The fastest way to search for any business profile is to open Google Maps (google.com/maps) and type the business name in the search bar. If the business has a verified Google Business Profile, it will appear with their address, hours, photos, and reviews. You can also just Google the business name plus city—for example, "Ottawa SEO Inc Ottawa"—and the Knowledge Panel with their GBP details usually shows on the right side of desktop results or at the top on mobile. If you're checking whether a specific location already has a claimed profile, use the exact address in Google Maps. This matters when you're auditing duplicate listings or verifying that a new location hasn't already been claimed by someone else. For multi-location businesses, search each address individually because Google treats every physical location as a separate profile. To search your own business profile for management purposes, go to google.com/business or business.google.com and sign in with the Google account that owns the profile. From there you can edit hours, upload photos, respond to reviews, and check insights. If you can't find your profile in that dashboard, it either hasn't been created yet, or it was claimed under a different Google account—common problem we see with clients who've had multiple staff members or previous agencies touch their GBP. For competitor research, search their business name in Maps, then click through to see their category selection, review velocity, Q&A section, and how they're describing their services. Pay attention to whether they have posts, updated photos, and consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across their website and GBP. At Ottawa SEO, we always cross-reference the GBP data with what's on the client's site and local citations to catch discrepancies that hurt rankings. If a profile doesn't show up at all when you search the exact business name and address, it's either unverified, suspended, or never created—all of which means lost visibility in local pack results.