The Google Business Profile checklist

For most local businesses, the Google Business Profile brings in more calls than the website. Most profiles we audit are missing at least ten of the items below, and the first sections are where the biggest gains are.

Set up and verify

• Use your real business name, exactly as on your signage.Adding keywords or suburbs to the name breaks Google's guidelines and is a common reason for suspension.
• Choose storefront or service area correctly.If customers do not come to you, hide the address and list the suburbs or regions you serve instead.
• One profile per real location.Separate profiles only for places with their own address, staff and opening hours. Virtual offices get suspended.
• Verify the profile and keep the owner login safe.Use a business Google account you control, and add your agency as a manager, never as owner.

Categories and services

• Primary category: the most specific match for your main money service.This one choice decides most of the searches you appear for. "Plumber" beats "Contractor"; "Emergency plumber" may beat "Plumber" if that is most of your work.
• Add every secondary category that is genuinely true.Look at the categories your top three map competitors use for ideas, but only add what you really do.
• List every service, with a short description.Google matches searches like "hot water repair" to the services you list.
• Add products if you sell packages or set-price jobs.A photo, a name and a from-price each.

Business details

• A phone number that is answered.The same number as on your website. A missed call from the map is usually a lost job.
• Link to the right page, with tracking.Link to your homepage or location page, adding ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp so GA4 shows what the profile brings in.
• Accurate opening hours, including public holidays.Set special hours before each holiday. Wrong hours lose bookings and earn bad reviews.
• Write the business description.Up to 750 characters: what you do, where, and for whom. No links, prices or promotions.
• Fill in every attribute that applies.Accessibility, payment options, online appointments, and anything else Google offers for your category.
• Add a booking or quote link if you have one.Send it straight to the booking page, not the homepage.

Photos and video

• Upload a clear logo and cover photo.
• Add real photos of your work, team, vehicles and premises.Profiles with plenty of real photos get more calls and direction requests. Stock images do not help.
• Add new photos every month.Before and after shots of recent jobs are ideal, and show Google the profile is active.
• Add short videos.Ten to thirty seconds of a job, your team or your workshop.

Reviews

• Ask every happy customer, at the moment the job is done.Send the direct review link from your profile's "Ask for reviews" button by SMS.
• Aim for a steady flow, not a burst.A few reviews every month beats twenty in a week and then nothing.
• Reply to every review within a few days.Thank the good ones. Answer the bad ones calmly, offline if needed. Future customers read the replies.
• Never buy reviews or offer anything in return.It breaks Google's policies and Australian consumer law, and Google removes them.
• Health practitioners: do not republish reviews.Ahpra's advertising rules ban testimonials in your own advertising, including your website.

Posts and updates

• Post every week or two.Recent jobs, offers, seasonal tips and news. Each post adds fresh content and a photo.
• Use the call to action button."Call now" or "Get a quote" on every post.
• Check your profile monthly for edits you did not make.Anyone can suggest changes to your profile, and Google sometimes accepts them.

Your website and citations

• Same name, address and phone everywhere.Your website, the profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yellow Pages, True Local, Hotfrog and your industry directories should match exactly.
• LocalBusiness schema on your website.Structured data that tells Google and AI tools the same details as your profile.
• A page for each main service and area.The profile ranks better when the website behind it has a useful page for what is being searched.
• Embed the Google map on your contact page.

Track what it brings in

• Check the Performance report every month.Calls, website clicks, direction requests and the searches that showed your profile.
• Track profile visits and enquiries in GA4.The tracking link above shows the profile as its own source.
• Ask new customers how they found you.Map pack leads often call without ever visiting your website.

Want us to check yours? The free SEO and AI audit includes your Google Business Profile against the businesses that beat you in the map.

Common questions