A Google Business Profile is the panel that shows up beside your name on Google: your hours, photos, reviews, and directions. Google already builds a page about your business whether you touch it or not. The only question is whether you are the one controlling it.
In plain English
It is your storefront on Google, and most people see it before they ever see your actual website. Leave it unclaimed and half-finished, and that is the first impression customers get.
Three levers
Claim and verify it
Take ownership of your profile so you control what it says.
Fill every field
Complete hours, categories, photos, and services in full.
Reply to reviews
Respond to every review, good or bad, to show you are active and paying attention.
Worth remembering
Google's own data: complete profiles are 2.7 times more likely to be considered reputable, and 70% more likely to get a visit.
Those are two of the easiest numbers in this whole series to act on, since filling out a profile costs nothing but time. Leaving it incomplete is money left on the table.
What to do about it
Claim your profile if you have not, then fill in every field Google gives you. If you want a second opinion on how your whole online presence looks, get a free website audit.
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