Business Profile.

One other important point to note here. When completing services in your Google business profile, you can add a detailed explanation to the individual services. You can also add pricing. These represent significant opportunities for people to understand you better when they are searching. People looking for a service do not ask general questions, they ask very specific questions like, “what can I expect to pay for this widget?” Complete every section of your GBP possible with as much information as you can.

Completing the categories and services gives you a hierarchy that you should mirror the topical cluster from Chapter 1. In fact, completing the Google Business Profile may cause you to rethink your original topic cluster and revise it. This is a good thing! It also gives you increasingly better information for building an effective website.

Images and Video

In addition to completing as much of the Google Business Profile as possible, you should also add images and video to your profile. Visuals are the way to engage visitors to your Google Business Profile. When you think about how you make purchasing decisions, it helps to see what you are purchasing. If you’ve ever stayed at a hotel, you can identify with that thought. Before staying at a hotel, people want to see what the accommodations look like. Image is powerful because it let’s people see what they are buying.

While there is no definitive proof that adding images or video to your GBP, it makes sense that visuals improve your chances of being selected when people purchase. [^a] While photos correlate with customer engagement, they do not necessarily improve rankings. However, if more photos lead to more website visits, direction requests, and calls, then that is a positive outcome that any business should want. Consider adding photos or videos to your GPB as a weekly exercise when you create an Optimization Editorial Calendar (Chapter 15).

The Complexities of Gaining Control Over Your Profile

Over the years, I have controlled various Google Business Profiles for businesses that I have owned. Some were new profiles that I created, some were businesses that I took over from other operators, and one involved a person that had died. The owner of that business had delegated the task to an employee who was no longer living.

The process for taking over an existing Google Business Profile can be tricky. Rightfully, you have to verify your ownership of the business. When you think about it, it should not be easy to take over a profile you did not initially create. However, gaining control from a retired person, former owner, or a deceased person adds a dimension of complexity. In the end, that was not the hardest profile to gain control over.

It’s important to note that gaining control over any online business profile will likely include some complications. You have to be prepared to jump through a few hoops and wait while the verification process is completed. Google and other platforms may require multiple rounds of verification if they have any doubt you are not who you say you are. You have to have patience when attempting to gain control over your profiles, whether the GPB, Yelp, or other directories.

Applying the Lessons: The Standard Pizza Business

The Standard Pizza Business (TSPB) is ready to build its Google Business Profile. This is one of the most important steps in helping hungry customers find the restaurant! The owner should begin by claiming and verifying its Google Business Profile, ensuring that certain key information, such as the NAP and other critical points, are complete and accurate:

• the precise business name
• address
• telephone number
• website
• operating hours

The owner should select the most appropriate primary business category, such as “Pizza Restaurant,” and add secondary categories that accurately describe the business. They should take their time with this step. The categories help Google understand what the restaurant offers and which searches may be relevant.

Next, the owner should write a clear description about the company, highlighting its pizzas, dining options, takeout, delivery, and catering services, where available. Think about what a customer would want to know before choosing where to order dinner and answer those questions.

Now comes the fun part: Photos! The owner should upload mouthwatering pictures of pizzas, along with photographs of the storefront, dining area, and other interesting features. A picture of a delicious pepperoni pizza might be all it takes to convince someone what’s for dinner tonight! And the owner should also make a habit of adding a few new photographs each week. New menu items, specialty pizzas, and even the staff preparing orders can provide interesting content.

Next, TSPB should complete its menu, identify available ordering options, and make sure the website link works correctly. Operating hours are especially important, including holiday hours. Nobody wants to drive across town for a pizza only to discover the restaurant closed an hour ago!

Once everything is complete, the owner should periodically review the profile to keep it accurate and up to date. The goal is to make it easy for customers to find the business, see what it offers, and order a pizza. A complete and accurate Google Business Profile provides a strong foundation for the restaurant’s local search visibility and the other marketing activities discussed throughout this book.

And remember, when someone searches Google for “pizza near me,” TSPB wants to be one of the restaurants they consider. A great Google Business Profile can help make that happen!

References

4. Google. (n.d.). Manage your business category. Google Business Profile Help. https://support.google.com/business/answer/7249669

5. Whitespark. (2025). 2026 local search ranking factors. https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ranking-factors/

   A. Murphy, Rosie. “Google My Business Insights Study – Benchmark Your Business’s GMB Insights.” BrightLocal, July 15, 2019. https://www.brightlocal.com/research/google-my-business-insights-study/.