How to Audit a Google My Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is your most powerful tool for attracting local customers, acting as a digital storefront, a map marker, and a source of social proof all in one. But just having a profile isn't enough, it needs to be optimized, accurate, and active to beat your competition. This guide walks you through a complete, step-by-step audit of your Google Business Profile to find gaps, fix errors, and turn your listing into a customer-generating machine.

Start with the Foundation: Auditing Your Core Business Information

This is the most critical part of your audit. Incorrect or inconsistent core information confuses both Google and potential customers, directly hurting your ability to rank in local searches. Get these details right before moving on to anything else.

1. Check Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) for Consistency

Your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be identical across your GBP, your website, and any other online directories like Yelp or Facebook. Inconsistency creates doubt for Google's algorithm, which can suppress your listing in search results.

• Name: Is your business name listed exactly as it appears on your physical storefront? Steer clear of adding keywords or location names to your business name (e.g., "Main Street Cafe - Best Coffee in Town"). This is against Google's guidelines and can get your profile penalized.
• Address: Is the address precise, down to the suite number? If you're a service-area business without a physical storefront, is your address correctly hidden to avoid having customers show up at your home? Does the pin on Google Maps drop in the correct location?
• Phone Number: Is it the right primary phone number? Ideally, use a local number instead of a toll-free 800 number to reinforce your local presence.

2. Review Your Categories

Categories tell Google what your business is. Choosing the most accurate and specific categories is essential for appearing in relevant searches like "italian restaurant near me" or "emergency plumber."

• Primary Category: This is the most important one. It should describe your business as a whole in the most specific way possible. Instead of "Restaurant," choose "Italian Restaurant." Instead of "Consultant," pick "Marketing Consultant."
• Secondary Categories: You can add several secondary categories to describe other aspects of your business. That "Italian Restaurant" might also add "Pizzeria" and "Catering" to capture related searches. Check your competitors' profiles to see what categories they're using for inspiration.

3. Define Your Service Area and Hours

Make it easy for customers to know when and where they can find you.

• Hours of Operation: Are your standard opening and closing times correct for every day of the week? Pay special attention to Holiday Hours. A business listed as "Open" on a public holiday when it's actually closed creates a terrible customer experience. Mark special hours ahead of time.
• Service Area (for SABs): If your business travels to customers (like a plumber or house cleaner), define your service area. Instead of just one city, list specific neighborhoods, zip codes, or surrounding towns you serve. This helps you appear in searches from customers in those exact locations.

Audit Your Visual Identity: Photos and Videos

People buy with their eyes. A profile with few, low-quality, or outdated images feels untrustworthy. Your photos and videos are your first - and often only - chance to make a strong visual impression.

Go to the "Photos" tab on your public-facing GBP. What do you see? Now, evaluate it against this checklist:

• Logo & Cover Photo: Do you have a high-resolution logo uploaded? Is your cover photo a compelling, high-quality image that best represents your brand (e.g., a beautiful shot of your restaurant's interior or your team in action)?
• Photo Quantity and Quality: A good rule of thumb is to have at least 10 photos in every category. The photos should be clear, well-lit, and professional-looking (even if taken with a smartphone).
• Photo Categories: Check that you have recent photos in key categories.
  • Exterior: Help customers recognize your business from the street. Have at least 3 shots from different angles and times of day.
  • Interior: Show off the ambiance and what it's like to be inside. At least 3 shots.
  • Product/Service: Showcase what you sell or the results of your work.
  • Team/At Work: Put a face to the name and build trust. Photos of your team helping customers are powerful.
• Videos: Are you using video? Upload a 10-30 second video that gives a behind-the-scenes look, a brief tour, or a customer testimonial. Videos make your profile dynamic and help you stand out.
• Customer Photos: Review photos uploaded by customers. If any are unflattering or outdated, consider if they are an issue. While you can't delete them directly, you can flag non-relevant or policy-violating images for removal. The best defense is to consistently upload your own great photos to push the others down.

Evaluate Your Content and SEO Elements

Beyond the basics, your profile contains several fields where you can add descriptive content. This is your chance to directly communicate your value proposition and target important keywords.

