A 7-Point Google Business Profile Checklist to Outrank Local Competitors

How do you open your Google Business Profile to edit it?

Go to Google while signed in with the email that manages your profile, then type your business name or “my business”. A panel appears where you can manage the profile. Everything below is done from there, mostly under Edit profile, Edit services and Edit products.

Most of this is one-time setup. One client was showing up in the top three for their main search term in only 4% of their service area grid. A couple of months later they were there 99% of the time for the same keyword.

Which business categories should you choose?

Pick the primary category that the businesses already winning your main search are using. For most businesses the choice is obvious. For some there are 10 or 15 possible categories, and that is when it pays to check.

1. Search your main service in your area.
2. Scroll past the ads. Those businesses are paying $10 or $50 per click or call to be there.
3. Look at the map pack, the three local listings under the map.
4. Note the primary category those businesses show.

Then add additional categories for the other work you do. They are broader than services, so there are fewer to choose from, but each one gives Google more context. A pressure washing company that also cleans gutters and windows should add both. You can have up to nine.

Should you put a keyword in your Google business name?

It works, and it is technically against Google’s terms, so do it properly or not at all. A business called Alvarez Power Washing has a big advantage over competitors when someone searches “power washing”.

One client’s grid shows how big. At 12:19 p.m. on December 21 they ranked on the first page 22% of the time across their service area, with an average grid ranking of 5.3. After adding their main keyword to their business name, a search at 1:25 p.m. the same day showed 70% and an average ranking of 2.45.

This is keyword stuffing. Some businesses change the name on Google and nothing happens for years. In competitive markets, such as HVAC in Houston or Atlanta, or injury law, it will probably get changed back. To do it the right way:

• Use the same name, keyword included, on your website, on Yelp and anywhere else your business is listed.
• Add the keyword to the logo on your website. Upload your logo to Canva and put the word, such as “Plumbing”, beneath it.
• Get a DBA that includes the keyword. If Google changes your name and emails you, appeal and submit the DBA as proof.

What business hours should you list on Google?

List hours as long as you can without them looking unnatural. Google wants to return relevant results, so when someone searches at 7:00 p.m. it prefers businesses that say they are open. Most of your customers work 9 to 5 and are often not searching during those hours.

A pressure washer claiming to be open 24 hours a day is likely to have the hours changed by Google. So is a business whose profile says 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. while its website says 9 to 5. Keep the hours the same on your profile, your website, Yelp and every other listing.

Someone should be answering the phone whenever you say you are open. A brick-and-mortar business should list its real hours, because a customer who drives over and finds the door locked may leave a bad review. A service business that wants to take calls after hours and on weekends can list seven days a week, even if the job itself gets done later, and follow up with the lead.

How do services and products help you rank?

Services tell Google exactly what you do, and Google can show them to searchers. Search for a truck accident lawyer and the map pack may show a note that a firm provides that service. That note is called a justification, and it comes from the services on the profile.

Add every relevant service Google suggests, then add custom ones at the bottom. Sometimes Google removes or changes a service. Add it again and it will probably stick.

Products work like service cards with a link. Add one per service with a title, photo, category and a short description, and link it to the page on your website for that service, not to your homepage. Leave the price blank unless you like being upfront about pricing. If you enter zero, it shows as zero. A plain description is fine, so do not stuff it with keywords.

To take it further, create a product for your main service in each area you cover, such as garage floor coatings in each town. That can be 20 or 30 extra products showing Google what you do and where.

What makes a profile complete?

A complete profile shows Google you are a real business, which matters because Google is wary of fake profiles. Add holiday hours, link all of your social media profiles, and upload your own photos of your employees on the job.

Why do reviews still decide who gets the call?

If you have few reviews and are not steadily getting more, everything above is an uphill battle. Depending on who you ask, reviews are about 15 to 20% of your ranking. And when you sit in the top three next to a competitor with 100 more reviews, they look like the more reputable business and get the first call.