4 min read
For a local business, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees. It shows up in Google Maps and in the map results at the top of a search, usually before any website. It is free, and it brings in calls, direction requests and website visits.
Most profiles are set up once and then left alone, with missing details nobody notices. Use this checklist to find the gaps in yours. Each item takes minutes to fix.
Before you start: claim and verify
Search for your business name on Google. If a profile already exists, claim it rather than creating a second one, because duplicate profiles split your reviews and can get both suspended. Google will ask you to verify that you own the business, usually by phone, a video walkthrough or a postcard.
If you work from home or travel to your customers, set the profile up as a service-area business. You can hide your street address and show the suburbs you cover instead. Trades, mobile services and home-based businesses do this all the time.
The checklist
1. Your business name is your real name
Use the name on your signage, invoices and registration. Adding keywords such as “Best Plumber Rouse Hill” to the name is against Google’s guidelines and is one of the most common reasons profiles get suspended.
2. Your main category is as specific as possible
The primary category has a big influence on which searches you appear in. Pick the most specific one that fits, such as “Kitchen remodeler” rather than “Contractor”, then add extra categories for the other things you do.
3. Your service areas are suburbs you actually serve
You can add up to 20 service areas. List the suburbs and regions you really travel to, starting with the ones you most want work from. Adding all of Sydney does not help you rank across all of Sydney.
4. Your hours are right, including public holidays
Wrong hours cost you trust fast. Set special hours for public holidays and Christmas closures so customers do not turn up, or call, when you are closed.
5. Your description uses your customers’ words
You get up to 750 characters. Say what you do, where you do it and who you do it for, in plain language. Write it the way customers search, not the way your industry talks.
6. Your services are listed, with prices where you can
The services section is often left empty. List each main service with a short description. If you can show a starting price, do it. It filters out poor-fit enquiries and builds trust before anyone calls.
7. Your photos are real, and recent
Photos are one of the parts of a profile people actually look at. Upload 10 to 15 real photos to start: your team, vehicles, premises and finished work. Skip stock images. Then add new photos every month or two.
8. Your website link goes to the right page
Link to the page that best matches what people find you for. For most businesses that is the home page, but a business with a page for its main suburb or service may do better linking there. Make sure the page loads fast on a phone.
9. You have a review link, and you use it
Reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals, and they are what customers compare. Get your short review link from the profile and send it to every happy customer by text or email. Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly.
10. You post updates
Updates and offers show customers, and Google, that the business is active. A short post with a photo of a recent job every week or two is enough.
11. Your details match everywhere else
Your business name, phone number and website should be exactly the same on your profile, your website and every directory you are listed in. Mismatched details make Google less confident about which information is right.
Do not stop at Google. Bing Places and Apple Business Connect are free too, and most of your competitors have never touched them. Apple’s listings feed Apple Maps and Siri on every iPhone, and Bing powers search on many Windows computers. Once your Google profile is right, copy the same details across.
Mistakes that can get a profile suspended
- Keywords in the business name. Covered above, and the most common one.
- Virtual offices and PO boxes. The address has to be a real place where you work or meet customers. If you do not have one, set up as a service-area business.
- More than one profile for the same business. One business, one location, one profile.
- Buying or swapping reviews. Google removes them and can restrict your profile. Asking real customers works better anyway.
How long does it take to see results?
Fixing the basics can make a difference within a few weeks, especially if your profile was missing categories, services or photos. Ranking in the top three map results in a competitive suburb takes longer, and usually comes down to reviews, activity and a website that backs up what the profile says.
If you would rather hand this over, our Google Business Profile setup covers everything on this list. Not sure where you stand? Start with a free audit, or read how website SEO works alongside your profile.