It all started with a client audit in Reda

A few weeks ago I was auditing a Google Business Profile for a company from Reda. The owner was convinced everything was sorted. After all - the listing exists, the address is correct, the phone works. What could possibly be wrong?

Well... almost everything. No service descriptions, no opening hours (!) seriously, a business that doesn't say when it's open, photos from 2021, zero responses to reviews, and the category set to "business" instead of something specific.

The result? The Google listing was showing up 12 times a month. Twelve. A competitor next door, with a better filled profile? 800+ views. Same industry, same city.

Why a Google Business Profile audit makes sense

Complete Google Business Profiles get 7x more clicks than incomplete ones (Google data). And 70% more in-store visits. These aren't small differences.

And 76% of people who search for something "near me" visit a business within 24 hours. Your listing is often the first (and only) contact a customer has with your business before they call or show up.

The problem? Most business owners set up their listing once and forget about it for years. But Google evaluates it constantly.

Google Business Profile audit checklist - 10 things to check

1. Business name

Must be exactly the same as on your sign and in your documents. No "Best Pizza in Town" or keyword stuffing. Google penalizes this, including suspending your listing.

2. Primary and additional categories

The primary category accounts for ~32% of your visibility in maps. "Business" is not a category. "Web design" is a category. You can add up to 9 additional categories. Use them.

3. Address and service area

Your address must be consistent with your website, Facebook, and all business directories. One typo, a different postal code format - and AI loses trust in your data.

4. Opening hours

Hours must be current. Don't forget holidays and special days. Nothing irritates a customer more than arriving at a closed business that "according to Google" should be open.

5. Business description

You have 750 characters. Use them wisely. Write what you do, where you operate, and why someone should choose you. No keyword spam - but with keywords woven in naturally.

6. Services and products

The "Services" and "Products" sections are extra space for keywords and offer descriptions. Each service can have a description up to 1000 characters. Most businesses ignore this - which is a massive waste of potential.

7. Photos

Minimum: logo photo, exterior photo, interior photo, team/work photos. Phone photos from 2020 don't impress. Profiles with regularly added photos get 35% more clicks to the website.

8. Reviews and responses

It's not just about the number of reviews. It's about regularity (new reviews every week/month), responding to every review (both positive and negative) and freshness. 50 reviews from 3 years ago are worth less than 15 reviews from the last quarter.

9. Posts on your listing

Google lets you publish posts (offers, updates, events) directly on your listing. Businesses that post 2-3 times a week have 34% higher engagement. Most businesses don't post at all.

10. Attributes and Q&A

Attributes (Wi-Fi, parking, card payments, accessibility) help match your listing to queries. The Q&A section is additional content that Google uses for ranking. You can ask and answer questions yourself.

How to check your listing for free?

Fastest way? Go to our free Google position audit on our website. Enter your business name and in 30 seconds you'll see your position on the map.

And if you want to check whether your site is visible not just in Google but also in AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini), we have a new tool: free GEO audit . It checks schema, llms.txt, AI crawler access and gives you a score.

What's next after the audit?

An audit is a diagnosis, not a cure. If the result concerns you (and for most local businesses it should), you have two options:

Option 1: do it yourself. This post gives you the checklist. Log into Google Business Profile and fix things point by point. You can do it - it's not rocket science.

Option 2: hand it off to someone who does this daily. I offer Google Business Profile optimization as a service. I live in Rumia, I know the local market, I know what works in the Tri-City area. I can handle it for you from A to Z.

No pressure. Start with the audit and judge for yourself whether it's worth tackling :)