A Google Business Profile and a website aren't competing for the same job. One is a listing Google controls the format of. The other is the one place online that's entirely yours. Confusing the two is why some businesses skip a website they need, and why others neglect a free listing that brings in calls.
What a Business Profile is good at
Your Business Profile is what shows up in Google's local map results and the knowledge panel next to a search. It's free, and Google pulls it directly into the results people see before they click anything. It shows your hours, your phone number, photos, and your reviews, right where someone is deciding whether to call.
If you're a service-area business, one that visits customers rather than having them come to you, you can hide your street address and show only your service area instead. Google states that a service area shouldn't extend farther than about two hours' driving time from where the business is based, which is worth knowing if you're tempted to claim a much wider territory.
What it can't do
A Business Profile can't tell your story, can't host a real services page with pricing and detail, can't run your own contact form, and can't hold a library of Answers that ranks for the specific questions your customers ask. It's a listing, not a site. It's also entirely Google's format: you don't control the layout, and a change to Google's policies can change what your listing shows overnight.
Do you need a website at all?
Google's own Local Services Ads, a paid product separate from the free Business Profile, don't require a website to run. Customers can call or message straight from the ad, and the ad itself functions like a small profile with reviews and photos. That's a real option for businesses that only want phone leads from paid ads.
But a Local Services Ad only exists for businesses running that specific ad product, in the categories Google supports, and only while you're paying for it. A website works for organic search, for every service you offer instead of the ones your ad targets, for AI assistant recommendations (see how to get recommended by AI assistants), and it keeps working when you're not paying for ads.
They work better together
The strongest setup treats them as one system instead of a choice:
- Keep the Business Profile's hours, phone number, address and categories identical to what's on the website. Research on AI citation behavior points to mismatches between platforms as a specific reason systems trust a listing less.
- Link the Business Profile to the website, and link back from the website's contact page.
- Use the Business Profile for what it's built for: quick facts, photos and reviews. Use the website for depth: full service pages, pricing context, and the Answers a Business Profile has no room for.
- Ask for reviews on Google, but never trade a discount or gift for one. The FTC's 2024 rule directly bars compensating customers for reviews that express a particular sentiment.
Questions
If I only have a little time, which one should I set up first?
The Business Profile. It's free, it's fast, and it's often the first thing a local searcher sees. Then build the website to hold everything the profile can't.
Can I run a business with just a Google Business Profile and no website?
For a while, yes, especially with Local Services Ads. It caps how you can be found, though: no organic search ranking for your services, no AI assistant citations from your own content, and no page to send someone who wants more than the basics.
Does a nicer website help my Google ranking directly?
Not by itself. What helps is consistency between the two, clear content Google's systems can parse, and the site earning real, distinct value like reviews and links pointing to it. See what is schema markup for how to make that content easier to read by machine.