Google Business Profile vs website is a question plenty of owners ask once their profile starts bringing in calls. If customers already find you on Google Maps, why pay for a website? The short answer: the two do different jobs, and Google uses each to understand the other.
This guide is for owners who have a Business Profile, a website, or neither, and want to know where to put their time. You don't need any technical knowledge. We explain each term as we go.
We cover what each one is, what Google says decides local rankings, where each falls short on its own, and how to make them work together. If you want step-by-step setup instructions instead, see our guide to setting up a Google Business Profile.
What a Google Business Profile is, and what it does well
A Google Business Profile is your business's listing on Google Search and Google Maps. It shows your name, category, hours, phone number, location or service area, photos and reviews. When someone nearby searches for "plumber" or "cafe near me", the businesses in the map results are Business Profiles.
- Local searches: Google says customers searching for a business near them find local results on Maps and Search, and that your profile can improve your local ranking.
- Quick actions: customers can call, get directions or tap through to your website straight from the listing.
- Reviews: reviews and your replies sit right next to your name, where people decide who to call.
- Measurement: the Performance report counts calls, direction requests and website clicks from your profile.
What a website is, and what it does well
A website is a set of pages at your own address, such as yourbusiness.com.au, that anyone can open. You decide what goes on it and how it's laid out.
- Room to explain: a page for each service, your prices, your service area, your process and answers to the questions customers ask before they book.
- Searches beyond the map: Google changes what it shows for each search. Google's own example: a search for bicycle repair shops will likely show local results, while a search for a modern bicycle is more likely to show images instead. Your website can appear in the ordinary results for both kinds of search.
- Bookings and enquiries: forms, online booking and quote requests that land with you, not just a phone number.
- A source for Google: Google says the information in Business Profiles is compiled partly from crawled web content, including a business's official website.
If you're weighing up whether you need one at all, our guide do I need a website for my business goes through it.
What Google says decides local rankings
Google says local results are mainly based on three things. On the same page it describes the third as prominence and also calls it popularity.
- Relevance: how well a profile matches what someone searched for. Google's advice is complete, detailed business information.
- Distance: how far the business is from the person searching. If they don't share their location, Google uses what it knows about it.
- Prominence: how well known the business is. Google says this is partly based on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help.
Your website feeds into two of them. Links from other websites count toward prominence, and Google's guidelines say it can detect category information from your website, which bears on relevance. Google also says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
For the website link itself, Google's help says you can add your website to your profile, that you should make sure Google's crawler isn't blocked from it, and points you to Search Console to check for problems. Our guide to ranking higher on Google Maps covers how to work on each factor in detail.
Where a Business Profile falls short on its own
- You don't fully control it: anyone can suggest an edit to a Business Profile, and Google combines what you enter with information from other sources, including users and licensed third-party data.
- It can be suspended or removed: Google says it may suspend or disable profiles that don't follow its guidelines. When Google removes a profile, the public can't see it until it is reinstated.
- Limited room: a profile holds the basics. It isn't built for a page per service, detailed pricing, your process or a long list of answers.
- It only shows for some searches: map results appear for local searches. When someone is researching rather than looking for a business nearby, Google may not show the map at all.
Where a website falls short on its own
- It doesn't put you on the map: the map results come from Business Profiles. A great website with no profile misses the spot many local customers look at first.
- It takes time to be found: Google says crawling a new site can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
- It isn't where Google's local ranking advice puts reviews: Google's tips focus on replying to reviews on your Business Profile. Testimonials on your website help visitors, but they don't replace profile reviews.
- It needs looking after: hosting, security and updates. Our guide to website maintenance costs explains what that involves.
How a Business Profile and a website work together
- Link them: add your website to your profile. Then the Performance report shows how many people click through.
- Make the details match: Google's guidelines say your business name should match what's on your storefront, website and stationery. Keep your phone number, address and hours identical in both places too.
- Link to the right page: Google's guidelines say the website should represent your individual business location, and shouldn't redirect people to pages other than the business's own. One location means your homepage. Several locations means each one links to its own page.
- Verify your website in Search Console: Google says profile verification can sometimes be instant when you've verified your website with Google Search Console. Our guide to adding your website to Search Console shows how.
- Let each do its job: the profile wins the call from someone nearby who needs you now. The website answers the questions of someone comparing options, then takes the booking.
Your next steps
Start with whichever one you're missing. If you have neither, claim your Business Profile first: it's quick, and it gets you onto the map while your website is built.
- 1. Claim and complete your profile: follow how to set up a Google Business Profile.
- 2. Get a website that answers customer questions: a page per main service, your area, your prices where you can, and a clear way to book or enquire.
- 3. Connect the two: add the website to the profile, match every detail, and verify the site in Search Console.
- 4. Keep both active: ask happy customers for reviews, reply to them, and update both when your hours or services change. Our guide to getting more Google reviews has a simple routine.
Key takeaways
- (01)
A Business Profile puts you on the map and in front of people searching nearby. A website explains, convinces and takes bookings.
- (02)
Google says local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence, and links from websites and reviews count toward prominence.
- (03)
A profile alone can be edited by others or suspended. A website alone misses the map results.
- (04)
Link the two, keep every detail identical, and verify your website in Google Search Console.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Business Profile enough without a website?
It can bring in calls from people nearby, but it leaves gaps. You can't explain each service in detail, take proper enquiries or bookings, or appear in ordinary search results beyond the map. And if the profile is suspended or removed, you have nothing else on Google while you sort it out.
Does a website help my Google Maps ranking?
Indirectly, yes. Google says prominence is partly based on how many websites link to your business, that it compiles profile information partly from your official website, and that it can detect category information from your website. Keep the details on both identical.
Can I pay Google to rank higher on Google Maps?
No. Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence, so the work is in a complete profile, a strong website and steady reviews.
Should my Business Profile link to my homepage or a service page?
Google's guidelines say the website should represent your individual business location. For a single location, link your homepage. If you have several locations, link each profile to that location's own page.
More answers on price, hosting and timing in our FAQ.