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Google Business Profile & local search, explained

Straight answers to the questions local business owners actually ask — what a profile is, how local ranking works, how to earn reviews, and where it all fits.

• What is a Google Business Profile?

  A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the free listing that represents a local business on Google Search and Google Maps.

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• How does Google Business Profile ranking work?

  Google ranks local businesses on three broad factors it publishes openly: relevance (how well your profile matches what someone searched for), distance (how close you are to the searcher), and prominence (how well-known and active your business is, including review count and quality).

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• How do you get more Google reviews?

  The reliable way to get more Google reviews is to ask every satisfied customer, right after a good experience, with a direct link to your review form — and then reply to the reviews you receive.

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• What is local SEO?

  Local SEO is the practice of helping a business show up for nearby, intent-driven searches — the "near me" and "in [town]" queries that lead to a call, a visit or a booking.

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ProfileBoost optimizes your profile against Google's published best practices. Search ranking is determined by Google's algorithm and depends on many factors; we cannot and do not guarantee any specific ranking position.