Google Business Profile
What is a Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the free listing that shows a business on Google Maps and in local search results. It holds the business name, category, address or service area, phone number, website, hours, photos, reviews and posts.
Business owners claim and verify their profile to manage it. Much of what a profile shows is public, which is why Maps is a rich source of local business data.
Why a Google Business Profile matters
For local customers, the profile is often the first impression of a business. For anyone selling to local businesses, profile data (no website, few reviews, a low rating) shows who could use help.
Related marketing terms
Local citations are mentions of a business’s name, address and phone on other sites, such as directories, maps and review platforms.
NAP stands for name, address and phone number: the core business details that should be identical everywhere a business is listed.
Review management is collecting, monitoring and responding to customer reviews on sites such as Google, G2, Trustpilot and app stores.
Google Maps scrapingGrey hat
Google Maps scraping means extracting business listings from Google Maps in bulk. Using Google’s official Places data is the safer route.