Google My Business vs Google Business Profile

If you've Googled local SEO advice in the past few years, you've probably run into both names: "Google My Business" and "Google Business Profile." You might have wondered if these are two different things, whether you need to set up both, or whether your existing Google My Business account is still valid.

The short answer: Google My Business was renamed to Google Business Profile. They are the same thing. But the rebrand came with real changes to how you manage your profile, and many small business owners are still operating under misconceptions about how it all works — especially since a lot of the old guides and tutorials online still use the outdated "GMB" name.

This article clears up the confusion and explains exactly what changed, what stayed the same, and how to access and manage your profile today.

Key Points

• Google rebranded "Google My Business" to "Google Business Profile" in November 2021, with the transition completing through 2022. The underlying product — your listing in Google Search and Maps — is identical.
• The standalone Google My Business app was retired in 2022. You no longer manage your profile through a dedicated app.
• Profile management moved directly into Google Search and Google Maps — you can now edit your profile by searching your business name while logged in.
• The Google Business Profile Manager website (business.google.com) still exists and is the recommended tool for managing multiple locations or for more advanced management.
• Nothing about your existing listing, reviews, photos, or profile data changed as a result of the rebrand — it was purely a name and interface change.

Why This Matters for Your Business

If you set up your profile years ago under "Google My Business," you're still in good shape — your data didn't go anywhere. But if you've been searching for how to update your profile and keep hitting outdated guides that reference the GMB app or the old GMB dashboard, it explains why you might be confused about where to find things.

More importantly, understanding the current management interface helps you actually use the features available to you. Many business owners who could be regularly updating their profiles aren't doing so because they don't know how to access the management tools under the new system.

The Rebrand History: What Happened and When

Pre-2021: Google My Business Era

Before November 2021, local businesses managed their Google listings through a dedicated platform called Google My Business. The main touchpoints were:

• The Google My Business website (business.google.com) — a web portal for profile management
• The Google My Business mobile app — an iOS and Android app that allowed profile editing, responding to reviews, and publishing posts on the go
• The Google My Business API — used by agencies and software tools to manage profiles programmatically

The product had existed in various forms since Google Place Pages (2009) and Google+ Local (2012), eventually becoming Google My Business in 2014.

November 2021: The Rebrand Announcement

Google announced in November 2021 that "Google My Business" would be rebranded to "Google Business Profile." The key reason given was to simplify the experience for small businesses — rather than managing profiles through a separate app or dedicated website, Google wanted to bring management directly into the products where most business owners already search: Google Search and Google Maps.

2022: The Transition Completes

Through 2022, Google made the transition concrete:

• The Google My Business app was officially retired in April 2022. Existing users who opened the app were redirected to Google Maps.
• Profile editing functionality moved into Google Search and Google Maps as the primary management interface for single-location businesses.
• The business.google.com website was retained and rebranded as "Business Profile Manager," primarily for multi-location businesses and agencies.
• All references in Google's own help documentation shifted from "Google My Business" to "Google Business Profile."

What Actually Changed

The App Is Gone

The biggest practical change for many business owners was the retirement of the Google My Business app. If you relied on the app to manage your profile, respond to reviews, or publish posts on your phone — that app no longer works.

The replacement: Install or use the Google Maps app on your phone. When you're logged into the same Google account that manages your business profile, Google Maps gives you access to profile management features directly. You can also manage your profile through the Google Search app by searching your business name.

Management Moved Into Search and Maps

For single-location businesses, the new primary interface for profile management is Google Search itself. Here's how it works:

1. Make sure you're signed into Google with the account that owns your business profile
2. Search your business name in Google (e.g., "Joe's Plumbing Chicago")
3. Your business knowledge panel appears on the right side of the results
4. Click "Edit profile" to make changes

This is now the fastest and most direct way to edit your business information, add photos, respond to reviews, and publish posts. Many business owners find it more convenient than the old dedicated app because they're already in Google all day.

Business.google.com Still Exists (Now Called Business Profile Manager)

The web portal at business.google.com wasn't retired — it was rebranded as Business Profile Manager. For businesses with multiple locations or for agencies managing many clients, this remains the primary management hub.

Single-location businesses can use it too, but Google has clearly positioned it as the power-user interface while Search/Maps becomes the primary interface for everyday management tasks.

The API Remained (Now Google Business Profile API)

For software tools and agencies that use the API to manage profiles programmatically, the API continues to exist — it was simply renamed from Google My Business API to Google Business Profile API. If you use a third-party local SEO tool like Semrush or BrightLocal, the tools continued to work through the API transition.

What Stayed the Same

Almost everything about your actual listing is unchanged:

• Your listing data: Name, address, phone number, website, hours, description, categories — all preserved
• Your reviews: Every review you've ever received is still there. The star rating accumulated over years is intact.
• Your photos: All photos you've uploaded remain on your profile.
• Your posts: Historical posts are visible in the profile (though old posts may not display publicly after their expiration)
• Your verification status: A previously verified listing remained verified through the rebrand — you did not need to re-verify.
• The ranking algorithm: The factors that determine local pack rankings — relevance, distance, prominence — did not change as part of the rebrand.

