{"id":1209,"slug":"google-local-stack-timeline-2004-2014-rebrand-to-gbp","title":"Google local-listings tool timeline: Google Local (March 2004) → Maps (2005) → Places (2009) → G+ Local (2012) → Google My Business (June 2014) → Google Business Profile (November 2021)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["local-seo","search-engine-history"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Google's local-business listing tool went through six names in 17 years:\n\n- **Google Local** — launched March 2004 (digital Yellow Pages).\n- **Google Maps** — folded in, 2005.\n- **Google Places** — 2009.\n- **Google+ Local** — 2012.\n- **Google My Business (GMB)** — consolidated, June 2014.\n- **Google Business Profile (GBP)** — current name, rebranded November 2021.\n\n**Source:** Google product announcements over the period; consolidated in [[webhistory-03-serp-links-to-answers-research-notes]].\n\n**Confidence:** Verified (dates/rebrands).\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** A free Google listing has been the make-or-break for \"near me\" intent for two decades and remains the highest-leverage local-SMB asset in 2026 — see [[rule-gbp-still-primary-local-lead-surface-for-near-me-2026]]. The current name is **Google Business Profile**; the older \"GMB\" abbreviation is still common in industry copy.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-businesses-found-on-web-google-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: How businesses got found on the web — a then→now timeline (Google-focused, SMB lens, June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"pigeon-update-jul-24-2014-3-pack-shrink","title":"Pigeon update (July 24, 2014) — tied local algorithm to core web-ranking signals; credited with shrinking the local results from 7-pack to 3-pack","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"recurring-pattern-google-shifts-early-adopters-win-laggards-lose","title":"The recurring pattern: every major Google shift changed what got surfaced; early adapters captured the new surface, laggards lost the old one — and the pattern is repeating now with AI answers","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-gbp-still-primary-local-lead-surface-for-near-me-2026","title":"Rule: For Ontario service-business clients in 2026, the Google Business Profile is still the primary local-lead surface — lock it down before anything else","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-18T00:10:55.800Z","updated_at":"2026-06-18T00:10:55.800Z"}