Updated: June 2026 | Originally published: March 2018
If your business has a Google My Business listing you set up years ago and haven’t touched since, this post is long overdue.
Quick housekeeping first: Google My Business was rebranded to Google Business Profile (GBP) back in 2022. But the name change is the least of what’s different. In 2026, your Google Business Profile isn’t a directory listing sitting in the background. It’s one of the most operationally critical assets your small business has online, and the reason why has everything to do with AI.
What is Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profile is your free, managed listing on Google. When someone searches your business name, or searches for what you do in your city (“electrician in Austin,” “coffee shop near me”), your profile is what surfaces: hours, phone number, reviews, photos, directions.
If you haven’t claimed yours, or haven’t touched it in years, there’s a real chance customers are finding incomplete or wrong information about you right now. That’s fixable, but it takes deliberate attention.
Google AI Changed the Local Search Equation
Two platform shifts are reshaping how small businesses get found, and both run through your GBP.
AI Overviews now appear at the top of results for a significant share of local queries. A Q2 2025 study found AI Overviews appearing for 68% of local searches. That means Google’s AI is generating a summary answer before it shows any traditional links or listings. And according to Google’s own search and Gemini team, your GBP is the primary source Gemini trusts for those answers. Not your website. Not your Instagram. Your GBP. [Source]
The local three-pack is changing. Google now uses Gemini AI to generate summary paragraphs for local searches, often featuring just one or two businesses instead of three. Early data from affected markets shows some businesses seeing drops of 50% or more in local visibility as a result. [Source]
The businesses holding their ground in this environment share one thing: complete, active, well-maintained Google Business Profiles.
Your GBP Is AI’s Source Material
When Gemini generates a local search answer, it pulls from your profile to determine whether your business is open, what services you offer, what customers think of you. Every missing service, outdated phone number, or blank description is a gap in the information AI has to work with. Those gaps affect whether you show up at all. [Source]
There’s also a newer feature worth knowing about. As of late 2025, Google began replacing the manual Q&A section with “Ask Maps,” where Gemini scans your profile, website, and reviews to generate instant answers. If a potential customer asks “Does this place offer free estimates?” the AI answers based on what it finds. If the answer isn’t there, it guesses or moves on. [Source]
The GBP and Google AI Max Connection
If you’re running paid search, there’s a related development that changes how you should think about your profile.
Google AI Max is an enhancement layer for Google Search campaigns that uses AI to optimize targeting, ad copy, and landing page selection. Announced at Google Marketing Live in May 2025 and now out of beta, AI Max can pull brand information directly from your business data when building ad assets. A richer, more complete GBP gives the system better raw material to work with on the paid side too. [Source]
Google reports that advertisers activating AI Max see an average of 14% more conversions at similar cost. But that lift assumes the AI has accurate, complete information about your business. A thin or outdated profile is a direct drag on performance.
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What to Actually Do With Your GBP Right Now
None of this requires a big budget or an SEO specialist on retainer. It requires consistency.
Fill out every field.
Business description, services, hours, categories, service area, attributes. The profile is the ground truth that AI pulls from. Anything missing is a missed opportunity, and in some cases, a reason you don’t show up.
Get reviews, then respond to all of them.
The ‘what customers are saying’ snippet at the top of an AI Overview comes from your reviews. Responding to every review, not just the positive ones, signals that the business is active and engaged. There’s an SEO angle too: when you respond, reference your location and your services. [Source]
Post regularly and add photos.
AI prioritizes profiles with updated content. A few new photos a week with descriptive filenames is a low-effort habit with measurable impact. [Source]
Write for how people actually search.
If someone searches “best vegan bakery near me open now,” Google will surface businesses matching on hours, services, and review content, not just proximity. Your profile needs to answer the questions your customers are typing.
Get video-verified.
Postcard verification is gone. Video verification is the standard now. Google added a preview step so you can check your verification video before submitting. Use it. [Source]
Where This Leaves You
Your Google Business Profile was always worth maintaining. In 2026, with AI Overviews reshaping how local results surface and Google AI Max pulling from your business data to power paid ads, it’s foundational. Customers still check profiles for hours, directions, and reviews before they decide where to go. A complete, current profile can be the difference when two similar businesses show up side by side.
You don’t need a massive operation to stay visible in local search. You need accurate information, recent activity, and someone keeping an eye on how the AI landscape is shifting.
If you’re not sure where your profile stands today, let’s talk. ADLG Marketing works with small businesses across the country to make sure they’re showing up in the right places as Google keeps moving the goalposts.
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