Google Business Profile items I check first
I start with the profile because it’s what shows in the map, and because a mistake here can take the whole listing down. Every item below is checked against Google’s guidelines for representing your business.
- You own it and it’s verified. Google says verification makes a profile more likely to show in results. If someone else owns it, Google has a process for duplicates and ownership.
- The name is your real name. Exactly as on your sign and paperwork, with no towns, services or taglines added. Google says extra words in the name can get the profile suspended.
- The primary category is the most specific one that fits, with only a few additional categories. My guide to Google Business Profile categories covers how to choose.
- Address or service area is set the right way. Storefront address if customers visit, or a hidden address and named service areas if you travel to them.
- Phone number reaches your business, and it’s the same number on your website.
- Website link goes to your own site, not a social page or a landing page that sends people elsewhere. Google’s guidelines rule those out.
- Hours are current, with special hours for holidays.
- Services are filled in, using the editor’s suggestions where they fit and custom services for the rest.
- The description says what you do, where and for whom, inside Google’s 750-character limit, with no links. Google’s editing help page sets the limit and says to focus on the business, not promotions.
- Photos are real. Your storefront or vehicles, your people and your finished work.
- No duplicate profiles. Google allows one profile per business, and a duplicate won’t show on Search or Maps.
If your profile is already suspended, stop here and read my guide on a suspended Google Business Profile first.
Website items on the local SEO checklist
Your website is where customers go after the profile, and where the links that build prominence land. This is what I check:
- One page for each main service, written in the words customers search with, so each service has something to rank.
- Town pages only for towns where you can say something true, not fifty copies with the name swapped.
- Name, address and phone number match the profile exactly, in the footer and on the contact page.
- A tap-to-call button near the top on phones.
- Page titles and main headings name the service and the place.
- The site loads fast on a phone.
- Schema markup is in place, the code that tells Google your business name, address and phone number.
- The profile links to the right page, and the site backs up what the profile says.
Listings, reviews and links that back up a local business
Listings
- The big directories match your profile, then the directories for your trade. One name, one phone number, written the same way everywhere.
- Old listings with an old number or address are fixed or closed.
Reviews
- A short review link you can text or email after every job. Google’s review tips suggest a link or QR code.
- No rewards for reviews. Google says offering free or discounted goods or services for them is strictly prohibited.
- Every review gets a reply, polite, short and specific, with no sales pitch.
Links
- Local sites that already know you link to you: your chamber, suppliers, associations, sponsorships and local news. Google says prominence is partly based on how many websites link to your business.
Why these three groups matter for the map is in my guide on how to rank higher on Google Maps, so I won’t repeat it here.
Tracking the results so you can see what changed
A checklist without tracking is a list of chores. This is what I set up so you can see what changed:
- Business Profile performance. Google’s performance report shows calls from the call button, website clicks, direction requests, the search terms people used to find you and profile views. It’s only available for verified profiles.
- Google Search Console on your website, for the searches that bring people to the site.
- Rankings checked from the towns you serve, not only from your own office, for the searches you and I agreed matter.
- Calls and form leads counted and compared with the month before.
Questions to settle before you start on the checklist
What if I find problems on my profile that I didn't cause?
It happens a lot. An old employee may have set it up, or a previous marketing company may have stuffed the name with keywords. Fix them anyway, because Google applies the guidelines to the profile, not to whoever made the change.
Change one thing at a time where you can, and keep a note of what you changed and when. Google’s editing help page says it reviews changes before they go live, and that changing your name after verification might mean verifying again. If a fix gets rejected, Google has a separate process for appealing content and profile restrictions. If there’s a second profile someone else created, use Google’s duplicate and ownership steps rather than making a third.
What if I work from home and don't want my address on the profile?
Then you’re a service-area business in Google’s terms, and that’s allowed. Google’s guidelines say a service-area business should have one profile with a designated service area, and should hide its address from customers. You set the area by naming cities, ZIP codes or other areas, up to 20 of them, not as a radius around your house.
Two things to watch. Don’t swap your home for a rented mailbox or virtual office to get a storefront address, since Google says a location you don’t operate from isn’t eligible. And keep the area realistic. Google’s guidelines say it shouldn’t reach farther than about two hours of driving from where you’re based.
Should I hire someone or work through the checklist myself?
If your profile is the main gap and your site is in decent shape, you can work through the profile section yourself, or pay for a one-time Google Business Profile optimization for $400 and keep up the reviews and photos after.
If the website section is mostly unchecked, or you’re in a crowded market where reviews, pages and links have to keep coming, that’s ongoing work. My local SEO cost guide explains what changes the price. Either way, get the profile right first, because nothing else on this list helps much while it’s wrong.
Pick the section of this checklist with the most empty boxes and start there. If you’d rather hand it off, see my local SEO page and send me your website address and profile link, and I’ll tell you which boxes I’d check first.