Most small businesses need both. A Google Business Profile is the free listing that puts you on Maps and in the local pack. A website is the page you control, where someone decides you look like the right firm to ring. A profile alone can carry a simple word-of-mouth trade for a while. The pair wins more work than either on its own, because one gets you found and the other gets you chosen.
I work this from Hassocks. The split is the same for a spark, a baker and a builder. The profile is Google’s shopfront. The website is yours.
What does a Google Business Profile actually do?
The profile is the panel Google shows with your hours, photos, rating, phone number and map pin. It is also the record Maps uses. For “electrician near me” or “bakery in Burgess Hill”, this is often the first thing a searcher sees. They can call from the panel without opening a website.
That is a real job, and it is free. Google does not charge to create, verify or manage the listing. Anyone selling “registration on Google” as a paid product is selling something you can do yourself. We set the profile up as part of SEO where it fits, from £99 as a one-off. There is no separate Page Forge price for the listing.
It puts you on the map, shows hours, phone, directions and reviews, and works on a phone, which is where most “near me” searches happen. The star rating sits in the results, next to two rivals.
If you have not claimed yours, start there. The walkthrough is in our Google Business Profile guide. Do not skip verification. An unverified stub barely shows.
Oilfire in Uckfield is the shape I see often: a five-star Google rating and, for a long time, no page behind it. The profile was doing the finding. There was nothing solid to land on once someone wanted more than a star count.
Where does a profile fall short on its own?
A profile gets you seen. It is a poor whole online presence.
You do not control it. Google can change the layout, suspend the listing, or show two rivals in the same pack. You cannot rewrite the page to lead with your dual ticket, your Checkatrade record, or the towns you actually cover. You get fields, photos and reviews, laid out Google’s way.
It cannot really sell. A description and a service list are not the same as explaining why one visit covers boiler and wiring, or why a family builder has been on the books since 2008. Bigger jobs need more proof than a few photos and a rating.
Competitors sit next to you. In the Maps pack the customer sees three businesses at once. The pack is a shortlist, not a closed sale. The next tap is often the website, to check you are real.
So the profile is a shopfront sign. It is not the shop. Treat it as essential, not sufficient.
What does a website add that the profile cannot?
A website is where the profile hands the customer over.
You control the layout, the words and the proof. You can put a tappable number at the top, name the towns in the first screen, and show real work.
It closes more of the deal. Qualifications, photos of actual jobs, accreditations: that is what a cautious customer wants before they ring a stranger. Sindall in Haywards Heath already had more than 200 Checkatrade reviews before their rebuild. The reviews were not the gap. A slow single page that hid the work was the gap.
It strengthens the listing. Google cross-checks the website against the profile. Matching name, address and phone (NAP) on both is part of local SEO for small businesses. A clear site that names the service and the town gives Google a second, cleaner source of the same facts.
It covers searches the pack misses, and it gives AI assistants something they can quote. A listing with no site behind it is a thin source. A fast page with the offer on it is a better one.
In short: the profile gets you found. The website gets you chosen.
When is a Google Business Profile enough on its own?
Let us be honest. For some businesses a well-kept profile can carry you for a stretch.
If you are a sole trader living on word of mouth, with simple work and enough jobs already, a complete listing with genuine reviews might be all you need this year. If that is truly you, do not rush into a site because a blog said you must.
The test is simple. Do people who do not already know your name need to find you? If almost every job comes from a neighbour, the profile is insurance and a place for reviews. If you want work from people who type the trade and the town, the profile is the start, not the finish.
Even then, a simple website is cheap insurance. It captures searches the pack misses, gives cautious customers more to judge, and is still yours if the listing is ever suspended. A one-pager is enough for most local trades.
Why do most Sussex firms want both?
The winning setup is a complete Google Business Profile feeding a fast, clear website.
The profile puts you in front of local searchers. The website, linked from it, turns those searchers into calls. Neither replaces the other. Together they cover both halves: getting found and getting chosen.
I see the same pattern from Hassocks across Mid Sussex. An electrician, a shopfront bakery, a specialist contractor: different trades, same two-piece job. The pin and the hours matter. So does a page that finishes the sale.
The Maps pack still takes weeks to months. Claiming the profile does not put you in the top three overnight. Anyone who sells the pack as a weekend job is selling a story.
If you want the pair pointed in the same direction, SEO across Sussex starts at £99 as a one-off and includes the profile work where it fits. A one-page site, if you need one, is on the pricing page. Multi-page work is quoted. No ranking promises. The job is to stop the listing and the page arguing with each other.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a website if I already have a Google Business Profile?
For most businesses, yes. The profile gets you found locally. The website is where people decide you are worth ringing, and it is the presence you control. A profile alone can suit a simple word-of-mouth trade. The two together win more of the work that comes from search.
Is a Google Business Profile enough on its own?
Sometimes, if you already have enough jobs from people who know you and the work is simple. The listing is still limited: you do not control it, it cannot fully sell you, and competitors appear beside you. A simple website is worthwhile insurance and it supports the listing.
Does a website help my Google Business Profile rank?
It helps Google trust the listing. Matching details, a clear service and town on the page, and a real site behind the link all support local visibility. The two work as a pair. A good website will not teleport you into the pack in a week. It removes a reason to leave you out.
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes. Google does not charge to list, verify or manage it. We do not sell the listing as a standalone product. If you want it done as part of SEO, that work starts at £99 as a one-off.
Can I skip the website and just run the profile and Facebook?
You can. You are then renting two platforms and owning neither. Facebook is useful for people who already know you. The profile is useful for people who do not. The website is the page that still exists if either platform changes the rules.
How long before the profile and website start working together?
Verification can take a few days. The listing often appears on Maps shortly after that. The Maps pack typically takes weeks to months. Organic website rankings for the same terms usually trail the pack. Give the pair time, and keep the details identical on both.