Most of the local search problems we get called about trace back to the same thing. The profile was set up in twenty minutes, half the fields are empty, and nobody has touched it since.
That profile is often the first thing a customer sees when they search for what you do. Before your website. Before your reviews anywhere else. A complete, accurate, verified profile is what puts you in local results and on the map. An incomplete one leaves you sitting behind competitors who filled everything in.
Here is where setups go wrong most often.
Category. Your primary category is one of the strongest signals on the profile, and people tend to pick the one that sounds most impressive instead of the one that describes the business. If you are not sure which to use, search Google Maps for the terms your customers use and look at what the top five listings selected.
Empty fields. Services and hours affect visibility directly, so skipping them costs you. So does posting hours you do not keep. When someone searches after you close, businesses that are open can appear above you.
Ownership. Set the profile up under an account the business controls, not an employee’s personal Gmail. We have watched too many companies lose access to their own listing because the person who set it up moved on.
Verification. Google uses video verification now. Do not edit anything while it is pending. Changes can reset the process and you start over.
Photos. Real photography, added over time, not twelve stock images uploaded once. Profiles with photos get more direction requests and more website clicks. This is one of the easier wins available to you.
Get the full checklist
We put the whole setup into a checklist you can print or hand to whoever is doing the work. Eligibility rules, account setup, claiming the listing, categories, service areas, hours, description, photos, verification, and what to do once you are live. [Download it here.]
If you would rather not do any of this yourself, that is what we do. Cogo Interactive sets up, verifies, optimizes, and manages Google Business Profiles for businesses across Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Call (703) 885-8406 or email peg@cogointeractive.com.
