Google Business Profile vs. Your Website: Where Should You Focus in 2026?

If you're a local business owner, you've probably been told a dozen times to "update your website." And yes, your website matters. But here's something most web designers won't tell you: your Google Business Profile drives 5x more customer actions than your website does for most local businesses.

So where should you actually spend your time and money in 2026? Let's break it down.

The Case for Google Business Profile

Your GBP is often the first (and sometimes only) thing a potential customer sees. It shows up in Google Maps, the local pack, and now in AI Overviews. Here's what it drives:

• •Direct calls from the search results page (no website visit needed).
• •Direction requests straight to Google Maps.
• •Photo browsing — customers flip through your photos before ever visiting your site.
• •Review reading — the decision often happens here, not on your homepage.

The Case for Your Website

Your website isn't dead — it just plays a different role now. Think of it less as a brochure and more as a credibility engine.

• •Structured data (schema) that helps AI understand your services, hours, and service areas.
• •Content that answers questions AI might cite (FAQ pages, service descriptions, blog posts).
• •Social proof beyond Google — testimonials, case studies, before/after photos.

"Your Google Business Profile gets you found. Your website convinces them to stay. You need both — but most businesses are spending 90% of their effort on the wrong one."

The AI Factor Changes Everything

Here's where it gets interesting. AI assistants pull from both your GBP and your website — but they weigh them differently. ChatGPT tends to reference information it can find in structured formats: review summaries, business categories, and service descriptions from your GBP. Google's AI Overviews blend GBP data with website content.

The winning strategy? 60/40 in favor of GBP for most local businesses. Here's what that looks like:

The bottom line: don't neglect either one, but stop treating your website like it's 2015. In 2026, your Google Business Profile is doing the heavy lifting for local discovery. Feed it, update it, and treat it like the front door to your business — because for most customers, it is.