Seventeen checks you can do yourself in one sitting. Mark each one Done, Needs fix, or Not sure. When you finish, keep the sheet, or send it to me and I will do the free fix-up and a free rank check for you. Print it or fill it in on screen.
Business name:
Date of this check: Who filled it in:
Before you start: sign in to the Google account that owns the profile and open the profile manager. Can't find the login, or does a former employee or agency hold it? Go to item 16 first.
Check: the name on the profile matches the real name on your signage, invoices, and website. No added city, trade, or slogan.
Why: Google's guidelines for representing your business do not allow extra keywords in the name. A stuffed name can be edited by Google or get the profile suspended.
Name on signage:
Name on the profile:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: the single most specific category for your main service. "Plumber," not "Contractor." Then look up the primary category each of the top three competitors in your map area uses.
Why: the primary category tells Google which searches you belong in. The free Map Pack Check recording shows yours next to the top three.
My primary category:
Competitor 1 primary category: Competitor 2:
Competitor 3 primary category:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: every additional category describes a service you actually sell. Remove the rest. Google caps how many you can add, so look up the current limit in Google Help instead of guessing.
Current limit per Google Help: Categories on the profile now:
Categories to remove:
Categories to add:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: fill in Google's predefined services for your category, then add custom ones in the words customers use: "water heater replacement," "storm damage roof repair," "deep tissue massage." Keep each one accurate. Google limits how long a service description can be; write the current limit below.
Service description limit per Google Help:
Top services missing from the profile:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Pick the row that matches how you actually work.
| Your situation | What to set | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Customers come to you at a staffed address | Show the address (storefront pin) | Massage therapist |
| You go to customers and serve no one at your address | Hide the address and set service areas | Plumber, roofer |
| Both | Show the address and also set service areas | Flooring showroom with install crews |
Don't use a mailbox, virtual office, or coworking address nobody staffs. Google limits how many service areas you can list and how far they reach. Write the current limits from Google Help here:
Honest note: hiding your address does not change where Google treats you as based. Adding far-off suburbs as service areas does not, by itself, put you in the pack there. The companion rank-check worksheet lets you see for yourself.
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: regular hours are right, and special hours are set for holidays and closures. If your category offers "more hours," use it for emergency or after-hours availability. Don't mark 24 hours unless a person really answers around the clock.
Why: wrong hours cost calls, and Google may show "Closed" when you're open. Emergency trades like plumbers need hours, service area, and a phone that actually rings.
Next holiday or closure to add: on
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: a local number that rings a person, and the same number on your website, Bing Places, and directories. Using a call-tracking number? Confirm in Google Help how to list it alongside your main line before you change anything.
Number on the profile: Number on the website:
Test it: call the number from the profile. Did a person answer? Yes No
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: the link loads, uses https, and lands on the right page (your homepage, or the matching location page if you have more than one). Google shut down its free business.site profile websites in 2024; confirm the details in Google Help. If your link still ends in business.site, point it somewhere new.
Link on the profile:
Loads with https? Yes No Ends in business.site? Yes No
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: plain words on what you do, who you serve, and where. No links, no prices or promotions, no all caps. Google sets a character limit; write the current number below.
Character limit per Google Help:
Draft your first sentence here:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check that each type is there and real. No stock images. Add new ones over time instead of all at once.
| Photo type | Have it | Need it |
|---|---|---|
| Logo | ||
| Cover photo | ||
| Exterior (storefronts, so people can find the door) | ||
| Interior or shop | ||
| Team or owner | ||
| Real work examples (jobs, before and after, treatment room) |
Date of the newest photo on the profile:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: a recent post about a real offer, a finished job, or news. Weekly is the cadence on our Map Pack plan. Posts are for the people who tap your listing; we don't claim they move rankings.
Date of the most recent post: Next post idea:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Google has been changing this feature. If you see a Q&A section: no unanswered questions, no wrong public answers. You can add common questions with accurate answers. No section? Skip this one.
Q&A visible on my profile? Yes No Unanswered questions:
Done Needs fix Not applicable
Check: every review, good or bad, has a short reply with no customer details in it. Every customer gets asked for a review the same way.
Don't: offer discounts, gifts, or any trade for a review; ask only the happy customers; write reviews for yourself or a competitor. Google's review policy prohibits incentives and fake engagement, and the FTC consumer review rule restricts compensated reviews. Read the current wording of both before you set up a review process.
Reviews without a reply: How we ask for reviews today:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: the same name, address format, and phone everywhere below. Suite formatting and old phone numbers are the usual culprits.
| Place | Matches Google exactly | Differs (write how) |
|---|---|---|
| Your website footer | ||
| Bing Places (can import from your Google profile; confirm the current import steps on Bing Places for Business) | ||
| Apple Business Connect (Apple Maps) | ||
| Core directories that feed Google, Apple, and GPS data |
Done Needs fix Not sure
Check: search Google for your business name plus your old phone number, then your business name plus any old address. Write down any second listing that turns up.
Duplicates found:
None found Found, needs fix Not sure
Check: you, the owner, are the primary owner of the profile. Remove managers you no longer work with, such as a former agency or employee. Roofing listings in particular get claimed by lead mills. This is how you keep the profile yours.
Primary owner account:
Managers to remove:
Done Needs fix Not sure
Google discontinued Business Profile chat and messaging in 2024 (confirm in Google Help). If a sign, web page, or post still says "message us on Google," swap in your phone number or website form.
Done Needs fix Not sure
Before you edit: make each change once, accurately. Avoid back-and-forth edits to the name, address, or primary category. Practitioners report that large or frequent edits can prompt Google to ask for re-verification. That's a caution from experience, not a published Google rule with a number on it.
Count your marks across items 1 to 17.
Done: Needs fix: Not sure: Not applicable:
The three items you want handled first:
| Step | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free Map Pack Check | A five-minute screen recording of your listing next to the top three competitors in your map area, with a clear next step. | Free |
| Free GBP fix-up and rank check | We fix your primary and additional categories and your services list, do a photo pass (items 2, 3, 4, and 10 above), and run the manual rank check from the companion worksheet for you. | Free |
| Listing Fix | Claim or recover the listing, categories, hours, service area, description and photos, Bing Places, core directories, and name, address, phone cleanup. Credits 100% to Map Pack if you start within 60 days. | $795 one time |
| Map Pack | Weekly Google posts, photo and Q&A upkeep, review reply drafts, citation monitoring and cleanup, Bing maintenance, monthly written notes. One business per category per map area. 3-month minimum, launch fee waived. | $1,150 per month |
| Metro | Everything in Map Pack, plus a tighter posting and photo cadence and a category and competitor watch. For competitive categories. | $1,850 per month, first location |
No ranking is promised at any step. We take one business per category per map area, and if your category is already covered nearby, we tell you before you pay.
Want us to do the fix-up and the rank check? It's free.
Email john@kansascityseoservices.com with the subject "Free GBP fix-up" and attach or photograph this sheet. Or use the free Map Pack Check form on kansascityseoservices.com and type "free GBP fix-up and rank check" in the "Anything I should know" box. Or call (816) 608-8581.
You get the fix-up on categories, services, and photos, the manual rank check results, and the five-minute Map Pack Check recording. No retainer required.