What is GMB? Google My Business, now Google Business Profile
GMB stands for Google My Business, Google's free tool for managing how a business appears on Google Search and Google Maps. In November 2021, Google renamed it Google Business Profile (GBP). It is the same listing: the business's name, address, hours, phone number, photos, reviews and posts. Many people still call it GMB.
- Full form
- Google My Business
- Name today
- Google Business Profile (GBP)
- Renamed
- Announced by Google on November 4, 2021
- Price
- Free
- Shows on
- Google Search and Google Maps
- Managed on
- Google Search, Google Maps or Business Profile Manager
Know the basics already? Go straight to the Google Business Profile optimization checklist.
GMB meaning and full form
The GMB full form is Google My Business. "A GMB" means one business's listing: the panel that appears when you search for the business on Google, and its place on Google Maps.
In marketing, GMB also means the work around that listing: keeping it accurate, posting, getting and answering reviews, and tracking calls and rankings. Some call it GMB marketing, GMB SEO or GBP management.
Outside marketing, GMB is also a British trade union. This page covers the Google meaning.
What a Business Profile shows on Google Search and Maps
Everything a searcher needs to choose, call or visit. In Google's words: "Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results."
Name and categories
The real-world name, a primary category and up to 9 more.
Address or service area
A street address, or the cities, zip codes or places served.
Hours and contact details
Opening hours, holiday hours, phone number and website.
Photos and videos
The place, the team, the products and the work.
Reviews and replies
Star ratings, reviews, and replies labelled "Response from the owner".
Posts
Updates, offers and events.
Products, services and menus
Plus booking, ordering or reservations where offered.
Attributes
Facts such as "Wi-Fi" or "Has outdoor seating".
Who can have one. Google says "only businesses that make face-to-face contact with customers are eligible": storefronts, and service-area businesses that visit customers, such as plumbers. Online-only businesses are not eligible.
Is Google My Business free?
Google answers this in its own FAQ: "Yes, creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free."
Ranking cannot be bought either: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." Google ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance and prominence (how well-known a business is). The Google Maps SEO guide explains each one.
How to find, add or claim a Business Profile
You need a Google Account. Then:
- 1
Look for the business
Search its name and city on Google or Google Maps. To find profiles you already manage, search "my business" on Google.
- 2
Claim it if it is there
On Google Maps, select "Claim this business", then "Manage now".
- 3
Add it if it is not
Go to business.google.com/add and select "Add your business to Google".
- 4
Verify it
Google picks the methods on offer, such as phone, text, email or video. Verified owners can edit the profile and reply to reviews.
Google's help pages cover each step: add or claim your Business Profile and verify your business on Google.
Google My Business vs Google Business Profile
Same product, new name. Google's own FAQ: "Business Profile has replaced Google My Business, Google Places for Business, Google Listings, and Google+ Business Pages."
| Compared | Google My Business (GMB) | Google Business Profile (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| Name in use | Until November 2021 | Since November 2021 |
| The listing | Name, address, hours, photos, reviews and posts | The same listing |
| One location | The GMB website or the Google My Business app | Google Search or the Google Maps app |
| Many locations | The GMB website | Business Profile Manager |
| Price | Free | Free |
The change came in Google's announcement of November 4, 2021: "To keep things simple, 'Google My Business' is being renamed 'Google Business Profile.'" The same post said Google would retire the Google My Business app in 2022, and that the GMB web dashboard would become Business Profile Manager, mainly for businesses with many locations.
The old name sticks. Even Google's developer docs live at developers.google.com/my-business.
What GMB work looks like for agencies
Google gives agencies two ways in: Manager access on each client's profile, or an organization account that holds many clients' profiles. Managers can do almost everything owners can, but they "can't add or remove users or remove the profile."
Google's overview for agencies points to four jobs:
- Keep every profile's details accurate and up to date.
- Highlight promotions and deals with posts.
- Respond to positive and negative reviews.
- Use performance data to see how people find each profile.
Add rank tracking. Google weighs distance, so a client can rank first near the shop and lower across town.
How agencies run Business Profiles for every client with EMR
EmbedMyReviews (EMR) is white-label software for the ongoing work. Profile details such as hours, categories and the description live in Business Profile, where you or the client edit them. EMR runs what repeats: posts, reviews, replies and tracking.
Connect each client once
Send a Customer Connect Link. The client signs in with Google on a page that names your agency, with no login to your platform. Links work once and last 7 days.
Google Business Profile posts
Updates, offers and events for every location. Autopilot drafts from facts the business confirmed, on your own AI key. Clients approve from an email link, with no login.
Reviews and replies
Review campaigns ask for reviews by email and SMS. AI Review Responses and auto-respond publish replies to Google.
Performance reports
Once a verified profile is connected by Google sign-in, call clicks, direction requests, website clicks and impressions sync daily, search terms monthly. All of it shows on client dashboards and in the Summary report.
Google Maps rank tracking
Local Search Grid shows where a client ranks on Google Maps across their area, weekly, every two weeks or monthly.
Your brand on all of it
White-label Google Business Profile management under your agency's name, logo and domain.
For agencies
Agencies can run all of this for every client on one plan: $99/month flat, unlimited clients and locations. Start with a 14-day free trial, no credit card.
GMB glossary
- GBP
- Google Business Profile, the name for GMB since November 2021.
- Business Profile Manager
- Google's dashboard for managing many profiles at once. It is the old GMB web dashboard, renamed.
- Local pack
- The map and short list of nearby businesses Google shows in Search for a local search. Also called the map pack.
- Google Maps
- Where the same profile shows as the business's place, with directions, photos and reviews.
- NAP
- Name, address and phone number. Keep them identical everywhere the business is listed. Google asks for the name "as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers."
- Posts
- Updates, offers and events published on the profile, shown on Search and Maps.
Google sources, checked October 10, 2026: rename announcement; Business Profile FAQ; get started; local ranking tips; owners and managers; overview for agencies.
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