Why Your Google Business Profile Matters
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most powerful free marketing tools available to local businesses. When someone searches for a business or service near them, Google displays the Local Pack — a map with three business listings prominently featured above organic search results. Appearing in this Local Pack can dramatically increase your visibility, phone calls, website visits, and foot traffic. Yet many businesses either have not claimed their profile or are not optimizing it effectively.
Claiming and Verifying Your Profile
The first step is claiming your Google Business Profile at business.google.com. If your business is already listed, you can claim it. If not, you can create a new listing. Google will verify your ownership, typically by sending a postcard with a verification code to your business address. Once verified, you have full control over your business information, photos, posts, and more.
Optimizing Your Business Information
Complete every field in your profile. Your business name should match your real-world name exactly. Your address must be accurate and consistent with other online listings. Your phone number should be a local number. Choose the most relevant primary category and add all applicable secondary categories. Write a compelling business description that includes relevant keywords naturally. Add your website URL, hours of operation, and any special attributes that apply to your business.
Photos and Visual Content
Businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their websites than businesses without photos. Upload high-quality photos of your storefront (exterior and interior), products, services, team members, and happy customers. Add new photos regularly — Google favors active, updated profiles. Consider adding a virtual tour using Google Street View for an immersive experience.
Google Posts
Google Posts allow you to share updates, offers, events, and content directly on your Business Profile. These posts appear in your listing and can include images, text, and call-to-action buttons. Post regularly (at least weekly) with relevant content that encourages engagement. Posts about special offers, new products or services, upcoming events, and helpful tips tend to perform best.
Managing Reviews
Reviews are critical for both local SEO rankings and customer trust. Businesses with more high-quality reviews rank higher in local search results and are more likely to be chosen by potential customers. Develop a systematic approach to asking satisfied customers for reviews. Respond to every review — thank positive reviewers and address negative reviews professionally and constructively. Never buy fake reviews — Google can detect them and will penalize your listing.
Q&A Section
The Questions and Answers section on your profile allows anyone to ask questions about your business. Monitor this section regularly and provide helpful, accurate answers. You can also proactively add frequently asked questions and answers to control the narrative and provide useful information to potential customers before they even ask.
Tracking Performance
Google provides insights on how customers find your profile, what actions they take (calls, directions, website visits), and how your photos compare to similar businesses. Review these insights monthly to understand what is working and where you can improve. Track trends over time to measure the impact of your optimization efforts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common GBP mistakes include inconsistent business information across the web, ignoring reviews, using a generic business description, not posting regularly, having few or low-quality photos, choosing incorrect categories, and not monitoring the Q&A section. Avoiding these mistakes gives you a significant advantage over competitors who are not optimizing their profiles.
Resources
- Google Business Profile Help Center — official setup and optimization guide
- BrightLocal Research — local SEO and review statistics
Need expert help optimizing your local presence? See our Orange County SEO services or read our Local SEO Guide for Southern California.
