Local SEO
Google Business Profile vs. Your Website: What Each One Does for a Local Business
The question I hear most from local business owners is simple: "Will people find us on Google?" Showing up takes two things working together. Your Google Business Profile is how you appear in Google Search and Maps when someone nearby looks for what you do. Your website is where they decide to contact you, and Google reads it when it builds your profile. When the two match, they support each other.
What your Google Business Profile does
Your profile is the box with your hours, phone number, reviews and photos that appears in Google Search and Maps. It does four jobs:
- Puts you in local results. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and that businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up.
- Answers quick questions: your hours, phone number, service area and directions.
- Shows your reviews. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.
- Shows your work, in photos and short updates.
One thing it can't do is get bought. Google is clear that there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
What your website does
Your website is where someone goes when they're deciding. It does what a profile can't:
- Explains your services in full: who you serve, where, what's included, and examples of your work.
- Stays in your hands. Google builds profiles from several sources, including facts that users contribute and data licensed from other companies. Your website is the one place where every word is yours.
- Feeds your profile. Among those sources, Google lists crawled web content, such as a business's official website.
- Turns a visit into a conversation, with a contact form, a booking link or a quote request.
- Your websiteThe one source where every word is yours
- You, the ownerWhat you enter in your profile
- Your customersReviews, photos and suggested edits
- Other companiesData that Google licenses
- GoogleIts own interactions with your business
All of these feed Your Google Business Profile
At a glance
| Compared | Google Business Profile | Your website |
|---|---|---|
| Where people see it | Google Search and Maps | Search, social media, email, a link from a friend |
| Best at | Being found nearby, quick answers, reviews | Explaining what you do and earning the call |
| Who shapes it | You, your customers, other data sources and Google | You |
| Room for detail | A short description, services, photos, updates | As much as your clients need |
| Cost | Free | A domain, hosting and your time, or a designer's |
The most common problem: details that don't match
When new clients come to me, their Google profile and their website rarely tell the same story. The information is incomplete, out of date, or simply different from one place to the next: old hours on one, a different phone number on the other, a service on the website that's missing from the profile.
That matters because customers notice, and because Google pulls from your website and other sources to build your profile. Google's guidelines ask that your business name match the one on your storefront, website and stationery, and that your hours be your regular customer-facing hours.
Side-by-side check
Open your Google profile and your website, then tick each item that matches. Nothing you tick is saved.
What we found on our own profile
I ran the same check on our own Google profile on September 25. It had the problems I see with clients:
- Google showed Saturday hours that our website didn't.
- No services were listed, though our website lists ten.
- Our photos were out of date, and there was no logo or cover photo.
- Our Instagram and LinkedIn pages weren't linked.
- New York City, which our website lists, wasn't among our service areas.
- We needed more reviews.
We fixed what we could the same day:
- Matched the hours to the website: Monday to Friday, 8 to 5.
- Added the same ten services, with the same names and descriptions as the website.
- Added our logo, a cover photo and 12 new photos: a portrait and 11 pieces from our portfolio.
- Added New York City and Southold on the North Fork. Google allows up to 20 service areas, and we now use all 20.
- Linked our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
- Posted our first update.
- Tagged the website link so visits from the profile show up on their own in Google Analytics.
Reviews take longer. They're the one item you can't fix in an afternoon, which is why asking for them has to become a habit.
What to do this week
My advice to every client is the same: keep your information consistent, and keep asking for reviews.
- Open your Google profile and your website side by side and compare them, line by line.
- Fix each difference where it started. Then update the same details on Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and any directories you're listed in.
- If you work at your clients' locations, list the towns you serve instead of your address. Google says service-area businesses should hide their address, and allows up to 20 service areas.
- Ask every client for a review, the same way. Google suggests a review link or QR code. Offering anything in return, or asking only the clients you expect to be happy, breaks Google's rules.
- Reply to your reviews, so customers can see their feedback matters.
- Share client testimonials on your website, word for word and with your client's permission.
Frequently asked questions
Will my business show up on Google?
It can, but no one can guarantee where you'll appear. Google ranks local results mainly by relevance, distance and popularity. A complete, accurate profile, a website that says the same thing, and new reviews over time give you the best chance.
Do I still need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
Yes, if you want people to choose you once they find you. Your profile gets you seen. Your website explains what you do, and Google uses it when it builds your profile.
Can I pay Google to rank higher on the map?
No. Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
How do I get more Google reviews?
Ask every client at the same point in your process, with your review link. Don't offer anything in exchange, and don't ask only the clients you expect to be happy: Google prohibits both.
Want help with yours? Start with our free Local Visibility Checklist: 15 quick checks for your website, Google Business Profile, listings, reviews and images. Or request our free Website & SEO Audit, a written review of your website and search foundations.