How to Access Your Profile Today

Here are the three main ways to manage your Google Business Profile in 2024 and beyond:

Method 1: Google Search (Recommended for Single Locations)

1. Sign into your Google account (the one that owns your profile)
2. Search your business name in Google
3. Your listing appears with an "Edit profile" button
4. Click to edit any section of your profile

From this interface you can: edit business information, manage photos, respond to reviews, publish posts, view insights, and answer Q&A.

Method 2: Google Maps

1. Open Google Maps on desktop or mobile
2. Make sure you're signed into the right Google account
3. Search your business name
4. Your listing appears with management options
5. Tap your profile photo or the business panel to access management features

Method 3: Business Profile Manager (business.google.com)

1. Go to business.google.com
2. Sign in with the Google account that owns your profile
3. Select the business you want to manage
4. Access the full management dashboard

This method is most useful when managing multiple locations or when you want a dedicated dashboard view rather than working through the search interface.

Why the Confusion Persists

Several factors explain why so many small business owners are still confused by this rebrand years later:

Outdated online guides: There are thousands of blog posts, YouTube tutorials, and forum discussions that still use "Google My Business" and reference the old interface. Searching for help often surfaces content that's years old.

The abbreviation "GMB" stuck: The marketing and SEO industry continues to widely use "GMB" as shorthand. You'll see "GMB optimization" and "GMB setup" used constantly — even by reputable agencies — to describe what is now officially "Google Business Profile" management.

The official branding is inconsistent: Even Google itself sometimes uses "Google My Business" in older help articles or in localized interfaces that haven't fully updated. This makes it hard to know what's current.

The business.google.com URL didn't change: Many people go to the same URL they've always used (business.google.com) and assume the product itself is unchanged. The URL is the same but the product was rebranded.

Practical Implications for Small Business Owners

1. Stop looking for the Google My Business app. It no longer exists. Use Google Maps or Google Search while signed into your business account.

2. If someone says "GMB," they mean "Google Business Profile." These terms are interchangeable in practice. Don't worry about the naming — focus on whether the advice is current and accurate.

3. Your profile didn't disappear or need to be recreated. If you had a verified Google My Business listing before the rebrand, you have a verified Google Business Profile now. Nothing was lost.

4. The management interface is simpler now. Managing directly through Google Search is genuinely faster for everyday tasks than the old app or dashboard was. Give it a few minutes to get used to the new layout.

Tools to Help

Consider using professional SEO tools to streamline implementation:

• Semrush Local SEO Tools - Complete local SEO toolkit
• Ahrefs - Rank tracking and competitor analysis
• Moz Local - Local SEO management platform

Next Steps

1. Sign into Google with your business account and search your business name — get familiar with the new Search-based management interface
2. If you've been avoiding profile updates because you couldn't find the old app, today is the day to get back in and make sure everything is current
3. Bookmark business.google.com for times when you need the full management dashboard
4. On your phone, ensure you're signed into Google Maps with your business account and can access your profile from the Maps app
5. Check that your profile information (hours, phone, address, description) is still accurate — some business owners haven't reviewed it since before the rebrand

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Trying to download the Google My Business app. The app is retired. Apps that appear in app stores under that name are third-party tools, not Google's official app. Use Google Maps or Google Search instead.

Creating a new profile because you thought the old one was gone. Your existing verified profile is intact. Creating a new one will create a duplicate listing, which hurts your local rankings and splits your reviews. Check for your existing profile before creating anything new.

Ignoring profile management because the interface changed. Some business owners stopped maintaining their profile when the familiar app disappeared and they didn't know where to go. The new interface is actually simpler — use it.

Assuming a rebrand means a ranking reset. The rebrand had no effect on rankings. Whatever position your listing held before November 2021 was unaffected by the name change.

Trusting outdated tutorials. Always check the publication date of any guide you follow for Google Business Profile management. If it references the "Google My Business app" as an active product, it predates the 2022 retirement and the interface instructions may no longer apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to do anything to migrate from Google My Business to Google Business Profile? A: No. The transition happened automatically on Google's end. Your existing listing, verification status, reviews, and photos all migrated with no action required from you. Just start managing your profile through the new interface (Google Search or Maps) and you're good.

Q: Is business.google.com the same as the old Google My Business dashboard? A: It's the same URL and serves a similar purpose — it's a web-based management portal for your profile. The interface has been updated and it's now called Business Profile Manager, but if you used the old GMB dashboard at business.google.com, this is still the place to go for full-featured profile management, especially for multi-location businesses.

Q: Why does my profile say "Google My Business" in some places? A: Google's product infrastructure has thousands of touchpoints and some haven't been fully updated to reflect the rebrand. This is normal and doesn't indicate any problem with your profile. The underlying product and all its features are fully functional regardless of which name appears.

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