In more detail
Google Business Profile was called Google My Business until late 2021. Businesses claim and verify their profile, then manage details such as categories, services, opening hours, photos, posts and responses to reviews. Google's help article on how to improve your local ranking says local results are based mainly on three things:
- Relevance: how well the profile matches the search
- Distance: how far the business is from the searcher or the location in the search
- Prominence: how well known the business is, including reviews, links and mentions across the web
Google recommends entering complete and accurate information, verifying your locations, keeping hours accurate, managing and responding to reviews, and adding photos. It also notes that there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Google has clear rules on what profiles can contain. Its guidelines for representing your business cover names, addresses and categories. Adding keywords to a business name or listing virtual offices can lead to suspension.
Why it matters when hiring an agency
For local businesses, the profile is often worth more than any other single SEO task. A good agency will check categories, services, hours and photos, and help you build a steady, genuine flow of reviews.
Ask how they handle reviews. Google prohibits fake reviews and offering incentives for reviews. Avoid any agency that offers to "boost" reviews or stuff keywords into your business name. And keep ownership of the profile yourself; give the agency manager access only.