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Search data · IndiaBefore we launched our small business website package, we pulled Google’s own search numbers for India. “Google My Business” and “Google Business Profile” are each searched between 1 lakh and 10 lakh times a month. “Website designer in Belgaum” barely shows up at all. Owners already know the Maps listing matters. What most don’t know is how much better it works with a proper website behind it.
By Sujata Dogra, Founder, Brains Media Solutions · 6 min read
You need both, because they do different jobs. Your Google Business Profile gets you found on Google Maps and called. Your website answers the questions people have before they call, and gives Google and AI tools a clear picture of what you do. Start with the listing if you have neither, but don’t stop there.
We used Google Ads Keyword Planner, set to India, for the 12 months from October 2025 to September 2026. Google shows search volumes as ranges, not exact numbers. Here is what owners and customers searched for each month:
| Search term | Searches a month in India |
|---|---|
| google my business | 1 lakh – 10 lakh |
| google business profile | 1 lakh – 10 lakh |
| website design price | 1,000 – 10,000 |
| website design cost | 1,000 – 10,000 |
| website designer near me | 1,000 – 10,000 |
| google business profile optimization | 1,000 – 10,000 |
| add my business to google maps | 100 – 1,000 |
| small business website | 100 – 1,000 |
| website designer in kolhapur | 10 – 100 |
| website design in hubli | 10 – 100 |
| website designer in belgaum | Too few to show |
Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner (BMS account), India, all languages, October 2025 to September 2026, pulled on 9 November 2026.
Searches for the Google listing are roughly a hundred times higher than searches for website designers. That matches what we hear on calls: owners have seen competitors appear on the map with photos and reviews, and they want the same.
“Website design price” and “website design cost” are each searched thousands of times a month. Owners want a clear number before they talk to anyone. If you sell services, that’s a lesson too: a visible starting price gets more enquiries than “call for a quote”.
Almost nobody searches “website designer in Belgaum” or “in Hubli”. In cities like ours, people ask a friend, a relative or a supplier. That makes word of mouth, and what people find when they check you after hearing your name, more important, not less.
| Google Business Profile | Website | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Get found on Google Maps and called | Explain what you do and build trust before the call |
| Best for | “Near me” searches, directions, opening hours, reviews | Services, prices, photos of your work, answers to common questions |
| Who controls it | You, but within Google’s format | Fully you |
| Cost | Free | Domain, hosting and build |
| What AI tools can learn from it | Name, category, location, hours, reviews | The detail: what you specialise in, for whom, at what price, with what proof |
A listing with no website behind it is like a shop sign with no shop. People find you, but they still have to call to learn anything. Many won’t.
More customers now ask Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT questions like “best physiotherapist in Belagavi” or “who makes custom windows in Hubballi?” Those answers are built from what’s published about businesses across the web: websites, Google listings, reviews and directories.
A business with a clear website and a complete listing, with the same name, address and phone number everywhere, is simply easier for these tools to understand and mention. A business with only an Instagram page gives them very little to work with.
Yes. Google My Business is the old name. It’s now called Google Business Profile: the listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps.
Yes. Creating and managing the listing is free. You only pay if you hire someone to set it up and manage it, or if you run Google ads.
Yes. If you visit customers or work from home, you can set up a service-area business and hide your home address while still showing the areas you serve.
The listing gets you found. The website helps people decide to call you, and gives Google and AI tools the detail they need to recommend you. The two work best together.
We’ll check your Google listing, your website and what AI tools like ChatGPT say when customers ask about businesses like yours. Free, plain-language report within 1 working day.
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