1. Is Your Business Description Compelling?

You have 750 characters for your business description. A good audit checks a few things:

• Is it filled out? An empty description is a huge missed opportunity.
• Does it lead with what matters? The first ~250 characters are visible before a user has to click "more," so put your most important message first.
• Does it include relevant keywords? Naturally weave in terms that your customers would use to search for you. Talk about what separates you from the competition. What do you do best?
• Does it have a call to action? A simple "visit our website for more information" or "call us for a free estimate" can prompt action.

2. Are You Using Products and Services?

The "Products" and "Services" features allow you to create a detailed catalog of what you offer, right within your profile.

• For E-commerce/Retail: Are your key products listed with high-quality photos, accurate prices, and compelling descriptions? Link them directly to the product pages on your website.
• For Service-Based Businesses: Don't just list a service name, create an entry for each service with a full description of what's included and its benefits. This is a great place to answer common questions and include keywords.

If these sections are empty, you're missing out on valuable space to inform customers and rank for service-specific queries.

3. Are You Leveraging Google Posts?

Google Posts are like mini-updates that appear on your profile, perfect for sharing promotions, events, news, or offers. Check your "Updates" section. A profile with no recent posts looks dormant.

• Frequency: Are you posting consistently? Aim for at least once a week to keep your profile looking fresh and active.
• Content Quality: Do your posts include engaging images or videos? Is the copy clear and direct?
• Call-to-Action (CTA): Is each post using a relevant CTA button ("Learn More," "Call Now," "Book") to drive a specific action?

Check Your Social Proof: Reviews and Q&A

What others say about you carries more weight than what you say about yourself. Your reviews and user-generated questions are front and center on your profile, making them a deciding factor for many customers.

1. What's Your Review Strategy?

Look at your overall rating and the number of reviews.

• Overall Rating: Is it above 4.0 stars? If it's lower, drill down into your negative reviews to identify common themes or issues that need to be addressed in your business operations.
• Review Quantity: How many reviews do you have compared to your top 3 competitors? A higher number of reviews builds more trust. If you are lagging, you need a plan to proactively ask satisfied customers for reviews.
• Review Recency: When was your last review? A steady stream of new reviews shows that your business is active and currently earning positive feedback.
• Response Rate: Are you responding to reviews? You should be responding to all of them - both positive and negative. Thanking happy customers reinforces their good experience, while publicly addressing negative feedback shows you care and are working to resolve issues.

2. Audit and Manage Your Q&A Section

Anyone can ask a question on your GBP, and anyone can answer it. This can be great, but it can also lead to misinformation.

• Check for Unanswered Questions: Are there any sitting there without a response? Answer them promptly and accurately from your business account.
• Check for Incorrect Answers: Has a customer provided a wrong answer to a question? Upvote the correct answers you've given to keep them at the top.
• Pre-load FAQs: Proactively add your own common questions and answer them yourself. Think of things like "Do you have parking?", "Are you pet-friendly?", or "Do you offer free quotes?" to save your customers time.

Final Polish: Auditing Attributes, Links, and Messaging

These finishing touches help provide customers with detailed information that can influence their decision-making.

• Attributes: These let you share specific details, like "Woman-owned," "Wheelchair accessible entrance," "Free Wi-Fi," or "Outdoor seating." Go through the list and check all that apply. These can help you show up in filtered searches.
• Links: Do all your links work? Test your website URL, appointment-booking link, and menu link (if applicable). A broken link is a dead end for a potential customer.
• Messaging: Have you enabled the messaging feature? If so, are you responding to messages quickly? Google tracks your response time, and a slow response can hurt the customer experience. If you can't commit to monitoring it, it's better to turn it off.

Final Thoughts

Conducting a Google Business Profile audit isn't just a technical SEO task, it's a fundamental business health check. Regularly going through this process ensures your digital storefront accurately reflects your business, builds trust with customers, and gives you the best possible chance to be seen by the people in your community who are searching for exactly what you offer.

Keeping up with all your content - from weekly Posts on Google to daily updates on Instagram and TikTok - can turn into a full-time job. To make it more manageable, we built Postbase as a central place to plan and schedule all your social media content. Having one simple, visual calendar for every platform helps you maintain a consistent brand presence and engage with your audience everywhere, all without the chaos of constantly switching between apps.