The first thing I check when a local business comes to me struggling to be found is their Google Business Profile. In most cases, either it has not been verified, the category is wrong, or they have not touched it since they set it up three years ago. All three are fixable in an afternoon. The challenge is knowing which fixes actually move rankings and which are housekeeping.
Google Business Profile is the single most influential factor in local pack rankings, the map results that appear when someone searches “SEO consultant Bath” or “plumber near me”. It outweighs on-site optimisation, citation volume, and often even review count when it comes to getting into that local 3-pack. Getting it right is not complicated, but most businesses get the important things wrong and spend time on the things that barely matter.
Claim and verify your profile first
An unverified GBP listing is nearly worthless for ranking purposes. Verification tells Google that you are who you say you are and that the address is real. It also unlocks the ability to respond to reviews, post updates, and edit your profile, none of which are available on an unverified listing.
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Subscribe →The most common verification method is a postcard to your business address with a PIN. For service area businesses, tradespeople, consultants, anyone who goes to the client rather than receives them, you set a service area instead of a public address, and verification works the same way. If you have not verified yours, that is the starting point before anything else on this list matters.
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Category selection: this is where most businesses lose
Your primary category is the most important field on your GBP. Google uses it to determine which searches your profile is eligible to appear for. A solicitor listed under “Law Firm” ranks for different searches than one listed under “Family Law Attorney” or “Criminal Justice Attorney”. The specificity of your primary category directly determines the relevance of your appearances.
Choose the most specific primary category that accurately describes your core service. Not what sounds prestigious, what is most precise. If you are an accountant specialising in tax returns, “Tax Preparation Service” will outperform “Accounting Firm” for your target searches.
Secondary categories matter but carry less weight. Add up to three that genuinely describe additional services you offer. Do not pad them, a solicitor adding “Restaurant” as a secondary category because they occasionally do licensing work will not rank for restaurant searches and will dilute their primary category signals.
Business description: what it does and what it does not
The business description appears on your GBP profile and is visible to users but is not used as a direct ranking signal by Google. It is a conversion signal, not a ranking signal. Write it for the person reading your profile after they have found you, not to include keywords that help Google find you.
A good business description explains what you do, who you do it for, and what makes your approach worth considering. Keep it under 250 words. Avoid the obvious stuff, nobody reads “we are passionate about delivering exceptional service” and thinks “that sounds genuine”. Specifics convert better than claims.
Reviews: volume, recency, and how to get them
Review count and average rating are ranking signals in the local pack. More recent reviews carry more weight than older ones, a profile with 12 reviews from the last six months ranks more strongly than one with 40 reviews all from 2021. The algorithm treats review recency as a signal of whether the business is still actively trading and delivering at its rated standard.
The single most effective way to get more reviews is to ask directly, immediately after delivering the service. A personal message, not a mass email, with a direct link to your review page converts at dramatically higher rates than anything automated. Most clients who had a good experience are willing to leave a review if asked personally. Most do not leave one without being asked.
Responding to reviews, all of them, positive and negative, is a trust signal. A negative review with a thoughtful professional response does less damage than a negative review that has been ignored. It also tells Google that the profile is actively managed, which correlates with legitimate businesses.
Photos: how many and what kind
Profiles with photos receive significantly more clicks and direction requests than those without. Google’s own data on this is clear. The minimum worth having is a professional cover photo, a logo, and at least five interior or work-in-progress photos. For a physical premises, add exterior shots showing the building and signage from the street, this reduces “I can’t find it” calls and helps Google associate your address data with a real location.
Stock photos are worse than no photos. Google’s quality raters can identify them and users certainly can. Real photos of your actual premises, team, or work output are always preferable. A mobile phone shot of your actual office is more credible than a stock image of a generic office building.
Posts and the active business signal
GBP posts expire after seven days for most business types. Posting at least once a week tells Google that the profile is actively maintained, and active profiles rank more strongly than dormant ones all else being equal. Posts also appear directly on your profile in search results, giving you additional real estate below your core business information.
Post about things that are actually relevant to your business: service updates, case study summaries, seasonal offers, local events you are involved in. The content matters less than the consistency, a weekly post that takes five minutes is worth more than one elaborate post per quarter.
The mistakes that cost local rankings
Keyword stuffing in your business name is the most common GBP violation I see. “Smith Plumbers, Boiler Repair Bath Bristol” violates Google’s guidelines and creates a suspension risk. Your business name on GBP must match your real-world trading name. The category field is the right place for service keywords, not the name field.
Inconsistent NAP across your website, GBP, and directories is the other major problem. If your address appears as “12 High Street, Bath BA1” on your website but “12 High St Bath BA1 1AA” on Yell, these inconsistencies accumulate as weak verification signals. Your GBP NAP is your canonical reference, everything else should match it exactly.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is the single most important signal for local pack rankings. The completeness of your profile, the accuracy of your category, the recency of your reviews, and whether you are actively posting all influence where you appear in the local pack. A well-maintained GBP profile outweighs most on-site SEO factors for businesses competing for nearby searches.
Choose the most specific primary category that accurately describes your main service. Generic categories like “Business” or “Service Provider” are too broad to rank well. If you are an SEO consultant, use “Search engine optimization agency” not “Marketing agency.” You can add secondary categories for additional services but your primary category carries the most weight.
At least once a week to signal an active business. Posts expire after seven days for most businesses. Consistent posting contributes to the activity signals Google uses when ranking GBP profiles. Use posts to share updates, offers, and new services rather than just promotional content.
Ask directly after delivering a service. The most effective method is a personal follow-up message with a direct link to your Google review page. Generic review request emails convert poorly. Timing matters: ask when the client has just experienced a positive outcome, not weeks later. Never incentivise reviews or ask for positive reviews specifically, both violate Google policy.
Complete every section: business description using natural language with your main service and location, all relevant service categories, your hours including holiday hours, a link to your website, at least ten photos including interior and exterior shots, a list of your specific services with descriptions, and your products if applicable. Incomplete profiles rank below complete ones for equivalent queries.
Not sure how your GBP stacks up against local competitors? SEO Geo Audit runs a free instant check, it pulls your real Google Maps data, review count and photo count in under 30 seconds.
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