A Google Business Profile shows up in three main places. First, when someone searches your exact business name, you get a knowledge panel on desktop (right sidebar) or card on mobile with your NAP details, category, hours, website link, phone button, directions button, photos, review summary, and recent reviews. Second, in local 3-pack results for category searches like "plumber Ottawa" you appear as one of three pinned listings with condensed info. Third, your full profile lives in Google Maps with all the same data plus attributes, Q&A section, and posts. The profile itself includes several components. Your primary photo (usually logo) and cover photo appear at the top. Below that you see your business name, star rating out of 5, review count, price level if applicable, and primary category. The main body shows your complete address, clickable phone number, website link, and a "suggest an edit" option that anyone can use. Hours display for each day of the week, with special hours for holidays. You can add attributes like "wheelchair accessible" or "free Wi-Fi" that show as tags. The photos section is critical because customers upload their own images alongside yours, and Google chooses which ones display prominently based on engagement. Reviews appear with star ratings, text, business owner replies, and photos customers attached. The Q&A section lets anyone ask questions that you or other users can answer. At Ottawa SEO we treat the profile as a mini-website. Most consumers see it before they visit your actual site, especially on mobile. The category you choose determines what attributes Google offers and which searches trigger your listing. Your description field supports up to 750 characters but most users only see the first 250, so front-load your value proposition. Posts expire after 7 days but keep your profile active in Google's eyes. The Insights tab shows you search queries, photo views, direction requests, and call clicks, giving you data on how people actually find and interact with your business before they convert.