Google Business Profile vs Google Places: what changed and does it matter?
Google Places is the old name for what is now Google Business Profile. Same free listing that shows on Google Search and Maps. Google renamed it twice, moved the dashboard, killed the old app. How you claim, edit and rank it hasn't really changed.
At least once a week a Pune business owner asks me some version of the same question: "Shreyas, my old accountant said we need to be on Google Places, is that still a thing?" Yes and no. Google Places was the original name for the free business listing on Search and Maps. It got renamed to Google My Business, then renamed again to Google Business Profile in 2021. The product is the same. The dashboard moved. Most guides on the internet still use the old names, which is where the confusion comes from. Let's clear it up.
The short history: Places, My Business, Business Profile
Google's local listing product has had three names in about fifteen years. It launched as Google Places around 2010, alongside Place Pages and the old Local Business Center. In 2014 Google merged Places, Google+ Local and the ads side into Google My Business (GMB). One dashboard, one app, one API. In November 2021 Google renamed GMB to Google Business Profile, killed the standalone GMB app, and pushed most editing into Search and Maps directly. Multi-location owners still use the web dashboard at business.google.com. Same underlying listing the whole time.
What actually changed (and what didn't)
The name change matters less than most people fear. What changed: the standalone Google My Business app was shut down, so single-location owners now edit their profile straight from Google Search (type "my business" while logged in) or the Google Maps app. Posts, photos, Q&A, messages and offers all live inside Search and Maps. What did not change: the listing itself, your reviews, your photos, your ranking history, or how Google picks who shows up in the local 3-pack. If your profile was verified as Google Places in 2013, that same profile is still yours today. Google auto-migrated everyone. You don't create a new listing; you claim the old one.
Why the terminology gap still trips people up
The reason "Google Places" won't die is search behaviour. Plenty of small business owners in India learned digital marketing when Places was the current name, and they still type it into Google. Older accountants, printed brochures, WhatsApp forwards, some agency websites, all still using the old term. That's fine. The intent is the same. When a client says "help me with Google Places optimization", they mean rank my business on Maps and in the local pack. I treat it like any Google Places optimization request: clean up the profile, fix the categories, get reviews flowing, add real photos. The name in the brief doesn't change the checklist.
Google Places → Google My Business → Google Business Profile. Three names, one listing. If you claimed it once, you already own it. Just log in and update it.
How to find and claim your listing today
If you're not sure whether you already have a Google Business Profile, don't create a new one. You'll end up with a duplicate and Google will suspend it. Instead, do this: open Google, search your exact business name plus locality (say "Painex Clinic Kothrud"), and look at the knowledge panel on the right. If it shows a business card with your details, the listing already exists. Below the details you'll see either "Own this business?" (unclaimed, click and verify) or "You manage this Business Profile" (already yours, click Edit profile to update). Verification is usually a postcard, phone call, email or video, depending on business type. Once claimed, everything you edit shows on Search and Maps.
What actually moves rankings on the new profile
The dashboard changed. The ranking signals did not, and they matter more than ever, because AI-driven local results and the Maps 3-pack pull from the same profile data. Here's what I fix on every client account, in order of impact:
- Primary category: the biggest ranking lever. "Dental clinic" and "Dentist" compete for different queries. Pick the closest match to what your best customer would search.
- Services and service areas: list every service by name. Each one becomes a keyword the profile can surface for.
- Reviews and response cadence: steady flow beats a burst of ten in one week. Reply to every review, positive or negative.
- Real photos: geo-tagged, taken with a phone at your actual address. Stock photos hurt trust and rankings.
- Q&A: seed the top 5 questions customers actually ask, then answer them from the owner account.
- Posts: weekly updates keep the profile fresh in Google's eyes and take up more real estate in Search.
- NAP consistency: the same Name, Address and Phone on your website, on Justdial, IndiaMART, Sulekha and every citation site.
That's the exact loop I ran for a Pune clinic sitting at local rank #59 for its main category. In about two months of profile hygiene and content, it moved into the top 5 for its area. The full playbook is in my Google Business Profile optimization guide. Every step, in the order I run them.
Should you still care about the local pack in 2026?
Yes, and probably more than you did in the Places era. Voice search, "near me" queries, and AI answer boxes on Google now lean heavily on Business Profile data. A well-optimised profile is often the first thing a prospective customer sees, before your website, before your ads, before your Instagram. For a Pune clinic I run, Maps traffic is the cheapest, highest-intent channel by a distance: no ad spend, and the caller is already 500 metres away. Getting into the 3-pack is a technical fight, and it starts with the profile, not the site. If you want the ranking side of it in more depth, the how to rank on Google Maps guide covers the exact levers.
The honest verdict
Google Places vs Google Business Profile is a vocabulary question, not a strategy question. Same listing, same ranking rules, better tools inside Search and Maps. Don't waste time worrying about the rename. Spend that time claiming the listing (if you haven't), fixing the primary category, and setting up a review-request habit. If you'd like me to audit your profile and hand you a prioritised fix list, get in touch and I'll take a look this week.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Places still a thing in 2026?
Not as a product name. "Google Places" was retired years ago, first replaced by Google My Business, then renamed again to Google Business Profile in 2021. If someone tells you to "list your business on Google Places", they mean creating or claiming your Google Business Profile at google.com/business. The listing that shows on Google Search and Maps is the same one; only the dashboard name has changed.
Do I need to migrate from Google Places to Google Business Profile?
No migration needed. If you ever created a Google Places or Google My Business listing on the same Google account, it's already your Google Business Profile. Google auto-migrated everything. Sign in at google.com/business or search your business name on Google and click "Own this business?" to claim it. Your reviews, photos and history are still attached.
Does Google Business Profile still affect Google Maps rankings?
Yes, more than ever. Your Business Profile is the entity Google ranks in the Maps 3-pack and local results. Category accuracy, service list, photos, review velocity, Q&A, posts and citation consistency all feed into it. I've taken a Pune clinic from local rank #59 into the top 5 in about two months by cleaning up exactly these signals. Same listing, new name, same ranking rules.
Related guides
- Google Places optimization for Indian businesses: the checklist most agencies still call "Places", written for how Google works today.
- The full Google Business Profile optimization guide: every field, every ranking factor, in the order I fix them.