If you run a local business, you’ve probably wondered whether you really need a website when your Google Business Profile already shows up in Maps with your hours, phone number, and reviews. It’s a fair question — a free listing that gets you into local search results feels like it should be enough.
Table of Contents
This guide breaks down what each one actually does, where they overlap, where they don’t, and how to decide what your business needs right now versus what to add later.
Quick Answer
Most businesses need both, but not necessarily at the same time. A Google Business Profile is the faster, lower-effort way to show up in local search and Google Maps, while a website gives you ownership, deeper trust signals, and control that Google can’t take away. If you have to start with just one, start with the Business Profile — but plan to add a website as soon as you’re relying on search for real revenue.
What Each One Actually Does
A Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free listing that appears in Google Search and Google Maps. It shows your business name, category, address or service area, phone number, hours, photos, reviews, and a link to your website if you have one. Customers can call you, get directions, or check reviews without ever leaving Google. You can also post updates, list products or services, and answer customer questions through the public Q&A section on the profile. Note that Google shut down the in-profile chat feature and call history on July 31, 2024, so direct messaging through the profile itself is no longer an option — your phone number, website link, and Q&A section are now the ways customers reach you from a listing.
A website is a property you own and control end to end. It’s where you explain what makes your business different, showcase past work, publish detailed service pages, capture leads through forms, run a blog for SEO, and sell products if you’re set up for e-commerce. Unlike a Business Profile, nothing about it can be suspended, altered, or deprioritized by a platform you don’t control.
The overlap is real: both can display your hours, contact info, and reviews. But a Business Profile is built for discovery and quick action (‘call this plumber now’), while a website is built for depth and persuasion (‘why this plumber, specifically, over the other three’).
How to Decide What You Need
Start with your budget and stage. A brand-new local business with almost no budget can get a claimed, fully filled-out Google Business Profile live quickly, at no cost, and start showing up for ‘near me’ searches in short order. That’s a reasonable first move if a website simply isn’t in the budget yet.
Once you’re taking real bookings or sales through search, add a website. Two signals in particular point to needing one soon: customers researching a bigger purchase who expect to see credentials, pricing, or portfolio work before they call, and any plan to run ads, since ad platforms perform better sending traffic to a page you control than to a profile you don’t.
Consider your industry too. Businesses that live or die by walk-in or call volume — restaurants, auto shops, home service trades — can get a long way on a strong Business Profile alone. Businesses that sell higher-cost services, need to explain a process, or compete on expertise (contractors, consultants, healthcare, B2B services) tend to lose deals without a website, because prospects use it to vet you before they ever pick up the phone.
When you do build a website, keep your business name, address, and phone number identical across both. Inconsistent details between your Business Profile and your site are a common reason local rankings stall — Google treats mismatched information as a trust problem, not a typo.
Tips and Common Mistakes
Don’t let the Business Profile sit half-finished. An unclaimed or sparsely filled-out profile misses out on reviews, hours, and photos, and it will get outranked by a competitor who took the time to fill in every field, including services, products, and regular posts.
Don’t treat the website link on your profile as optional. If you have a website, link it — it’s one of the trust signals Google factors into how your profile ranks, and it gives interested customers somewhere to go for detail you can’t fit into a Maps listing, especially now that direct in-profile messaging isn’t available.
Don’t build a website and then abandon your Business Profile, or vice versa. Reviews, posts, and Q&A on your profile need occasional attention just like a website needs occasional updates — an abandoned one signals to customers (and to Google) that the business may not be active.
Don’t forget you don’t own your Business Profile the way you own a website. Google can change how listings display, add or remove features — it removed the in-profile chat and call history feature entirely in 2024 — or suspend a profile over a policy issue with little notice. A website is the one piece of your online presence that stays under your control regardless of what Google does next.
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Google Business Profile vs website FAQs
Is a Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Creating, verifying, and maintaining a Google Business Profile costs nothing — you only pay if you choose to run Google Ads on top of it.
Can I rank in local search with only a Google Business Profile and no website?
Often yes, especially for service-area and walk-in businesses in less competitive markets. But you’ll typically rank lower over time than competitors who pair a strong profile with an optimized website, and you’ll lose customers who expect to vet you online before calling.
Does having a website actually help my Google Business Profile rank higher?
Yes. Google uses your website as one of several signals — including relevance, distance, and prominence — when deciding how to rank your profile in local results, so a consistent, well-built site can support better local visibility.
Can customers still message my business directly through my Google Business Profile?
No. Google shut down the in-profile chat and call history feature on July 31, 2024. Customers now reach you through your listed phone number, your website link, or the public Q&A section on the profile.
What should I build first if I can only afford one?
Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile first since it’s free and fast to set up. Add a website as soon as your budget allows or as soon as you’re relying on search for meaningful revenue.
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Photo by Roberto Cortese on Unsplash.