Category: Google Business Profile

What Is a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business, renamed by Google in late 2021) is the free business listing that appears in Google Search, Google Maps, and the Map Pack — the three local results that show up above standard organic listings. It’s how your business shows up when someone searches for what you do near where you do it. For local businesses, it’s often the single highest-impact piece of digital real estate you’ll ever own, and the good news is Google gives it to you for free. The hard part is optimizing it well enough to actually rank.

Why Your Google Business Profile Drives Real Revenue

A well-optimized Google Business Profile sends traffic in three directions at once: calls straight from the listing, driving directions to your location, and clicks through to your website. For service businesses, those calls and direction requests are usually the highest-converting leads you’ll ever get, because the customer already knows they want what you sell and they’re choosing between you and the two other businesses in the Map Pack. The difference between ranking #1 and ranking #4 in the Map Pack is the difference between a busy week and a quiet one.

What Google Business Profile Optimization Actually Involves

A real Google Business Profile program goes well beyond filling in the basics:

• Picking the right primary and secondary categories from Google’s massive list — the single biggest ranking factor
• NAP consistency — making sure your Name, Address, and Phone match exactly everywhere on the web
• Services and products entered with real descriptions, not blank placeholders
• Photos uploaded regularly — Google rewards profiles with fresh visual content
• Google Posts that go beyond canned templates and actually communicate offers, events, and news
• Review generation, review replies, and review keyword optimization (yes, reply text affects rankings)
• Q&A monitoring so you answer questions before competitors or random users do it for you
• Messaging, booking links, and product catalogs configured correctly when relevant
• Tracking what actually drives revenue — calls, direction requests, and website clicks, not just impressions

Google Business Profile and AI Search

Google Business Profile data is increasingly being pulled into AI search results. When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini for a local recommendation, those models lean heavily on structured business data — and your Google Business Profile is one of the cleanest, most authoritative sources Google publishes about you. Optimizing your profile in 2026 isn’t just about ranking in the Map Pack anymore; it’s about being the business AI assistants recommend when they answer for the searcher directly.

What You’ll Find in This Category

The posts in this Google Business Profile category cover the tactics that move the needle — optimizing review replies for local SEO, getting Google Posts to actually contribute to rankings instead of just sitting there, fixing NAP inconsistencies that are quietly killing your local visibility, and navigating Google’s category list to pick the ones that will rank.

Why Work With TESSA on Google Business Profile

TESSA Marketing + Technology has been optimizing Google Business Profiles (and Google My Business before the rename) for clients since 2012. Google’s AI Mode named TESSA the best SEO company in Northern Virginia. We’re rated 5.0 out of 5 from 70+ business owners, and we focus on the metrics that actually grow a business — calls, leads, and direction requests — not vanity rankings.

To talk through what Google Business Profile optimization could look like for your business, call 1-800-586-1553 or Book a Free Strategy Call