Yes, most small businesses need both. A Google Business Profile gets you found on Google Maps. A real website does everything else: ranks for non-map searches, converts visitors, gets cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity, and builds long-term equity you actually own.
Google Business Profile for local SEO is the foundation. It is the single biggest local ranking factor for small businesses, and it is free.
Your Google Business Profile is rented space on Google's platform. Your website is the only part of your online presence you actually own.
A Google Business Profile cannot rank for informational searches. Queries like "how much does a notary charge" are answered by service pages on real websites, not map listings.
AI search tools do not read Google Business Profiles directly. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews recommend businesses based on real websites and structured content.
The right setup order: claim and verify your Google Business Profile in week one, launch a real website in weeks 2 to 4, link the two with matching name, address, and phone.
Table of Contents
Do You Need a Google Business Profile AND A Website?
Short Answer: Yes. Most small businesses need both. A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free listing that helps people find you on Google Maps and in local search. A real website is a set of pages on your own domain where people land to learn what you do and contact you. The two do different jobs.
Think of it as: your Google Business Profile is the sign on the main road. A real website is the inside of your shop. A sign without a shop confuses people. A shop without a sign is hard to find. You want both.
"Why isn't my business showing up on Google for searches that aren't my business name? Why did ChatGPT recommend a competitor instead of me?"
Both questions trace back to the same cause: a Google Business Profile is a listing, not a website. It does a few things very well. It does not do many other things at all. Understanding that gap is the point of this guide.
Google Business Profile Vs A Website: Full Comparison
What it does | Google Business Profile | Real website |
|---|---|---|
Appears on Google Maps | Yes | No (supports it) |
Appears in the local 3-pack | Yes | No (supports it) |
Ranks for local searches | Yes | Yes |
Ranks for non-local searches ("what does a notary do?") | No | Yes |
Gets recommended by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews | Rarely | Yes |
Lets you control content and design | No | Yes |
Displays customer reviews | Yes (Google's) | Yes (any source) |
Collects leads through custom forms | Limited | Yes |
Supports custom booking and quote tools | Limited | Yes |
Can be suspended by the platform | Yes | No |
Builds long-term SEO and brand equity | Minimal | Yes |
Cost | Free | $9.99/mo (Storebox) to $5,000+ (agency) |
What is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile is a free listing you create through Google that shows up in three main places: Google Maps when someone searches for a type of business near them, the local 3-pack on Google Search, and the knowledge panel that appears on the right when someone Googles your business name directly.
A complete profile includes your business name, address, phone number, hours, website link, primary and secondary categories, service area, photos, posts, products or services, Q&A, and reviews. If you don't have one yet, creating it is step one. It is free, takes a few focused hours to set up, and starts showing your business to local searchers within days.
Why Google Business Profile Matters For Local SEO:
If you serve customers in a specific city or service area, your Google Business Profile is the single biggest local SEO lever you have. Google uses your profile to decide whether to show your business in the map pack, in Maps results, and in voice searches like "find a plumber near me."
The profile signals that drive local ranking are:
Complete business info (every field filled out, no blanks)
Accurate primary and secondary categories
Hours, service area, and attributes filled in
Reviews (volume, average rating, recency, and your reply rate)
Photos uploaded regularly
Google Posts (weekly updates with photos)
Q&A answered by the business owner
NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone matching exactly across your website, GBP, Yelp, and every other directory)
If you want to improve your local ranking on Google Business Profile, the highest-leverage actions are: ask every customer for a review and reply to all of them, post a Google Post with a photo every week, and make sure your business name, address, and phone number on your profile match your website exactly. For a deeper dive on the full local SEO picture, read our complete guide on local SEO for small businesses in 2026
How a Google Business Profile and a website work together
The real answer to "do I need both" becomes obvious when you see how they support each other
Someone searches on Google Maps. They see your business in the local 3-pack because your profile is optimized.
They tap the website link on your profile and land on your real website.
Your website answers their deeper questions: services, pricing, FAQs, booking. They reach out.
When someone asks ChatGPT a similar question, ChatGPT recommends you because your website has clear, structured content. That recommendation sends them back to your website.
You cannot build that loop with a Google Business Profile alone. You cannot build it with a website alone either.
To attract more visitors to your Google Business Profile and your website together: make sure your profile's "website" field links to your real website on a custom domain, keep your name, address, and phone identical across both, add a location page on your website for each city you serve, ask for Google reviews and display them on your website, and make sure your site loads under 3 seconds on a phone.
A Google My Business profile by itself helps local SEO. A profile plus a real website does substantially more, because the website ranks for the searches the profile never could.
Where a Google Business Profile falls short on its own
A profile cannot rank for informational searches. Someone Googling "how much does a notary charge to come to my house" lands on a service page on someone's real website, never on a Google Business Profile.
It can also be suspended. Google Business Profile suspended threads on r/smallbusiness are some of the most active in the subreddit. Reinstatement through the Google Business Profile appeals tool often takes a week or more. If the profile is your only online presence, a single suspension can quiet your phone until it is resolved.
It does not show up in AI search. ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity read websites and structured content on the open web. They do not pull from Google Business Profile listings directly. And the profile does not own the customer relationship. If Google retires a feature, you lose what you built there.
