HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE.
How do you optimize a Google Business Profile? Verify it, fill in every section with complete and accurate details, add real photos and videos, and reply to your reviews. Those are the steps Google's own help page lists for improving local ranking,1 and this Conqueror Capital guide turns them into a checklist you can work through in order.
Below: the checklist first, then the right categories, services, photos, videos and posts, following what Google's own help pages say today, including a feature Google has retired.
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THE CHECKLIST
Is your profile verified?
Google says verifying tells it you're authorized to represent the business, so the profile is more likely to show up in search results.1 Not verified yet? Start with Business Profile setup.
Is there only one profile for your business?
Google's guidelines say there should be only one profile per business; duplicates can cause problems with how your information shows on Maps and Search.2
Does the name match your signage?
Use your real-world name, as it appears on your storefront, website and stationery, with no added keywords.2 The table below lists what Google rejects.
Is your primary category the most specific fit?
Google asks for the fewest categories it takes to describe your core business.2 Pick the exact trade, then add extras only for things you really are.3
Are your address or service area, hours and phone right?
Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results.1 Set special hours for holidays and short closures so your regular hours stay correct.9 Service-area business? List only the towns you actually serve: see service-area pages.
Have you added your services and attributes?
List each real service if your category supports it.4 Attributes, such as accessibility features or payment options, show on Search and Maps, and Google says adding certain attributes can help you show up in searches for places with those features.10
Does the description say what you do, for whom, and where?
Plain words, no links, and no focus on promotions or prices.2
Do your photos and videos show your real work?
Real jobs, team, storefront and vehicles, in focus and not heavily filtered.6 File sizes and formats are in the table below.
Are you posting real updates, offers and events?
Posts older than 6 months are archived unless they have a date range, so keep something current.7 More in posts and photos.
Are you asking for reviews and replying to them?
Google says replying shows customers you value their feedback, and that helpful replies can help your business stand out.1 Replies are checked against Google's content policies before they post.11 See how to get more Google reviews.
Does your website back up the profile?
Google counts how many websites link to your business as part of prominence.1 Show the same name, address and phone on your site as on the profile, and link the two. No site yet? See our website plan.
Still not showing on Google Maps?
Work through why your business is not showing on Google Maps, or let us handle the profile as part of local SEO.
WHAT CHANGED RECENTLY
- Google discontinued the Business Profile Q&A API — Tools can no longer post answers to your profile for you.
- Google Search profile badges — Who qualifies, and why most local businesses do not.
This guide covers what stays true. The blog tracks the changes as they land.
WHAT GOOGLE RANKS ON
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence.1 Relevance is how well a profile matches what someone searched for; distance is how far the business is from the searcher; prominence is how well-known the business is, including links to its website and its review count and ratings.1 Google also says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.1
You can't move your location closer to searchers, so optimizing is about relevance (complete, accurate details) and prominence (real reviews and a strong website). This guide assumes you already have an eligible, verified profile. If not, start with Business Profile setup.
THE OPTIMIZATION TABLE
| Section | What Google says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | Should be your real-world name, with no keywords, taglines, hours, phone numbers or location details [2] | Match your signage exactly. Keyword-stuffed names break the guidelines |
| Primary category | Pick the one that best describes the business, and a specific one from the list [3] | Choose the most specific fit, for example the exact trade rather than a general one |
| Additional categories | Don't add a category for every product or service; use a few [3] | Add only categories for things you really are, like a bakery inside a grocery store [3] |
| Services | Available for certain categories; custom services with prices or phone numbers in the name are rejected [4] | List each real service, with a plain description |
| Description | No links, and no focus on promotions, prices or sales [2] | Say what you do, who for and where, in plain words |
| Service area | Up to 20 areas, by city or postal code, within about 2 hours' drive of your base [5] | List the towns you actually serve. See service-area pages |
| Photos | JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, 720 × 720 px recommended, in focus and without heavy filters [6] | Real photos of your work, team, storefront and vehicles |
| Videos | Up to 30 seconds, up to 75 MB, 720p or higher [6] | Short clips of real jobs or the space |
| Posts | Updates, offers and events; posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set [7] | Post real news and offers; schedule or repeat them |
Google changes these pages often. Check each linked help page before making big edits.
POSTS AND PHOTOS
- Pick the right post type. Updates can include a description, photo, video and button; offers need a title and dates and can include a coupon code and terms; events need a title and start and end times.7
- Leave phone numbers out of posts. Google says posts containing phone numbers might get rejected.7
- Use scheduling. Google lets you schedule a post or set it to repeat, and publish to one or several profiles.7
- Show reality. Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and not heavily altered.6 Stock photos of someone else's work mislead customers.
RETIRED: Q&A
Many older checklists tell you to seed the Questions and Answers section. Google discontinued the My Business Q&A API on November 3, 2025, saying it was updating the Q&A functionality and user experience.8 If you relied on Q&A, put those answers on your website and in your services and description instead, and check your profile for what Google shows today.
FAQ
Will adding keywords to my business name help?
It breaks Google's guidelines, which say names shouldn't include keywords.2 It can also lead to a suspension.
How often should I post?
Google doesn't set a number. It does archive posts older than 6 months unless they have a date range,7 so post whenever you have real news, and keep at least something current.
Do reviews matter for ranking?
Google lists review count and ratings as part of prominence.1 Earn them honestly. See how to get more Google reviews.
Can you manage my profile?
Yes, if your business is eligible. It's part of our local SEO work, with the profile kept in your name.
Prefer a short checklist? Read Google Business Profile checklist: 20 minutes to a complete profile on our free small business guides site.
SOURCES
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your business category.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your services on your Business Profile.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your service areas for service-area and hybrid businesses.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile photos and videos.
- Google Business Profile Help, Create and manage posts on your Business Profile.
- Google for Developers, Q&A API change log.
- Google Business Profile Help, How to set special hours.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your business attributes.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage customer reviews.
KEEP READING
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