The Google Business Profile checklist most shops fail
30 August 2026 · 5 min read
Before collecting more reviews, make sure the profile they land on is doing its job. These are the checks that change how often you appear.
The basics that get missed
Open your profile and go down this list:
- Primary category matches what you mostly do, not what you aspire to
- Secondary categories cover the rest, without padding
- Opening hours are right, including holidays — wrong hours cost visits and reviews
- Phone number is the one that actually rings, not a diverted line
- Website points at a live page, not a parked domain
- The address is exactly as it appears on your signage and bills
The parts that persuade
Photos dated this year, showing the inside, the outside and the staff. Services or products listed with prices. A description written for customers rather than for search engines. Profiles with recent photos get noticeably more calls than ones with three grainy images from 2019.
Duplicates: the silent killer
Search your business name and check that only one listing exists. Duplicates split your reviews between profiles and confuse Maps about which one is real. Report duplicates through your profile and have them merged before you start collecting.
Questions, answered
- How often should I update the profile?
- Photos monthly, hours whenever they change, everything else when something changes. Dormant profiles look closed.
- Do Posts on the profile help?
- They give returning searchers something current to read. They are worth a few minutes a week, not a strategy.
