Most local businesses claim their Google Business Profile, fill in the basics, and never look at it again. Meanwhile it's doing the heavy lifting: showing up in the map pack, answering “are they open?”, and giving a first impression that decides whether someone calls you or the shop down the road. Here are the seven mistakes we fix most often.
1. The wrong primary category
The primary category is the strongest signal on your profile, and businesses routinely pick one that's too broad or just wrong. A “med spa” listed as “spa,” a “personal injury lawyer” listed as “lawyer.” Choose the most specific category that describes your core service, then use secondary categories for everything else you offer. This one change can move you up the map on its own.
2. Incomplete information
Every empty field is a search you can't match and a question a customer has to go elsewhere to answer. Fill in hours (including holiday hours), phone, website, services with descriptions, attributes (wheelchair access, parking, “women-owned”), and your opening date. Complete profiles rank better and convert better.
3. Ignoring reviews — especially the bad ones
Not replying to reviews is a missed trust signal; not replying to a negative review is worse. Prospective customers read how you handle criticism far more closely than they read your praise. Reply to everything, calmly and specifically. A thoughtful response to a one-star review has won more customers than a hundred silent five-stars.
People don't expect you to be perfect. They expect you to be responsive. A profile with replies on every review reads as a business that's paying attention.
4. Letting the profile go stale
A profile with no new photos, no posts, and no recent activity signals a business that may not even be operating. Add a few photos each month, post the occasional update or offer, and keep your hours current. Freshness is a signal to Google and reassurance to customers.
5. No photos, or bad ones
Profiles with real, current photos get significantly more clicks, calls, and direction requests. Stock imagery and blurry phone shots don't cut it. Show the storefront, the team, the actual work. If customers can picture themselves there, they're far likelier to come in.
6. Inconsistent name, address, and phone
If your profile says one thing and your website, Yelp, or an old directory says another, Google trusts all of it less — and your ranking suffers. Keep your name, address, and phone identical everywhere, down to the abbreviations. Don't stuff keywords into your business name, either; using a name that isn't your real signage is against Google's guidelines and can get you suspended.
7. Not using the Q&A and messaging features
Anyone can post a question on your profile — and anyone can answer it, including a competitor or a confused stranger. Seed your own frequently-asked questions with accurate answers, monitor for new ones, and turn on messaging only if you can reply quickly. An unanswered message or a wrong crowd-sourced answer is a customer lost.
- Set the most specific primary category.
- Complete every field, including services and attributes.
- Reply to all reviews within a few days.
- Add photos and a post at least monthly.
- Make your name, address, and phone identical everywhere.
- Seed and monitor the Q&A section.