“Your Google Business Profile is one of the main sources Google uses in its AI search features to understand who you are, what you offer, where you are located, and why someone may want to contact you.”
For years, before AI entered the digital marketing picture, I’ve considered Google Business Profiles one of the most important tools for local SEO. If a business wanted to show up in Google Maps, appear in the local map pack, get more phone calls, and make it easier for people to find their location, the Google Business Profile had to be complete and active.
This is still true. But now, with AI search changing the way people find local businesses, I think Google Business Profile isn’t just important — it’s essential.
Google’s AI search features can include information about local businesses, products, and services. Google Business Profiles can help businesses become visible in AI responses and other Google Search results.
What does this mean for your business? Your Google Business Profile is one of the main sources Google uses in its AI search features to understand who you are, what you offer, where you are located, and why someone may want to contact you.
The way people search online is changing. In the past, you’d probably type something simple like “landscaper Nashville” or “pool builder near me” if you were searching for nearby home services.
Now, with AI search, people are asking longer and more specific questions.
“Who can design a high-end backyard in Nashville with a pool, outdoor kitchen, landscape lighting, and ongoing maintenance?”
This kind of search requires more than an SEO keyword match. Google has to understand which companies offer those services, where they work, how credible they are, and whether they are a good match for the person asking the question.
This is where your optimized Google Business Profile comes into play.
Your profile gives Google structured information about your business. It can include your categories, services, service areas, hours, photos, reviews, products, posts, and contact information. When all of that information is complete and accurate, it gives Google greater confidence in understanding what your business actually does.
Google’s local rankings are based mainly on relevance, distance, and prominence. In simple terms, Google wants to know:
These same ideas matter in AI search.
If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, vague, or outdated, Google has less information to work with. But if your profile clearly lists your services, service areas, business categories, reviews, and photos, it gives Google a much clearer picture of your business.
For example, a pool builder should not simply list “contractor” and leave it at that. The profile should include services such as custom pool design, pool construction, spas, tanning ledges, outdoor living areas, water features, lighting, and automation, if those are real services the company provides.
The more specific and accurate the profile is, the easier it is for Google to connect the business with detailed AI searches.
I’ve always believed reviews matter because people read them before making a decision. But in AI search, reviews may become even more valuable because they help Google understand what customers associate with your business.
Take this Google review as an example: “They helped us design and build a custom pool with a spa, tanning ledge, and outdoor living space.” It’s much more useful than one that says, “Great work. Thanks.” It tells future customers what the company did and gives Google more detail about the services associated with that business.
This is why I think businesses should focus on getting honest, detailed reviews. You cannot tell customers exactly what to write. But you can ask them to describe their experience, the service they received, and the project you completed.
Responding to Google reviews also makes a difference. Stay away from just saying, “Thank you.” This doesn’t expand on your relationship with your customers or provide more about your company; it’s just flat-out lazy.
Here’s a better response:
“Thank you for trusting us with your custom pool project in St. Petersburg. We enjoyed helping you design the spa, tanning ledge, and outdoor living area.”
This response remains natural and expands on your products and service area.
Another reason I like Google Business Profile is that it allows a company to show, not just tell.
Photos can show completed projects, team members, model homes, pools, landscaping, offices, equipment, trucks, or before-and-after work. Visually, this is extremely important for home-service businesses such as home builders, remodelers, landscapers, pool builders, and contractors.
Correctly categorizing your services is also important. Optimizing this backend section of your Google Business Profile will help break down what your company actually does. A landscaping company, for example, may offer landscape design, outdoor kitchens, hardscapes, pool design, lighting, irrigation, and maintenance. It’s pretty simple, and your competition is probably already doing it.
Google Business Profile posts are another helpful feature. Post by your company sharing blogs, projects, seasonal reminders, open houses, promotions, events, or company news. While I would not rely on posts alone to improve visibility, I do think they help keep the profile active and useful.
One of the biggest benefits of Google Business Profile is that it gives people a fast way to take action.
Someone can call, visit the website, get directions, send a message, request a quote, book an appointment, or view services directly from the profile.
This matters because AI search may reduce the number of traditional website visits for some searches. A person may ask Google a question, see an AI-generated response, review a few business profiles, and call one of them without ever visiting several websites.
This makes the Google Business Profile a conversion tool, not just an SEO tool.
An optimized Google Business Profile should not exist by itself; it’s an extension of your website. If your profile says you offer custom homes, your website should have a strong custom homes page. If your profile lists pool construction in St. Petersburg, your website should support that with relevant content. If your profile highlights landscape lighting in Nashville, your website should bolster the service.
The more consistent your information is across the web, the easier it is for Google to understand and trust your business.
I no longer look at Google Business Profile as just a local directory listing. I see it as one of the most important local SEO and AI search assets for any business. If you don’t have one or haven’t optimized it in a while, now is the time to get started.
A complete, accurate, and active profile can help Google understand your business, connect you with more relevant searches, build confidence in potential customers, and create more opportunities for calls, clicks, quote requests, and appointments.
AI search is not replacing local SEO. It is making local SEO more detailed, more connected, and more dependent on clear business information.
This is why I believe every local business should take Google Business Profile optimization seriously. If Google is going to use AI to recommend businesses, your profile needs to give it the right information to work with.
Need help optimizing your Google Business Profile and your website for better SEO and AI search results? Contact me at Power Marketing to learn how we can help you use Google Business Profile to make sure Google and AI understand your business, who you are, what you offer, where you are located, and why someone may want to contact you.
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