Your Google Business Profile is not a one-time setup

A lot of businesses set up their Google Business Profile once, feel good about it and never look at it again. A year later the calls slow down and Google doesn’t tell you why. Nothing broke. The profile just fell out of date.

Your profile needs regular upkeep. Knowing how to audit a Google Business Profile helps you catch problems before a competitor with a fresher profile gets the call.

The short version

Your category, services, photos, reviews and basic details all tell Google something about you, and they go stale if nobody touches them. Check the profile every few months. Make sure the category and services are right, add new photos, keep up with reviews, and check that the details match your website.

Why profiles drift

It happens slowly. Maybe the main category was picked without much thought, a new service never got added, and the photos are from the week you opened. Maybe the last few reviews never got a reply. Meanwhile Google keeps changing how it ranks local results, and your competitors keep posting and answering their reviews.

When you drop in the map results there’s usually a reason, and the profile is the easiest place to look for it.

How to audit a Google Business Profile

You don’t need any special tool for a first look, just an hour and an honest eye. Go through it in this order.

1. Primary category and services

The main category is one of the biggest things you control. Make sure it matches what you actually want to be found for. Then check that every service you offer is listed.

2. Name, address, phone, and hours

Make sure these are exact and match your website. If they don’t match, Google and your customers both have reason to wonder. Check your holiday hours while you’re at it.

3. Photos

Look at the dates on your photos. If the newest one is a couple of years old, the profile looks abandoned. Add recent photos of your actual work and your crew, and skip the stock photos.

4. Reviews and responses

Look at how many reviews you’ve gotten lately, not just the total. Are you asking for reviews regularly, or just hoping they show up? Do you reply to the good ones and the bad ones? Be honest with yourself.

5. Website alignment

If the profile lists a service your website never mentions, or the other way around, they’re contradicting each other. Both should list the same services and the same service area.

A simple example

Say a business in Bentonville wonders why it slipped on Google Maps. A quick look turns up a main category that’s too broad, a couple of services that aren’t listed, old photos, and recent reviews with no replies. None of that is a disaster by itself, but together it makes the profile look neglected.

So you fix the category, add the missing services, post some current photos, and start replying and asking for reviews. That’s most of what Google Business Profile optimization comes down to.

What an audit will not promise

It won’t promise you a top spot on the map, and nobody honest will. Where you show up depends on how close the searcher is, how relevant and active your profile is, your reviews, your website, and what your competitors are doing. An audit can show you which of those is weak and what to fix first. If someone guarantees you a placement, walk away.

When you can leave it alone

If your category is right, your services are all listed, your photos are recent, you’re keeping up with reviews and the profile matches your website, you’re in good shape. Put a reminder on the calendar to check it every few months and get back to work.

Having us check your profile

A Local Authority Audit covers the profile plus your website and reviews. You’ll get back a short, written list of what to fix and in what order. Send us a message if you want one.