Why Google Business Profile still matters for local SEO

When people talk about SEO, many companies still think first about the website. That is natural. The corporate website, the online store, service pages, and blog content remain fundamental pillars of any organic visibility strategy. However, a brand’s digital positioning does not depend only on what happens within its own domain. In many cases, what users see first on Google is not even the website, but the Google Business Profile listing.

That listing, which for many years many professionals continued to call Google My Business, works as a true digital business card. It contains essential information about the company: name, category, location, contact details, opening hours, photos, reviews, services, products, and useful links. For many businesses, especially those that depend on local demand, this presence can be just as important as the website itself. In some contexts, it can even have more immediate visibility.

That is precisely why Google Business Profile should be seen as a structural part of a digital strategy. It is not just a formality or a secondary presence. It is a tool with direct impact on local discovery, user trust, online reputation, and even organic search performance. Ignoring it means leaving an essential part of the brand’s digital presence unoptimised.

At BYDAS, a digital marketing and e-commerce agency based in Porto, we closely follow this reality in projects with a strong local component and in brands that need to align positioning, credibility, and conversion. Google Business Profile remains one of the most important assets for companies that want to gain meaningful visibility in search engines and turn local demand into commercial opportunity.

Why Google Business Profile is so important

Google Business Profile is, for many companies, the first point of contact with potential customers in the search environment. When someone searches for a brand, a local service, or a category with geographic intent, it is common for the company listing to appear prominently, often even before the user visits the website.

This completely changes the logic of digital presence. It is no longer enough to have an optimised site and wait for users to enter it to discover everything. In many cases, the initial decision begins within the listing itself: through the way the company presents itself, the quality of the images, the clarity of the information, customer reviews, and the sense of trust conveyed in the first few seconds.

For businesses with a physical presence, local service delivery, operations in a specific geographic area, or reliance on proximity-based leads, this reality is even more critical. The Google Business Profile listing is not a complement to the website. It is a visible and highly influential extension of the brand within the Google ecosystem.

The role of Google Business Profile in the Local Pack

One of the main reasons why this listing is so relevant lies in its direct connection to the so-called Local Pack. This is the block of local results that Google displays in searches with geographic intent, usually accompanied by a map, featured businesses, and summarised information about each company.

When a user searches for a restaurant, clinic, agency, shop, or any other service in a specific area, the Local Pack can become the main visibility space. And the results shown there are directly linked to the information contained in Google Business Profile.

This means that the more complete, accurate, and optimised the listing is, the greater the likelihood that Google will consider the business relevant for certain searches. A local company that neglects this digital presence is, in practice, wasting one of the most direct opportunities to appear in front of potential customers at the exact moment of search.

For businesses that want to strengthen regional presence, this connection between local search and business profile is decisive. It is also one of the reasons why a local SEO strategy cannot be built through on-site work alone.

Relevance, distance, and prominence: the criteria that shape local visibility

Google determines visibility in the Local Pack based on several factors, with three of the most commonly cited being relevance, distance, and prominence. The way these criteria intersect helps explain why some businesses appear prominently while others are left behind.

Relevance is linked to the match between what the user is searching for and what the company communicates in its listing. Well-chosen categories, an appropriate description, correctly identified services, products, visual content, and updated information help Google better understand what the business does and for whom it may be relevant.

Distance is a more intuitive criterion. When there is clear local intent, the search engine tends to prioritise businesses that are closer to the user’s location or to the geographic area indicated in the search. This makes the local component even more important in sectors where proximity influences decision-making.

Prominence, on the other hand, is a more complex factor. This includes signals such as business reputation, reviews, listing activity, consistency of digital presence, and even the brand’s overall authority in the online environment. A better-known, better-reviewed, and more active business tends to generate greater trust, both for users and for the algorithm itself.

Consistency between the listing and the website remains essential

Although Google Business Profile has visibility and autonomy of its own, its effectiveness depends heavily on consistency with the rest of the brand’s digital presence. One of the most sensitive points in this relationship is the consistency of core information: name, address, and phone number. This is the principle commonly known as NAP, short for Name, Address, Phone.

If the website shows one address, the listing cannot show a different one. If the phone number has changed, the update should happen across all contact points. If there are several locations, the strategy needs to accommodate that reality clearly and in a structured way. Small inconsistencies may seem irrelevant to a person, but they reduce algorithmic trust and can create friction in the user experience.

This consistency is not only a sound technical practice. It is also a sign of maturity and professionalism. A brand that communicates the same data across all channels conveys reliability. A brand with misaligned information conveys disorganisation. And in a digital environment, the perception of trust matters greatly.

