It is a fair question, and a lot of business owners ask it. You did the work. Your Google Business Profile has your hours, your photos and forty-three lovely reviews. Surely AI can take it from there?
Partly. Here is the honest version.
What your Google Business Profile does
It helps people, and the systems that serve them, find you. Your name, address, phone number, hours, category and reviews. When someone searches for “hair salon near me”, that profile does a lot of heavy lifting.
Keep it. Keep it up to date. It matters.
What it does not do
A profile tells people you exist. It does not let an AI assistant do anything on your behalf.
When a customer says to their assistant, “Book me a table for four on Friday at seven”, the assistant needs more than your phone number. It needs to see whether you have a table, ask for the booking and get a clear yes or no. That happens on your website, not on your profile.
Where WebMCP fits
WebMCP is a new way for websites to talk to AI assistants. Your website hands the assistant a short list of things it may do, like “check opening hours”, “ask for a quote” or “request a booking”, with clear boxes to fill in. No guessing. We explain it in more detail on our what is WebMCP page.
A simple way to think about it:
- Google Business Profile: “Here we are.”
- Your website: “Here is what we do.”
- WebMCP on your website: “Here is what your assistant can do with us.”
So which one do I need?
If customers only ever phone you, the profile does most of the work. If customers book, ask for quotes or check stock, you want your website ready for AI assistants as well. Most small businesses end up with both, the same way most have a phone and an email address.
And whether AI recommends you?
That is a separate job again: making sure AI assistants describe your business correctly when someone asks for one like it. Ankor Business Solutions works on that side, and explains it in its guide to AI discoverability for small businesses. Nobody can promise an AI will recommend you, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
The next step
Ask for a free website check. We will look at your profile and your website together and tell you, in plain English, what an AI assistant can and cannot do with them today.
Free self-check: Can AI find your business? (PDF). Ten questions, ten minutes, a pen. No email needed.
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