Google Business Profile Management
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing local customers see. We optimize your listing, manage posts and reviews, and keep your information accurate so you show up when it counts.
The Best Place to List your Business Online
Complete Your Google Business Profile
Business Reviews with Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile Posts Designed for Social Sharing
Posting with Google Business Profile is a relatively new feature for businesses. This is probably one of the most powerful features available within Google Business Profile, however, this feature requires updating on a regular basis. The Google Business Profile post feature works similarly to posting on Facebook’s Business Pages, Twitter, Instagram and other popular social marketing outlets.
Absolutely every business that deals with the local community should be listed on Google Business Profile. Be sure to check back regularly to update posts, business hours, contact information and other valuable features this powerful marketing outlet has to offer.
It Is Called Google Business Profile Now
Google retired the "Google My Business" name and now calls the product Google Business Profile. The branded management app went away with it, and most of the work you used to do inside that app now happens directly in Google Search and Maps when you are signed in as the owner. The listing itself did not change, and plenty of people still call it GMB, but if you are searching for help and finding instructions that do not match what is on your screen, the naming change is usually why.
What Actually Moves the Needle on a Local Listing
A Business Profile is one of the few marketing assets that costs nothing, appears above the ordinary search results, and is routinely left half-finished. The items below are ordered by how much difference they tend to make relative to the effort involved.
Categories, chosen precisely
Your primary category does more to determine which searches you appear in than almost anything else on the profile. Choosing something broad because it sounds more impressive is a common and costly mistake. Pick the category that describes what you actually do, then add secondary categories for genuine additional services rather than aspirational ones.
Name, address and phone that match your website exactly
Google cross-references your listing details against your website and other places your business appears online. Small inconsistencies — "Suite 4" in one place and "Ste. 4" in another, or a different phone number on the contact page than on the listing — make it harder for Google to be confident the two records describe the same business. Pick one canonical version of your details and use it everywhere.
Reviews, and replies to them
Reviews influence both what Google shows and what a person decides once they see it. The part businesses neglect is the reply. A calm, specific response to a critical review is read by every prospective customer who scrolls past it, and it tends to say more about how you operate than the complaint itself does. Reply to the positive ones too, briefly. Never offer anything in exchange for a review — Google prohibits it and the listing is what gets penalized.
Photos that look like the actual business
Stock photography is obvious and it undercuts the credibility the rest of the listing is building. Real photos of the premises, the team and the work perform better, and adding new ones periodically is a signal of an active business.
Services, hours and holiday hours
The services list gives Google more terms to match against and gives the customer an answer without a phone call. Holiday hours are worth setting in advance, because "hours might differ" appearing next to your listing on a day somebody wants to visit sends them to a competitor whose hours are confirmed.
How We Manage Your Business Profile
- 1
Claim and verify
We handle claiming the listing, or recovering one somebody else created, and see the verification process through.
- 2
Complete every field
Categories, services, attributes, hours, description and photos, checked against your website so the details agree.
- 3
Set up review handling
A straightforward way to ask satisfied customers, and a plan for responding to criticism that does not require you to write it while annoyed.
- 4
Keep it current
Posts, seasonal hours and new photos on a regular cycle, plus watching for unauthorized edits to your listing details.
Google Business Profile: Common Questions
Can I have a Google Business Profile without a storefront?
Yes. If you travel to customers, you can set up a service-area business and define the areas you cover without displaying a street address publicly. You still need a valid address for verification, but it stays hidden. Businesses that serve customers only online, with no in-person contact at all, do not qualify.
How long does verification take?
It depends on the method Google offers you, which varies by business type and location. Video verification and phone verification can complete within days; postcard verification takes longer because it depends on the mail. Google decides which options you are given, and the timeline is not something any agency controls.
Can I remove a bad review?
Only if it violates Google's policies — spam, an obvious conflict of interest, hate speech, or a review clearly left for a different business. You can flag those and Google will assess them, though the process is slow and the outcome is not guaranteed. A review that is simply negative but honest will stay, and the productive response is a good public reply plus enough genuine positive reviews that one bad experience is visibly not the pattern.
Does having a Business Profile help my website rank?
They are ranked separately. Your listing competes in the local map results and your website competes in the ordinary organic results, and a strong profile does not directly lift your web pages. What it does is occupy more of the screen for searches near you and give people a second route to reach you, and the two reinforce each other when the details match. See our search engine optimization services for the website side.
Somebody else claimed my listing. What now?
This happens more than people expect, usually a former marketing agency or an employee who set it up on a personal account and left. Google has a process for requesting ownership of a listing you can prove belongs to you. It takes patience and documentation, and it is something we handle regularly — call (305) 812-5999 and describe the situation.
What Business Profile Management Costs
A first-time setup and a listing recovery are very different jobs, and ongoing management depends on how often you want posts and photos refreshed. We scope it to what your business actually needs rather than selling a fixed package.
- Setup and optimization — one time. Claim, verify, complete every field and align the details with your website.
- Listing recovery — one time. Reclaiming a profile currently controlled by a former agency or employee.
- Ongoing management — monthly. Posts, photos, review responses and watching for unauthorized edits to your listing.
Quotes are free. The profile is registered to your business and remains yours.
Ready to Improve Your Local Listing?
Tell us where your customers are and we will get your Google Business Profile filled out and consistent with your site. Prefer to talk it through? Call (305) 812-5999.
Related SEO Tools
Your Business Profile is one of the SEO tools we set up and manage. See also Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner and Yoast SEO. Return to our full search engine optimization services overview.