Google Business Profile optimization checklist (2026)

The checklist at a glance

Your Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps. Open it next to this list and go line by line. The details for each item are below.

Verification, name and categories

Verify first. Google says verification shows you're authorized to represent the business and makes it more likely to appear in results (Google). Before you verify you can edit only some basics, and photos appear on your profile only after verification.

Use your real-world name. Google's guidelines say your name should match what's on your storefront, website and stationery. Leave out taglines, locations, service descriptions, phone numbers and web addresses. "Rivera Plumbing" is right. "Rivera Plumbing, 24/7 Emergency Plumber Phoenix" can get the profile suspended.

Pick the most specific primary category. Google's category help says to choose the most specific option ("Nail salon" rather than "Salon"), confirms that categories affect your local ranking, and notes that some categories come with extra features, like booking buttons for health and beauty businesses.

• Pick one primary category that says what you are: "Plumber", "Electrician", "Roofing contractor", "Dentist".
• Add a few additional categories only for real lines of work. An HVAC company might use "HVAC contractor" as the primary and add "Air conditioning repair service".
• Use Google's test: the category should finish the sentence "This business IS a", not "This business HAS a".
• Change categories rarely. Google says a category change may require you to verify again.

Service area, hours, phone and website

• Service area. If customers don't come to you, remove your address and set a service area. Google allows up to 20 areas by city or ZIP code (no radius), within about 2 hours' drive of your base (Google). List the places you really serve.
• Address. Show it only if customers visit and there's permanent signage. P.O. boxes, remote mailboxes and virtual offices aren't eligible.
• Hours. Enter the hours customers can actually reach you. Whitespark's 2026 survey of local search experts ranks being open at the time of the search fifth among map pack factors. Don't list hours you don't keep.
• Special hours. Set them before holidays and events so nobody calls a dead line or drives to a locked door. If you close for a season, Google's guidelines say to mark the business temporarily closed during the off-season.
• Phone. Use a local number that rings your business and is under your direct control. Google doesn't allow premium-rate numbers or numbers that send callers somewhere other than your business. If you use call tracking, Whitespark recommends making the tracking number primary and your main number an additional number.
• Website. Link your own website. Google's guidelines say the link should represent your business and not redirect people elsewhere. Make sure the page you link names your main service and city in its title and headline: Whitespark's experts rank keywords in that page's title among the top factors for the regular local results.

Services, description and products

• Services. Use the services editor. Google suggests services by business type ("Install faucet" or "Repair toilet" for a plumber), and you can add custom ones with a price and short description. Google says a service may be highlighted on your profile when someone searches for it, and Maps shows your services in their own section. Keep names clean: Google rejects custom services with prices, phone numbers or gibberish in the name.
• Description. Say what you do, who you serve and where, in plain words. Google's guidelines say to use it for useful information about your services and products, not to focus on promotions or prices, and that no links of any kind are allowed. The field holds 750 characters, per BrightLocal.
• Products. If your profile shows a products section, use it only for things you actually sell. Google's guidelines don't allow regulated products, such as alcohol, tobacco, gambling, financial services and medical devices, in product listings.

Photos, videos and posts

Photos. Google's photo tips ask for at least three photos in each type that fits your business, such as photos at work, team photos and exterior shots, in focus and well lit. Google says "the image should represent reality" and to avoid significant alterations and heavy filters or AI. Use JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB; Google recommends 720 by 720 pixels.

• Your team and your trucks, with everyone's permission.
• Before and after shots of real jobs, taken from the same angle.
• Finished work up close: the new panel, the clean drain line, the roof edge.
• Your shop or office, if customers visit.

Posts. Google offers three kinds of post: updates, offers and events (Google). They show in the updates or "From the owner" part of your profile, and posts older than 6 months are archived unless you set a date range. Post real things: a finished job, a seasonal reminder, an offer with dates. Google reviews each post, and a post with a phone number Google can't tie to your business may be rejected.

Reviews and replies

Reviews help you rank and help you win the call. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. BrightLocal's 2026 consumer survey found 97% of consumers read reviews, 68% require at least 4 stars and 74% want reviews from the last three months.

• Ask every customer. Google suggests sharing a review link or QR code (Google). Send it right after the job and follow up once.
• Never gate or pay. Google's content policy bans discouraging negative reviews, selectively asking for positive ones, and offering payment or discounts for reviews. A profile caught with fake reviews can be blocked from new reviews and show customers a warning (Google).
• Reply to every review. Replies are public and show as coming from your business. Google says helpful replies show you're responsive. Thank people, mention the job, and answer complaints calmly with a way to reach you.
• Flag reviews that break the rules. Google lets you report reviews that violate its policies. Report them; don't argue in public.

GrowLevel's review management asks every customer by email with a follow-up, a share link and a QR code, with no filtering by how happy they were.

What changed: Q&A, chat and booking

• Q&A is gone. Google discontinued its Q&A API on November 3, 2025, saying it was updating the Q&A experience (Google). By January 2026, Whitespark reported that classic Q&A no longer appears on profiles, and that many US profiles in the Google Maps app show an "Ask a question" feature with AI answers drawn from reviews, websites and other sources. Owners can't post or answer there, so put the answers on your website and in your services.
• Chat and call history ended. Google turned off Business Profile chat and call history on July 31, 2024 (Google). Customers reach you through your phone number, and eligible accounts can let customers text or use WhatsApp from the profile.
• Booking depends on your category and region. Google says some categories get booking buttons, such as health and beauty businesses, and in some regions customers can book through Reserve with Google. If your profile offers booking, make sure it lands on your real schedule.

Keep it current every month

A profile isn't a one-time setup. Google can update your profile itself if it gets reports that your information is wrong, and it notifies you when it does (Google). A short monthly check keeps it accurate:

1. Look for Google-made changes or notifications and correct anything wrong.
2. Confirm your hours, and set special hours for upcoming holidays.
3. Add new photos from recent jobs.
4. Reply to any review you haven't answered.
5. Add any service you've started offering.
6. Check your map rank for your main search and compare it with last month.

Or hand it off. GrowLevel's Google Business Profile management keeps your profile complete and accurate, answers every review within 24 hours and posts two to three times a week. For what to do once the profile is in shape, see how to rank in the Google Maps 3-pack.