Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the listing that appears in Google Maps and the local “3-pack” at the top of local searches. For most local businesses, it’s the single most important local ranking asset, and it runs on three signals Google weighs: relevance, distance, and prominence.
Optimization is the work of filling out and fine-tuning that profile so Google understands exactly what you do, where, and for whom. A complete, accurate, well-categorized profile is far more likely to surface for the searches that bring you customers.