A Google Business Profile is a strong discovery tool. It is a weak ownership tool, and it is not a Google Business Profile website alternative.
How AI search Has Increased The Importance Of Websites For Small Businesses
In 2026, more buyers are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Siri, and Google AI Overviews questions like "what's a good plumber near me in Tampa" instead of typing into Google. Those tools build answers from websites with clear content, service pages and blog posts that answer buyer questions, directory listings, and structured schema markup.
They do not read Google Business Profiles directly. If a profile is your only presence, you are invisible to a growing share of searchers. A real website with structured content is what AI engines pick up and recommend. For more on this, read our guide on how to show up in AI results.
Just getting started? Here's the order
If you are early in your business, do not try to do everything at once. This is the order that works.
Week 1: Create and verify your Google Business Profile
Use this Google Business Profile optimization checklist:
Step | Action | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | Create and verify your Google Business Profile at google.com/business | 30 min |
2 | Fill in every field: name, address, phone, hours, website, services | 30 min |
3 | Pick the right primary category and 2 to 3 secondary categories | 15 min |
4 | Upload 10 or more photos: storefront, team, work samples, logo | 30 min |
5 | Write a 750-character business description with your service and area | 20 min |
6 | Set your service area or service-area radius | 10 min |
7 | Enable messaging if you will actually respond | 10 min |
8 | Post your first Google Post with a photo | 15 min |
Weeks 2 to 4: Launch a real website on your own domain
Not a social media page. Not a bio link. A proper site on a domain you own. Three common paths:
DIY on Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress: cheapest in cash, expensive in time. Plan for 30 to 50 hours of work, plus ongoing upkeep.
Hire a freelancer or agency: $1,500 to $10,000 upfront, plus retainers. Faster, more expensive, dependent on one person's availability.
Use a done-for-you service like Storebox: a flat monthly fee, the team builds and manages everything. You avoid the DIY time sink and the agency bill.
See how all three options compare in our Wix vs Squarespace vs Storebox guide.
Week 5 onward: Link the two, ask for reviews, keep content fresh
Link your profile to your website. Confirm names, addresses, and phone numbers match. Ask happy customers for Google reviews. Add a new photo to your profile every month. Update your website with fresh content a few times a year.
Why Storebox is the easiest way to manage a website and a GBP
Running both a Google Business Profile and a real website properly is a 5 to 10 hour-a-month job, every month. Most owners don't have that time.
That is why most small businesses eventually move to a Google Business Profile management service that also handles their website. Storebox is built for this. We rebuild your website with proper schema, FAQ content, and city pages, link it to your Google Business Profile correctly, automate review requests, and handle every update in 24 hours when you send a message. Built by ex-Google search and AI engineers.
Pricing starts at $9.99 a month (Starter), $19.99 a month for Growth (which adds review automation, lead routing, and monthly growth optimization). No contract. Free migration off Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, or WordPress in 48 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Google Business Profile?▼
A Google Business Profile is a free listing on Google that shows your business on Google Maps, in the local 3-pack on Google Search, and in the knowledge panel on the right side of search results when someone Googles your business name. It includes your name, address, phone, hours, photos, services, posts, Q&A, and reviews. It is the foundation of local SEO for any small business that serves customers in a specific area. Storebox sets up and manages your Google Business Profile as part of the platform.
Was Google My Business renamed to Google Business Profile?▼
Yes. Google My Business was renamed to Google Business Profile in November 2021. The product is the same. Both names still appear across guides, tools, and conversations, but Google Business Profile is the current official name.
What should I do if I have a duplicate Google Business Profile?▼
Use the "Request a duplicate removal" feature in your Google Business Profile dashboard, or submit a request to merge duplicates through Google's support form. Multiple profiles for the same business split your reviews and ranking signals. To request merger of duplicate Google Business Profiles, sign in to the profile you want to keep, find the duplicate, and click Suggest an edit to mark it as duplicate. Storebox handles duplicate cleanup as part of onboarding.
What should I do if my Google Business Profile is suspended?▼
A Google Business Profile suspended status is one of the most common issues small business owners face. Submit a reinstatement request through the Google Business Profile appeals tool in your dashboard. Include proof of business (a utility bill, business license, or signage photo). Reinstatement typically takes 3 to 14 days. While you wait, your real website keeps generating leads, which is one of the strongest arguments for never relying on a profile alone.
Does a Google Business Profile work as a website alternative?▼
No. A Google Business Profile is not a Google Business Profile website alternative. It cannot rank for informational searches, cannot be customized, is not read by AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, and can be suspended without warning. For the first few weeks of a new business, a profile alone might feel like enough. Beyond that, treating a profile as a website costs you leads. Storebox builds you a real website draft in under five minutes from your business name.
How do I choose between focusing on my Google Business Profile and my website?▼
You don't choose. You do both, in order. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile first (free, 2 to 3 hours). Then launch a real website on a custom domain within 30 days. Then link the two. If you want both done for you, Storebox builds and manages your website starting at $9.99 a month and handles the profile-to-website link, NAP consistency, review automation, and schema markup.