For most local businesses, the Google Business Profile does more for local search visibility than the website does. It's also the thing most businesses only half fill out. Here's the full checklist.
Business info
- Name, address, and phone number match exactly what's on your website and other listings (inconsistent NAP data quietly hurts local ranking).
- Primary category is the most accurate match for what you actually are, not the broadest one.
- Secondary categories cover the other real things you offer.
- Business description is written for customers, not keyword-stuffed.
Hours and details
- Regular hours are correct and kept current.
- Special hours are set ahead of holidays and closures — this alone prevents a lot of frustrated "they were closed?!" reviews.
- Attributes are filled in accurately: outdoor seating, wheelchair accessible, delivery, Wi-Fi, whatever applies.
Photos
- A clear logo and a real cover photo — not a stock image.
- Interior and exterior shots, so people know what to expect before they arrive.
- Product or menu photos, updated as things change.
- New photos added regularly — profiles with fresh photos get noticeably more engagement than static ones.
Posts and activity
Google Posts (offers, updates, events) signal an active, maintained profile, and inactive profiles tend to fade in local ranking over time. Posting consistently is the hard part — this is one of the reasons an Instagram-to-Google auto-posting setup, like the one in Honest Reviews, is worth having: whatever you post on Instagram goes to your Google profile too, without extra work.
Reviews
- Every review gets a reply — positive and negative.
- Replies go out within a day or two, not weeks later.
- You're actively collecting new reviews, not just reacting to the ones that show up on their own. See how to get more Google reviews.
Messaging and Q&A
- Messaging is turned on and actually monitored.
- The Q&A section is checked periodically — anyone can post a "question," including competitors, and unanswered wrong answers stay visible.
Website and booking links
- Website link is current.
- Booking or ordering links are set up if applicable — fewer steps between "found you on Google" and "made a booking" means more conversions.