Google Business Profile optimisation checklist

Google's guidance is explicit: categories should describe the business itself, not act as a list of keywords or every service offered. Choose the most specific legitimate primary category, then add only useful secondary categories that genuinely represent the business.

A category should complete the sentence 'This business IS a…'. Services belong in service fields and website content, not in a long list of loosely related categories.

Category choices can materially affect which local searches the profile is relevant for, so review them when the business model changes or Google introduces more precise options.

Add services that are genuinely offered and use clear customer language. Where attributes are available for the category, complete the ones that accurately describe accessibility, facilities, payment options or other useful facts.

The business description should explain what the company does, who it serves and what is distinctive without turning into a keyword list. Avoid unsupported superlatives, fake awards or city stuffing.

The same service terminology should also appear naturally on the website so Google and users see a consistent relationship between the Business Profile and the linked pages. For help connecting an eligible profile with useful website pages, our local SEO support covers business information, citations, reviews and local landing pages.

Ask genuine customers for honest feedback and make the request easy to complete. Do not offer incentives for positive reviews or create reviews from staff, family or fabricated accounts.

Respond professionally to both positive and negative reviews. Google notes that helpful responses show that a business values customer feedback, and active review management also gives prospective customers more context.

Do not obsess over inserting keywords into replies. Write for the customer and address the actual experience.

Track calls, website visits, direction requests and other available Business Profile interactions, then connect website sessions to enquiries or sales in analytics/CRM where possible.

Use Search Console and local landing-page data alongside profile performance. A business can gain more map visibility but still fail commercially if the landing page is weak or calls are not answered.

For multi-location businesses, measure by location rather than aggregating everything into one total.

Common problems include keyword stuffing the business name, using virtual offices or ineligible addresses, adding irrelevant categories, letting hours become outdated, creating duplicate profiles, buying reviews, leaving important profile fields blank and linking every location to the same generic page when better location-specific pages exist.

These shortcuts create policy risk and often make the profile less useful to customers. Accuracy and real-world representation should come before optimisation tactics.