Why Google Business Profile is also a trust signal

For Google, the business listing acts as a structured source of information about the company. The more complete, verified, and consistent that source is, the more trust the search engine tends to assign to the business. This point is especially relevant because the algorithm is constantly looking for signals that help it distinguish legitimate, active, and relevant businesses.

A well-completed listing, with appropriate categories, a useful description, real photos, updated opening hours, correct links, and regular interaction, reinforces the perception that the company exists, is active, and deserves to be presented to users. This does not replace website optimisation work, but it complements it in a decisive way.

In many cases, there are also unclaimed or poorly managed listings. In those situations, the first priority should be to secure ownership of the profile and take control of the information. Leaving that presence to chance means losing the ability to correct data, reply to reviews, update content, and define how the brand appears on Google.

Reviews affect both reputation and visibility

One of the most influential elements of Google Business Profile is reviews. For users, they work as immediate social proof. For Google, they help reinforce signals of activity, reputation, and relevance. That is why review management should be treated as a central part of the company’s digital presence.

The number of reviews matters, but quality and consistency matter as well. A profile with recent, detailed, and answered reviews tends to inspire far more trust than a neglected listing or one with unanswered criticism. In addition, replying to reviews, both positive and negative, demonstrates attention, professionalism, and a real capacity to relate to customers.

Replies should not be seen merely as courtesy. They are also an opportunity to reinforce credibility, clarify context, and show that the brand takes customer experience seriously. In competitive markets, this difference can have a direct impact on the decision to make contact or complete a purchase.

Google Business Profile and the website do not compete: they complement each other

A common question is whether the Google listing can “steal” traffic from the website. In part, the answer is yes: by displaying enough information in search results for contact, location, or decision-making, users may feel less need to visit the site. But this should not be seen as a simple or linear problem.

In reality, this dynamic can increase commercial efficiency. An optimised profile can generate calls, direction requests, contacts, and more qualified leads directly from search. Instead of depending on an intermediate visit to the website, the user moves to action with less friction.

Moreover, when the click to the website happens through the listing, it often comes from a more prepared user, with stronger intent and better visit quality. In other words, the listing and the site do not compete with one another. They function as complementary parts of a well-structured digital ecosystem.

This balance is particularly important in businesses that combine local presence with digital operations, including e-commerce projects and brands with a strong transactional component.

A branding tool that is often underestimated

Google Business Profile is not only useful for location and contact details. It also plays a relevant role in brand image building. Because it is often the first visual and informational element a user encounters, it acts as an extension of the corporate identity within the search environment.

High-quality photos, a carefully written description, complete information, visual consistency, and a professional presentation help create a positive first impression. And that first impression matters. Even before visiting the website or making contact, the user has already formed an idea about the brand based on what they saw in the listing.

This makes the care given to visual assets and to the way the company describes itself especially important. Although the listing has personalisation limitations, it is still possible to convey professionalism, clarity, and consistency with the rest of the brand’s digital universe.

In an era in which attention is short and evaluation happens in seconds, this branding dimension should not be neglected. An outdated profile or one with poor content conveys weakness. A complete and well-managed profile conveys trust.

Having an optimised listing can be a real competitive advantage

Many companies still underestimate the impact of Google Business Profile. Some create the listing and never touch it again. Others leave outdated information, do not respond to reviews, and fail to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen local visibility. For businesses that invest seriously in digital presence, this represents a competitive opportunity.

An optimised, active, and well-managed listing can place a brand ahead of less attentive competitors. In sectors with strong local competition, that difference may be enough to capture more clicks, more contacts, and greater user trust at the moment of choice.

Even when competitors are already managing this presence well, maintaining an optimised profile remains almost mandatory. Today, absence or negligence on Google Business Profile may be interpreted as a sign of weak digital maturity. And that matters both to the algorithm and to market perception.

Why it is worth having a specific strategy for this presence

Given its impact on local discovery, reputation, image, and conversion, Google Business Profile deserves its own strategic approach. It should not be treated as a simple technical task solved in a few minutes. Just like the website, the profile needs review, updates, optimisation, and ongoing monitoring.

This includes reviewing categories, updating services, publishing photos, responding to reviews, correcting data, analysing interaction patterns, and ensuring consistency with campaigns, content, and the brand’s overall positioning. The better integrated this presence is within the wider digital strategy, the greater its contribution to concrete results is likely to be.

In a market where users seek speed, usefulness, and trust, Google Business Profile offers exactly that intermediate point of contact between search and decision. Used intelligently, it can reinforce the work of the website and significantly expand the brand’s visibility.

At BYDAS, we help companies build digital presence that is consistent and results-oriented, integrating local optimisation, online reputation, and growth strategy. If your brand needs to improve visibility in search engines and turn local presence into real opportunity, our experience in organic traffic can help structure that path.