Digital Lexicon Hub

A free business listing from Google that controls how a company's name, location, hours, reviews and photos appear in Google Search and Maps.

The profile is often the first thing a nearby customer sees, so wrong hours, a poor category choice or unanswered reviews can cost calls and visits before the company website is ever opened.

A plumbing company with no storefront creates a profile as a service-area business, hides its home address, sets a service area within about 2 hours' drive of its base, verifies by video call and adds 20 job photos and its 6 core services.

Google decides which verification methods a business is offered, and listing details can change through user-suggested edits. Name stuffing, virtual offices and P.O. boxes breach the guidelines and can lead to suspension of the profile.

Eligibility requires in-person contact with customers, either at a physical location or at the customer's address, and each location may have only one profile. Owners verify through methods Google assigns, such as phone, email, live video call or a mailed code that expires after 30 days. Profile data feeds the local pack and Maps and is a core input for Local SEO, while Google Search Console covers the performance of the website itself.