Google Business Profile optimization
A free check for local business owners that shows what to fix on your Google listing to optimize it, and how your reviews compare with places nearby. The full check takes about three minutes with a free account. No account? Use the checklist below.
Type your business name.
Check your profile yourself.
What Google's help says a complete profile has. Tick what yours has. It runs in your browser, and nothing is sent.
opens Google's help for that item
You need to verify before you can change your name or hours, or reply to customers.
Use your name as it is on your storefront, with nothing added, like a slogan or your hours. Give the exact address or service area, and a phone number that reaches this location.
Give the hours you're open to customers, and special hours for holidays or events. If you only work by appointment, Google asks you not to list hours.
Pick "Nail salon" over "Salon" if that's what you are. Google says your categories affect where you rank locally.
Details like Wi-Fi, outdoor seating or how customers can pay. Google says they can help you show up in searches for places that have them.
A reply shows the customer you value what they said, and Google lets them know you replied.
Google says a photo of the outside helps customers recognize you when they arrive. Photos show only once your profile is verified.
Enter its full address, with https://. Some kinds of business can also add links for orders, reservations or appointments.
What you offer, what makes you special and how long you've been in business, in up to 750 characters. No links, and no prices or sales.
Food and drink places can list menu items with prices, and some other kinds of business their services. Not every profile has this.
How do I optimize my Google Business Profile?
Start with what Google says it ranks local results on: relevance, distance and prominence. Fill in every field that applies, from your categories and hours to your website, and keep them matching your own site and the other places that list you. Add photos, keep your hours right on holidays, ask customers for reviews and reply to them. The checklist below goes through what Google's help says a complete profile has. To have your listing audited for you, type your business name above.
More reviews start with a QR code that opens the form, which the Google review QR code generator makes, and the website grader checks the site your listing points to. Read what a Google Business Profile holds, and how to rank higher on Google Maps.
Questions about Google Business Profile optimization.
Is the Google Business Profile optimization check free?
Yes. The checklist is free and needs no account. The full check is the free scan, which is free with a PlacePilot account. No card needed.
What does the full check look at?
Whether Google finds your listing, whether its categories say what you are, and whether it shows your website, opening hours and rating. Then your rating and how many reviews you have, and whether your name, address and phone match where you're listed elsewhere. Your nearest competitors' ratings and review counts sit beside yours. It reads a Google listing, so your business needs one, and it checks your name, address and phone only when it finds two or more other places that list you.
Does it change my profile?
No. Nothing here signs in to your profile. The report says which field to fix, and you make the change in your Business Profile.
Why can't I edit my profile?
You may need to verify it first. Google says some businesses have to verify before they can change any of their details.
How long do my changes take to show?
Google reviews edits before they go live. For attributes and review replies, its help says that usually takes about 10 minutes, and sometimes up to 30 days.
Will a complete profile put me first on Maps?
Nobody can promise that. Google ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Complete details help it match you to searches, and more reviews and good ratings help too.
Is what I tick sent anywhere?
No. The checklist runs in your browser, and your ticks are kept on this device only.
Let the scan check your listing.
Type your business name. In about three minutes you see your Google listing and reviews next to businesses nearby, with what to fix first. The scan also builds a first website from your listing. Free, no card.
Try it free