Google Business Profile vs Website for a Local Shop
Google Business Profile vs website for a San Antonio or Austin shop: a side-by-side table and a simple rule for which to set up first.
A Google Business Profile vs website choice comes down to who holds the keys. Google holds the profile. You hold the website. A new shop should claim the profile first, because it is free and quick. Then it should build a site, because only a site is fully yours. This post gives a table and a rule by shop type.
Is a Google Business Profile a website?
No. A profile is a listing about your shop. You add your address, hours, phone number and photos. Google's Business Profile help says you add or claim your business and verify it to show it on Search and Maps.
A website is a set of pages at an address you own. You choose the pages, the words and the layout. No one else sets the rules for how it looks.
Google Business Profile vs website: how do they compare side by side?
Here is a table you can copy for a one-location shop.
| Business Profile | Website | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A listing on Google Search and Maps | Pages at your own web address |
| Cost to you | Your time to set it up and keep it right | Kin's Core website is $79/mo plus $149 setup |
| Who controls it | Google sets the format, you fill it in | You decide the pages and the words |
| What it shows | Address, hours, phone, photos | Anything you want, in any order |
| What it cannot do | Hold a full price list, a long story or your own design | Show up on a map by itself |
Read the last row twice. Each one covers a gap the other leaves open.
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
Yes, for most shops. The profile answers "where are you and when are you open." A site answers "why should I pick you."
A customer who is choosing between two shops often wants more. They want to see the menu, the price list or the work. A profile has little room for that.
Google's SEO starter guide covers how a site helps search engines understand a business. We think a profile with no site leaves that job half done.
What can a website do that a Google Business Profile cannot?
A site can hold things a profile has no space for. Here are the ones local owners ask us about.
- Show a full menu or price list.
- Tell the story of the shop in your own words.
- Take bookings. At Kin, a booking module is $500 one time, or +$30/mo on Core.
- Keep working if you leave Google, because the address is yours.
We build sites at Kin Studios, a small app and web studio in San Antonio. Our plans are on Kin's website plans. Premium is $249/mo plus $299 setup. Core includes two edit requests a month and Premium includes five.
What does a Google Business Profile do that a website cannot?
A profile puts your shop on the map. A new site has no such place on its own. Someone who types "coffee near me" is looking for nearby names, and the profile is how a shop gets on that list.
A profile also needs no design work. You fill in the fields. That is why it is the quick first step.
For what a strong profile holds, read Google Business Profile examples.
Can I use my Google Business Profile as my website?
You can use it in place of a site for a short while. We do not think it should stay that way.
The profile has fixed fields. You cannot add a page, change the layout or move it elsewhere. If Google changes the format, your shop changes with it.
Which should a new local shop set up first?
Set up the profile first. It costs time, not money, and it can be done this week. Then add a site.
Use this rule by shop type.
| Your shop | First | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in only, with a short list of items | Profile | A simple site when you can |
| A menu or price list people check before they come | Profile and site together | Keep both the same |
| Customers book ahead | Profile, then a site with booking | Add the booking module |
| You also plan to run paid ads | Profile and site | Read profile versus ads for a local shop |
An illustrative example, with assumptions and no real data: a San Antonio bakery has a short menu that changes weekly. It claims its profile on Monday and puts the hours and photos in. It adds a site that lists the weekly menu. The profile gets people to the door. The site tells them what is on the shelf.
Use this checklist.
- Claim and verify your profile.
- Match the address, hours and phone to your door.
- Add real photos of your front, your staff and your products.
- Use the same details on your website.
- Put your website address in the profile.
FAQ
Is the profile enough for a tiny shop? It can be for a while. We think a site pays off once customers ask questions the profile cannot answer.
Does a website replace the profile? No. They do different jobs.
Will either one guarantee customers? No. We do not promise results, and no honest guide does.
Next step
Check the hours and phone number on your profile today. If your shop has no site yet, see a Core website for a local shop.
Tell us the business and we will tell you which plan fits.