Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a local customer sees, before your website, and sometimes instead of it. Here's the checklist I work through for every local client.
1. The basics (get these exactly right)
- Verified and owned by the business, not an agency's personal account
- Business name matches your real signage and branding. No keyword stuffing; it breaks Google's guidelines and competitors can report it
- Address or service area set correctly (service-area businesses should hide the address)
- Local phone number that matches your website exactly
- Website link pointing to the right page, with UTM tags so you can track it in GA4
- Opening hours plus holiday hours
2. Categories (the biggest quick win)
- The most specific primary category that fits (for example "Cosmetic dentist" vs. just "Dentist", depending on your main focus)
- All secondary categories that honestly apply
- Compare against the top three competitors for your main keyword and add any relevant categories you're missing
In my Lawrenceville case study, closing category gaps was one of the first steps that moved rankings.
3. Services and products
- Every service added, with a short, natural description
- Product cards for key services or packages, with photos
- Wording that matches how customers actually search
For one dental client, I added 20 services and 8 product cards. It helps Google match the profile to more searches, and it helps customers see what you offer at a glance.
4. Description
- A natural description of up to 750 characters
- Mentions your main services and the area you serve
- Written for people first, with no keyword lists
5. Photos and videos
- Logo and cover photo
- Real photos of the exterior (helps people find you), interior, team and work
- New photos added every month
- No stock photos
6. Posts
- At least one post a week: offers, updates, events, tips
- Each post links to a relevant page on your site
- Posts for nearby towns you want to reach
A steady posting rhythm shows Google the business is active. For one client I ran a 15-post series in a month, three posts a week.
7. Reviews
- A simple review link or QR code for happy customers
- A review request built into your follow-up (SMS or email)
- Reply to every review, positive and negative, ideally within 48 hours
- Replies are specific and natural, mentioning the service where it fits
- Never buy reviews or offer incentives for them
8. Citations and consistency
- Name, address and phone identical on every directory
- Core listings: Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Yelp, Facebook, BBB
- Industry directories for your field
- Old addresses and duplicates found and fixed at the source (for US healthcare, check the NPI record; see my recovery case study)
9. Website support
- A contact page with an embedded map
- LocalBusiness schema with matching details (here's my schema guide)
- Click-to-call on mobile
- A page for each main service
10. Tracking
- Monthly check of calls, direction requests and website clicks in the profile
- Geo-grid rank tracking for your main keywords
- GA4 and Search Console connected
- One simple monthly report
Common mistakes I see
- Keyword-stuffed business names
- Only one category set
- No posts for months
- Unanswered reviews
- Different phone numbers on the website and the profile
Want me to run this checklist on your profile? Request a free audit.
Want results like these for your business?
Send me your website and Google Business Profile. I'll reply with a free audit and the three to five changes I'd make first.