For local service businesses, the Google Business Profile often brings in more calls than the website itself. The good news is that most of what matters is free and within your control. Work through this checklist once, then keep up the monthly items.
Get the basics right
- Use your real business name. Exactly as it appears on your signage, paperwork and website. Don't add keywords or towns to it.
- Pick the most specific primary category. It's one of the strongest signals for which searches you show up in. Add a few accurate secondary categories.
- Match your name, address and phone everywhere. The same details on your website, profile and directory listings help Google trust the listing.
- List your services. Add each service you offer, with a short description, so you can match more specific searches.
- Write a clear description. You get up to 750 characters. Say what you do, who you serve and where. Skip links, prices and promotions.
- Set accurate hours, including holidays. Wrong hours are one of the fastest ways to lose a customer's trust.
- Add real photos. Your team, your work, your vehicles. Real photos outperform stock images.
- Link to the right page. Point the website link to your homepage or the most relevant location page.
Service-area businesses
If you travel to customers and don't serve them at your address, set up the profile as a service-area business and hide your street address. Then list the towns or regions you actually serve. Google expects businesses on Maps to deal with customers in person, so a purely online business may not qualify.
Reviews
- Ask every happy customer. A short text or email with a direct review link, sent right after the job, works best.
- Reply to every review. Thank people for good ones. Answer bad ones calmly and offer to fix the problem offline.
- Never pay or reward people for reviews. Discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews break Google's rules and can get reviews removed.
- Don't review your own business, or ask staff and family to.
Monthly upkeep
- Post an update, offer or recent project at least twice a month.
- Add new photos of recent work.
- Answer any questions posted on the profile.
- Check that hours, phone and services are still correct.
- Review the profile's performance numbers: calls, direction requests and website clicks.
Mistakes that get profiles suspended
- Keyword-stuffing the business name, such as adding "Best Plumber Lowell" to it.
- Using a virtual office or mailbox as your address.
- Creating more than one profile for the same location.
- Frequent major edits to name, address or category in a short period.
Want help with any of this? Our Local Visibility package covers profile management, reviews and citations, or start with a free visibility check.
This guide is general information for small business owners, not legal, tax or security advice. Platform rules, including Google's, change often; check the official documentation before acting. Steadline Digital sells the services described here.