Google Business Profile Checklist: 20 Things to Fix Today

By the Oski Marketing team · Updated 5 October 2026 · 6 min read

To optimise a Google Business Profile, make sure you own it, then fix the fields Google uses to match you to searches: real business name, one specific primary category, accurate hours, service area, services, description, photos and reviews. All 20 checks below come from Google's own help pages and take an afternoon.

Why does your Google Business Profile matter so much?

Your Business Profile is what appears in the map results and on the right-hand side of Google when people search for your name, and it is free. Google's local ranking page says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results, and that relevance, distance and prominence decide the order. The profile also feeds Google's AI answers, so mistakes there spread.

Before you start, a word on things that have changed. Google switched off Business Profile chat on 31 July 2024. More recently it has been replacing the public Questions and Answers section on Maps with an AI "Ask" feature that answers from your profile and reviews, according to PPC Land's report of Google's announcement. Check what your own profile shows rather than following old advice about either feature.

Ownership and basics (checks 1 to 5)

Start with who controls the profile, because everything else depends on it.

1. You are the primary owner. Not a past web designer, not an agency. Agencies should have manager access only. Our guide on who should own your Google profile explains how to check.
2. The profile is verified. Photos and many edits won't appear until it is.
3. The business name matches your signage. Google's guidelines ban marketing taglines, phone numbers, service or location information and fully capitalised words in the name.
4. One local phone number. Google says to use a local number instead of a central call centre where possible, and not to use numbers that redirect to someone else.
5. The website link goes to your own site, ideally the most relevant page, not a lead platform or a social profile.

Categories, area and hours (checks 6 to 10)

These fields decide which searches you can appear for at all.

6. Primary category is as specific as possible. "Electrician" beats "Contractor". Google says categories should complete the sentence "This business IS a", not "this business HAS a".
7. Few additional categories. Google says to use as few as possible. Only add ones that describe what the business genuinely is.
8. Address shown only if customers visit. Service-area businesses should hide the address and set a service area, which Google says shouldn't extend beyond about two hours' drive from your base.
9. Regular hours are your real customer-facing hours. If you answer the phone until 8pm, say so. If you don't, don't.
10. Special hours set for bank holidays and Christmas. The edit page lets you add special hours and extra hours for things like phone lines or deliveries.

Services, description and attributes (checks 11 to 14)

These fields tell Google and customers what you actually do.

11. Services list filled in, one entry per real service, with a short description. Google's services help page warns that custom service names containing prices or phone numbers are rejected automatically.
12. Description written for customers, up to 750 characters: what you do, where, and what makes you different. No links.
13. Attributes ticked where true. Google's examples include factual details like Wi-Fi or parking. Which attributes you see depends on your category.
14. Opening date set (month and year), which the edit page lets you add.

Here is the difference a description makes. A heating engineer in Croydon starts with: "Professional, reliable service. No job too small. Call now!" That tells a customer nothing they couldn't assume. The rewrite reads: "Boiler servicing, repairs and replacements for homes in Croydon, Sutton and Purley. We fit and service gas boilers, repair central heating and power-flush radiators. Evening appointments on weekdays. Written quotes before any work starts." Same length roughly, but now it names services, places and something useful about how the business works, which is exactly what Google, AI answers and a homeowner with a cold house are looking for.

Photos and posts (checks 15 to 17)

Real photos of real work build trust faster than anything you can write.

15. Logo and cover photo uploaded and clear on a phone screen.
16. At least a few real job, team or premises photos. Google's photo guidelines ask for JPG or PNG between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommend 720 by 720 pixels, and want images in focus, well lit and without heavy filters. Videos can be up to 30 seconds.
17. A recent post. Updates, offers and events are the three post types. Google's posts page says posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set, so one a month is plenty.

Reviews and checking (checks 18 to 20)

Reviews feed prominence, and replies show customers you are paying attention.

18. Review link saved and in use. Google's reviews tips page suggests sharing a link or QR code, and says offering incentives for reviews is strictly prohibited. See our guide to getting more Google reviews.
19. Every review has a reply, short, polite and personal, with no customer details.
20. Test the profile like a customer. Search your business on a phone, tap Call, tap Website, tap Directions. Each one should work first time. Then do it again at 9pm, when nobody is there to answer, and see exactly what a customer gets.

A reply to a five-star review only needs two lines: "Thanks, Sarah, glad the new radiators are keeping the back bedroom warm. Give us a shout when the boiler service is due." It is personal, it mentions the actual job, and it doesn't add anything private.

Quick reference: what to fix first

What to do this week

1. Open your profile and check you are listed as primary owner under the people and access settings.
2. Fix the primary category and remove any category that isn't what you actually are.
3. Add special hours for the next bank holiday.
4. Upload five real photos from recent jobs taken on your phone in daylight.
5. Reply to every review from the last three months.

Oski Marketing manages Business Profiles as part of our SEO work, always with manager access only, so the profile stays yours.