When I audit a Google Business Profile that’s not ranking very well, I notice some common mistakes. Features are left out or not done correctly, such as:
- Services are products not added
- Attributes not entered
- Very few photos added, or none at all
- Wrong primary category and no additional categories
Here is the Google Business Profile checklist I use for clients
- Strategic Business Name – Keyword + City for business name. Example: ABC Plumbing Austin.
- Physical Address – A business address beats a service area business 90% of the time. Use SAB only if you are truly a mobile only business.
- Service Area Business Set Up – Only list 5-10 cities where you want to rank. The more cities you list the more diluted your ranking becomes.
- Primary Category + Other Categories – Audit your top competitors. If your top competitors use a broad main category (Plumber, Lawyer, Restaurant) use a more specific category (Emergency Plumber, Personal Injury Attorney, Chinese Restaurant).
- Primary Category Selection Checklist:
- Is it the most specific category that describes your core service?
- Is it what top competitors are using?
- Does it match what customers actually search for?
- 100% Profile Completion – Profile completeness is a ranking factor.
- Primary category + 2-6 additional categories
- All applicable attributes: From the business, Accessibility, Amenities, Children, Crowd, Parking, Planning, Service options
- 750-character business description with keyword
- Opening date
- Phone number: use a local number, not a toll-free number
- Website home page
- Social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, Tiktoc, YouTube, X, LinkedIn)
- Business Hours: set your real business hours. Don’t list 24 hrs. if no one is answering the phone 24/7
- Every service you offer (from website) listed
- Price range for each service (if applicable)
- Logo
- Cover photo
- 30 photos minimum (exterior, interior, team, work examples)
- Products/Menu (Services can also be products)
- Use 4 Product Categories to get the enhancement. Under those 4 put your services. Image size: 400×300
- Put all your Services from the website under the Primary Category
- Q & A section (not a big ranking factor anymore)
- Booking button or appointment link
- Messaging enabled
7. Services Section - Title: Service + city + State (example: Water Heater Replacement El Paso TX)
- Description: Include your primary city and the keyword for the service.
- Talk about your surrounding cities and neighborhoods and landmarks in your area.
- Use the same service terms on the website and GBP
- Product Section: include services in this section and links to your service pages.
- Product File Names: Include service name + city + description
- Profile Images: studies show that top ranking sites have at least 250 photos.
- Google Posts
- Pick top 3-4 keywords/GBP categories to write about
Every post needs:
- high-quality image
- 200-250 words with your target keywords
- Call-to-action button (call, book, learn more)
- Business name, address, website, email (optional)
- Reviews
- Ask for a review within 24-48 hours
- In person, ask “if you’re happy with our work on [service] would you please leave us a review?”
- Send a direct review link
- Polite follow up after 4 days if no review posted.
- Give a positive review response with the specific service mentioned and the location (city + neighborhood), phone number and a call-to-action.
- Use Google Posts to Drive Traffic to Your Website
- Target a specific service (water heater repair)
- Include location keywords (city and neighborhood mentions)
- Link to a specific service page, not just the home page
- Include a naked link or the Learn More button to add a link
- After 3 weeks of having a new GBP with an optimized website, check your rankings with geo-grid ranking software.
- Audit top competitors for changes in their GBP twice a month. Check competitors’ rankings every 2 weeks. If a competitor moved past you, see what they changed in their GBP that moved them up.
If you follow this checklist, you will be well on your way to outranking your competitors.
