Google Business Profile Checklist for 2024

A Google Business Profile helps customers discover and engage with your business on Google to drive website traffic, calls, visits and revenue. It serves as a free hub connecting your brand with nearby searchers to grow your customer base.

Creating an optimized, complete profile is critical for success. Key steps include:

Compliance with Google’s guidelines ensures profile visibility and effectiveness. Putting in effort to regularly maintain your Business Profile results in higher local search rankings, greater trust and credibility, and more conversions.

We always recommend all SMEs to utilize and focus on their Google Business Profile and have consistent content updates. It will be especially useful when Google Map’s Search with Generative AI features is fully rolled out.

A Google Business Profile allows potential customers to discover and engage with your business when searching on Google. It includes your business information and shows up prominently in Google Search and Maps.

An optimized, complete profile drives discovery and conversions by:

• Increasing website clicks, calls, directions requests and foot traffic.
• Building trust and credibility through customer reviews and clear business details.
• Helping you rank higher in local search results to get found by nearby customers.

To create a Google Business Profile, your business needs:

For further detail, can refer to Business eligibility and ownership guidelines – Google Business Profile Help.

• Use your business email, not a personal Google account
• Visit business.google.com to create a new profile
• Try finding your business in the dropdown menu first

• Input your official business name
• Select your primary category and subcategories
• Add your business address for a storefront or service area for a mobile business

Is best to go through All Business Profile policies & guidelines – Google Business Profile Help to understand the policies and guidelines before starting this process.

• Add active phone number and website URL
• Select a verification method to confirm your identity
• Review all information before starting verification

• Pick verification option: phone, email, postcard, etc.
• Follow instructions Google provides
• Process can take up to 7 days

• Add or claim profile first
• Options include phone, text, email or video
• Might need to try multiple methods

• Gets reviewed periodically to confirm accuracy
• Takes up to 7 days to process
• Notification sent when completed
• Try another method if initial one fails

Verification confirms you manage the business listed in the profile. Common methods include:

• Postcard: Mailed postcards verify address accuracy for improved locality targeting.
• Phone call: Automated calls ensure you control the listed phone number.
• Email: Email verification checks the address belongs to your business.
• Search Console: Links website you already verified in Search Console.
• Bulk verification: Efficiently validates ownership of multiple locations.

• Use a clear, keyword-rich profile name.
  Helps you get found for relevant searches related to your products/services.
• Accurately place map marker at storefront or service area center.
  Precise placement drives in-person visits. Incorrect markers frustrate visitors.
• List business hours accurately.
  Incorrect timings lead to poor visitor experiences if closed unexpectedly.
• Select 1 primary and up to 9 secondary categories.
  Ensures visibility for appropriate searches. Too many categories dilute relevance.
• Provide granular services and descriptions.
  Custom services tailored to unique offerings help attract ideal customers.

We highly recommended going through Guidelines for representing your business on Google – Google Business Profile Help.

Making sure that your business profile is properly comply to the guideline and not risk getting banned or removed. It will be very damaging to your business in term of:

1. Visitor unable to verify your business existence.
2. All your previous good rating and testimonials are being lost.

Refer to Prohibited & restricted content – Maps User Contributed Content Policy Help (google.com) to avoid the risk of getting your Google’s Business Profile banned or removed.

• Link website URL.
  Drives visitors to your site for more info and conversion opportunities.
• Incorporate social media pages.
  Builds authenticity and brand awareness.
• Feature location or service-specific landing pages.
  Showcases offerings/locations to drive targeted traffic.

• Proactively request positive reviews.
  Counteracts negative feedback to build credibility. Respond professionally to critical reviews.
• Reply to reviews within 24 hours.
  Shows you value customer opinions and address concerns promptly.

• High-quality, relevant visual content.
  Previews offerings to establish authenticity. Low-quality media appears unprofessional.
• Showcase exterior and interior.
  Helps visitors understand facilities, layout and offerings before visiting.
• Frequently update cover photo.
  Fresh photos make profiles more attractive to revisit.

• Share engaging posts about business updates, offers and events.
  Attracts and informs customers.
• Respond quickly to messages.
  Fosters positive interactions with engaged prospects.

• Leverage Google Maps features like posts and Q&A.
  Increases visibility and customer engagement.
• Carefully select niche and precise profile categories.
  Improves visibility for specific product/service searches.
• Monitor and respond to customer questions.
  Positions you as an authoritative information source.

• Identify and remove spam reviews or content.
  Fake positive feedback undermines trust. Report and delete spam quickly.
• Follow Google Business Profile guidelines.
  Violations risk profile suspension. Study and comply with policies.
• Promptly update stale or incorrect information.
  Outdated details about offerings, hours, contact info, etc. frustrate visitors.

• Track key metrics like calls, directions, website clicks.
  Quantifies engagement to optimize successful areas and improve problematic ones.
• Tailor profile based on customer feedback and behavior.
  Use insights to add services and information that better serves demand.

• Cross-promote profile on website and social channels.
  Increases visibility and positions brand across customer touchpoints.
• Publish blogs/videos to drive traffic to profile.
  Useful, engaging content brings visitors from external channels.
• Showcase niche or unique offerings.
  Attracts buyer interest in specialized products or services leading to conversions.

It’s free! Google does not charge to create or update Business Profiles. The only potential costs are if you want to run Google Ads.

No, you can create a profile listing even without a website. However, having a website allows you to link it to your profile so visitors can easily get more info.

Check that your business name, address and categories are accurately listed. Also thoroughly complete all other info fields like hours, services etc. to increase findability.

It usually takes 24-48 hours for updates to fully reflect. Some changes show immediately while others take up to 2 days.

Verification confirms you legitimately represent the business and improves trust. It also enhances locality targeting to drive nearby customer traffic. 

Responding professionally, even to negative reviews, demonstrates you value customer feedback. Unanswered reviews undermine credibility and perceived responsiveness.

To increase your profile’s visibility, focus on optimizing your listing with relevant keywords, accurate business information, and compelling descriptions. Encourage customers to leave reviews and make sure to respond to them promptly.

Actively update your profile at least 1-2 times per month with new posts, photos etc. Additionally, respond to questions and reviews as they come in.

If you suspect competitors posting fake reviews, flag them through the review tool. Provide factual evidence like the reviewers having no purchase history. As a last resort, reporting alleged reviewer identities to Google can get their accounts suspended. 

Avoid cramming keywords as it violates Google’s quality guidelines. However, naturally working relevant terms into your name where it sounds natural is fine. Focus on clear, accurate business names.

Yes, home-based businesses can list a residence address in their profile. However, you can choose to display only the city and province vs. showing your full street address for privacy reasons. Set accurate location markers regardless of address visibility.

For home kitchens preparing food, set the marker on your actual home location to comply with regulations. Ensure you have any required local permits and licenses to operate from a residential kitchen.