GBP (Google Business Profile)

Google Business Profile is Google’s free tool for managing how a business appears on Google Search and Google Maps. It’s the profile that drives map pack rankings, knowledge panel appearances, and direct customer actions.

Definition

GBP is the business profile system controlling local search presence on Google.

What it contains:

  • Business name, address, phone (NAP)
  • Hours of operation
  • Business categories (primary and secondary)
  • Business description
  • Photos and videos
  • Posts (updates, offers, events)
  • Reviews and Q&A
  • Products and services
  • Attributes (wheelchair accessible, free WiFi, etc.)
  • Booking links and menus

What it affects:

  • Map pack rankings
  • Knowledge panel displays
  • AI Overview entity data
  • Direct actions (calls, directions, bookings)

GBP vs. Google My Business

Google rebranded Google My Business to Google Business Profile in 2021.

Functionally identical: Same system, same features, different name.

Why it matters: Clients and some documentation still reference “GMB.” Both terms refer to the same thing. Current terminology is GBP.

Why GBP Is the Most Important Local SEO Asset

GBP is the anchor of local search visibility:

For Google Search: Map pack rankings depend on GBP data and signals.

For Google Maps: Your Maps listing IS your GBP profile.

For Gemini/AI: Google’s AI systems pull from GBP for local business information.

For direct conversions: Calls, direction requests, and bookings happen directly from GBP without website visits.

Priority order: Optimize GBP before anything else. A great website with a poor GBP profile underperforms. A complete GBP profile with a basic website can rank well.

The Ranking Signals GBP Influences

Relevance:

  • Primary category selection
  • Secondary categories
  • Products and services
  • Business description
  • Q&A content

Proximity:

  • Business address (fixed signal)
  • Service areas for SABs

Prominence:

  • Review count and quality
  • Review response rate
  • Photo engagement
  • Post activity
  • Citation consistency (reinforces GBP data)

GBP is where you directly control relevance signals and build prominence signals.

GBP Management with LocalSEOSkills

Multiple skills address GBP optimization:

gbp-optimization skill: Core profile optimization — categories, attributes, completeness.

"Audit the GBP profile for [Business Name] and identify gaps"

gbp-posts skill: Content creation for GBP posts.

"Create a 4-week GBP post calendar for [Business Name]"

gbp-suspension-recovery skill: Handling suspended profiles.

"Our GBP was suspended. Diagnose the cause and create an appeal."

LocalSEOData endpoints:

  • business_profile: Full profile data
  • profile_health: Completeness scoring

GBP Completeness Checklist

Essential (must have):

  • Accurate business name (exact legal name)
  • Correct address or service areas
  • Correct phone number
  • Complete hours including special hours
  • Primary category (most specific applicable)
  • Secondary categories (all relevant)

Important (significantly impacts performance):

  • Business description (150-300 words)
  • 15+ quality photos
  • All relevant attributes checked
  • Services/products listed
  • Q&A section populated

Ongoing (maintenance):

  • Weekly/monthly posts
  • Review responses (100% response rate goal)
  • Holiday hours updated
  • Photos refreshed regularly

How GBP Connects to Other Tools

LocalSEOData: Pulls GBP data for analysis and auditing.

Local Falcon: Monitors GBP for unauthorized changes via Falcon Guard.

Google Search Console: Shows GBP-driven search queries and performance.

GBP API: Enables bulk management for multi-location businesses.

  • Map pack: Primary ranking surface GBP affects
  • Relevance/Proximity/Prominence: The three GBP ranking factors
  • gbp-optimization skill: Primary GBP optimization skill
  • LocalSEOData: business_profile and profile_health endpoints
  • Google My Business: Previous name for GBP