Is Your Google Business Profile Working for You?

"Getting your business on the map" looks radically different in the AI era. SEO (Search Engine optimization) still matters, but now it shares the stage with AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): making sure that AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot can find your business and recommend it.

The shift is already here. Stella Rising's 2026 survey sampled 524 active AI users found that half of them use AI tools every day for tasks they used to handle with Google. Sixteen percent of the prompts they wrote were location-based, which means the "near me" search has moved into AI. This is huge news for the small business owner.

If you run a local business in Lexington or anywhere in Kentucky, the single most important thing both Google and AI tools read about you is your Google Business Profile.

What's the difference between SEO and AEO?

SEO used to be about the "magic words": getting the right keywords onto your website so Google would rank you higher. AEO works differently. AI tools don't just match keywords. They look for signals of relevance, reputation, and authority, and then assemble an answer. Your job, as the owner, is to make sure every source they check tells the same, trustworthy story about your business.

Why is my Google Business Profile so important now?

Think of your Google Business Profile as the new Yellow Pages. It's the first place customers see your hours, phone number, photos and reviews. It's one of the main sources AI tools use to confirm who you are.

Google says local results are based on three things:

• Relevance - how well your profile matches the search
• Distance - how close you are
• Prominence - how well known you are, including your reviews.

You can't change your distance, but you can control almost everything else through your profile.

Is your business information the same everywhere?

If your phone number is wrong or your address is off by a digit, it hurts your credibility with customers and with search engines. AI tools cross-check your Google profile against your website, social media, and directories like Yelp. When the details don't match, they can't be confident it's the same business.

This trips up solopreneurs constantly. If your profile says "Smith Consulting" but your website says "Jane Smith, Consultant," you and your business can look like two different entities. Pick one name, address, and phone number and use it everywhere, exactly the same way.

Does your profile have photos?

If your profile is missing photos, you're losing customers. Google's own research (it's a few years old, but still the most-cited figure in local search) found that businesses with photos received 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35% more clicks to their websites than businesses without them.

Add photos of your storefront, your team, your work, and your logo. If you don't have a storefront but you serve customers in person (a contractor, photographer, or mobile groomer, for example), you can still have a profile as a service-area business and hide your home address. One caveat: Google only allows Business Profiles for businesses that meet customers face to face. If you're purely online, your website and reviews on other platforms have to carry that weight.

Why do Google reviews matter so much?

Reviews are where you build authority, and they matter more than ever. Google confirms that the number of reviews and your average rating factor into local rankings. AI tools also lean on reviews when deciding which businesses to recommend.

Ask every happy customer for a review, and reply to every review you get, good or bad. And never buy reviews. Fake reviews violate Google's policies, and the FTC can now fine businesses for them.

Does more content mean better rankings?

Quality, not quantity! We're living in an era of AI slop, and neither Google nor AI tools reward you for having more pages or longer posts. They reward content that is genuinely useful and clearly written by someone who knows the subject. Generic, copy-paste content blends into the noise. Your real expertise, local knowledge, and customer stories are what set you apart.

Your Google Business Profile checklist

• Claim and verify your profile at business.google.com
• Make sure your name, address, and phone number match your website exactly.
• Choose the most specific business category available.
• Add photos of your location, team, and work, and keep them fresh.
• Ask satisfied customers for reviews, and respond to every one.
• Keep your hours updated, especially around holidays.

Is your Google business profile costing your customers?

If your business isn't getting as many calls or emails as you'd like, your Google Business Profile may be the problem, and it's usually an easy fix. SEO and AEO support are part of what Maverick Solutions offers small businesses in Lexington and across Kentucky, all for a flat fee and no monthly retainer. After we got Jerry's Barber Shop page cleaned up, his direction requests doubled in a month.

Getting you back on the map is my goal. If this sounds like you, let's talk.

Want more tips like these? Sign up for Tuesday Tips, one short email a week on websites, branding, and getting found on Google.