Local Visibility

Google Business Profile

A [Google Business Profile](/glossary/google-business-profile) is Google's no-charge way for an eligible, in-person business to manage how it appears on Google Search and Maps. It can describe a storefront, a business that travels to customers, or a business that does both. Start by adding or claiming the profile, then [verify it](/glossary/business-profile-verification) before managing its information and access.

The main street of a small town just after sunrise, a row of independent shopfronts with the pavement still empty

What information does a profile carry

Google's setup guidance says a Business Profile can show business hours, a website, a phone number, and location information. Depending on the business category, the location can appear as a street address, service area, or place marker.¹

Which kind of profile fits my business

Google's business guidelines distinguish three practical setups. A storefront serves customers at its location, a service-area profile travels to customers, and a hybrid profile does both. Read Service-area businesses on your Google Business Profile for eligibility and setup rules.³

A two-chair neighbourhood hair salon in the quiet hour, a stylist tidying the station beside a tall window — A profile describes a real room. Hours, services and photos are only as good as the place they point at.

What does verification change

Adding and verifying a Business Profile makes the business findable on Search and Maps and lets the business control how its information appears. Google says adding or claiming a profile is free, and verification is required before a business can edit core information or interact with customers. If Google offers no method, use the no-verification-method guide.²⁵

Who can manage a profile

A Google Business Profile can have multiple owners but only one primary owner. Owners have full control. Managers have mostly the same access, except they cannot add or remove users or remove the profile. Google says each person should use their own Google Account rather than share a password. When duplicate records create an ownership problem, use the duplicate-record guide.⁴

How does Google choose verification methods

Google chooses the verification methods available for each business. The choice depends on the business type, public information, region, and business hours, and some businesses may need more than one method. The business cannot change the available method.⁵

Keeping the profile current

Keeping the record current means knowing which path owns a change. Use owner edits, pre-verification edits, category choices, account control, and more hours and holiday hours. For Google-sourced changes, read why profile information keeps changing.¹

Profile-change paths

Change path	What Google says	Where to start
Owner edit	A verified profile can be edited on Google Search or in the Google Maps app by someone signed in to the linked Google Account. Google says available editing features can differ between Search and Maps and by device operating system. Some attributes are directly editable, while others may be populated from customer input; availability varies by location, country, and business category. Google says an attribute edit usually takes about 10 minutes to review but can sometimes take up to 30 days.¹²¹³ For the pre-verification branch, see what you can edit on an unverified Google Business Profile.	Open the profile on Search or Maps. For recurring service schedules or holiday exceptions, use More hours and holiday hours.
Google update	Google gathers information from sources such as user reports and licensed content. When those sources report that a listing detail is incorrect or outdated, Google may update the profile across Maps, Search, and other Google services. In the profile editor, blue text shows information changed by Google, and Google says a notification appears at the top of the page when the profile has Google updates. Google says not all updates can be managed through the profile editor.¹⁴	Review the notification and the blue text in the editor. For a repeated or unexplained change, read why information keeps changing.
Suggested edit	Google may notify a business about some user suggestions before publication. When a suggested edit requires review, the notified reviewer has four days to accept or reject it. If nobody responds, Google may publish it when other public information supports it, and Google may apply some policy-required edits without prior review.¹⁴	Check email and in-product notifications, then respond within the four-day window when Google asks for a review.
Collected info	In select regions, languages, and business categories, Google may contact a business through an automated call, text, or WhatsApp message to the verified phone number. Information provided in response may update the profile. The Collected info area shows the information, its source, and collection date. Deleting collected information removes it from Google's records but does not change other profile details.¹²	Open Edit profile, then Collected info. Review the source and date before confirming or deleting a piece of information.
Proactive email alert	Google's April 16, 2026 announcement describes a rollout of proactive email alerts for verified and active owners to review important edits before they go live. The announcement describes the rollout starting in April 2026; it does not say that every edit or every profile receives an alert.¹⁵	Watch for Google's alert email and review the important edit before it is published.

How should I read [Performance](/guides/reading-google-business-profile-performance-metrics) before changing the profile

What changes in the report	Check first on the profile	What Google's metric means
Searches fall or the search terms change	Check the business information, primary category, and services. Google says complete, detailed information helps it match a profile to relevant searches.⁷⁸¹⁰	Searches are the terms people used to find the business. Google updates this metric at the start of each month, and it can take up to 5 days to appear. The business cannot directly manage the queries.⁶
Views move up or down	Check the profile's complete and accurate information, including the address when customers visit, main and special hours, category, and relevant attributes.⁷⁹	Views count unique people who viewed the profile on Search and Maps. A person counts once per day, with limited counting across devices and platforms. The metric does not count overall views of the business on Google.⁶
Directions move down	Check the full address and hours before changing other fields.⁷⁹	Directions count people who asked for directions. Google says its unique-request count accounts for multiple taps, cancellations, and spam.⁶
Website clicks move down	Check that the profile website link points to the intended full web address with its protocol.⁹	Website clicks count clicks on the website link on the profile.⁶ The Performance card does not describe what people do after they reach the website.
Any movement	Use the listed fields as first checks, then compare the same profile or profiles and date range again.	This is a first-check map, not proof that one field caused a movement. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity, and that no one can request or pay for a better local ranking. Categories, hours, address, attributes, services, and the website link are fields to verify, not ranking guarantees.⁶⁷⁸⁹¹⁰

What rules should I apply to Performance data

Performance data is available only for a verified profile and requires the Google Account associated with it. Open the profile, select Performance, choose a time period, and select Apply. In the Google Maps app, open Business, select See more next to Performance, choose a time period, and select Apply. Only metrics that apply to the business appear, so compare the same profile or profiles and date range before reading a change.⁶

What does Business Profile Performance not show

Business Profile Performance counts the profile website-link click.⁶ Google Analytics separately documents website and app users, sessions, events, revenue, and attribution models.¹¹ Treat post-click website behavior and revenue attribution as a separate measurement job. The current Performance help page also does not document grid-position reporting or an edit-level result that identifies which change caused a movement.⁶

Everything you can do with your Google Business Profile

Google updates on your Business Profilehow Google-sourced changes appear and where to review them.
Suggested edits on your Business Profilehow four-day review notices and automatic publication work.
Collected info on your Business Profilehow information gathered through Google's automated contact can be reviewed or deleted.
Proactive email alerts for important Business Profile editswhat Google's April 2026 rollout says verified and active owners can review before publication.
[Fixing your Google Business Profile when it breaks or is suspended](/answers/fixing-your-google-business-profile-when-it-breaks-or-is-suspended) ([soft suspension](/glossary/soft-suspension))what to check when the profile is restricted or missing.
Understanding local citations for your Google Business Profilehow directory records connect with local business information.

Sources

Last updated October 9, 2026. Maintained by the Maps Agent research team.

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Where to next

Everything you can do with your Google Business Profile

Creating your Google Business Profile

how to add or claim a profile and check eligibility.

Google Business Profile

What information does a profile carry

Which kind of profile fits my business

What does verification change

Who can manage a profile

How does Google choose verification methods

Keeping the profile current

Profile-change paths

How should I read [Performance](/guides/reading-google-business-profile-performance-metrics) before changing the profile

What rules should I apply to Performance data

What does Business Profile Performance not show

Everything you can do with your Google Business Profile

More answers on Google Business Profile

Sources

Everything you can do with your Google Business Profile

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