Your Google Business Profile is the highest-leverage free asset a local business has. It is also the one most people fill in once and never touch again.
This is a field-by-field checklist, built from Google's own published guidelines rather than from what agencies tend to repeat. Where Google says something plainly, we quote it. Where the popular advice contradicts Google, we say so.
Google is unusually direct here. It says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how far you are from the searcher), and prominence (how well-known your business is). Google also states that to improve local ranking you should verify your locations, keep your hours accurate, manage and respond to reviews, and add photos (Google Business Profile Help).
That's the whole official list. Everything below is a way of doing those four things properly.
Start here, because this is where well-meaning businesses get punished for following bad advice.
You have probably been told to put keywords in your business name. Google explicitly prohibits it. Your name "should reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers," and "including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted, and could result in the suspension of your Business Profile" (Guidelines for representing your business on Google).
Google's own examples of what is not allowed in a name:
So "Atlanta Pilates Studio | Reformer Classes Buckhead" is a suspension risk, not a strategy. If your legal name genuinely includes a descriptor, you're fine. If you bolted keywords on, take them off.
Business name matches your real-world signage exactly, with nothing appended.
Your primary category does more work than almost any other field. Practitioners surveyed for Local Search Ranking Factors 2025 found the primary Google Business Profile category is among the top three influences on Local Pack rankings, alongside proximity to the searcher (BrightLocal).
Pick the single category that describes what you primarily are, not what you also do. Then add secondary categories for the rest.
This field is underused and it's free. Google says service businesses can choose from suggested service types or add custom services, and that you can write descriptions and prices for each one. When a local customer searches for a service you offer, "the service might be highlighted on your profile" (Manage your services on your Business Profile).
One caution: Google says some custom services are auto-rejected, including "rude words, gibberish, personal info, prices, and phone numbers." Prices belong in the price field, not the service name.
Set a service area, and consider hiding your address. Google says if your business serves customers in a specific local area, enter your service area based on "the cities, zip codes, or other places you serve," and advises being "as specific and accurate as possible." Critically, "if you don't meet customers at your business address, you can choose to not show your address" (Edit your Business Profile).
Note that Google frames hiding the address as a choice for businesses that don't meet clients on site, not an automatic rule. If you run a home-based service business, this is the setting you want.
Google names hours twice: keeping them accurate is one of its four stated ranking actions, and it specifically mentions "your business hours, including special store hours" (Google Business Profile Help).
Wrong holiday hours are worse than no hours. Someone drives over, you're closed, you get a one-star review.
This section matters more than the rest, because the common advice here is not just ineffective, it's against policy. Google's fake engagement rules prohibit:
So the "leave us a review and get 10% off" card is a violation. So is the survey that asks how happy you are and only shows the Google link to people who answer well. That second one is sold as best practice by plenty of software vendors.
What you can do: ask every customer, without filtering and without a reward. And reply. Google says "positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out" (Google Business Profile Help).
Google lists adding photos and videos as one of its four ranking actions, and notes that "when you add an exterior photo, it helps customers recognize your business when they visit" (Edit your Business Profile).
Worth knowing: Google's help pages don't publish specific file size, resolution or format requirements for profile photos, so ignore anyone quoting exact pixel rules as gospel. Clear, recent, real photos are the actual bar.
Can I put keywords in my Google Business Profile name?
No. Google prohibits service, location and promotional information in business names and says it could result in suspension. Your name must match your real-world name as used on your storefront and stationery.
Can I pay to rank higher in the local pack?
No. Google states there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Ads are separate and labelled.
Is it against the rules to offer a discount for a review?
Yes. Google's fake engagement policy prohibits reviews posted because of an incentive such as payment, discounts, or free goods or services.
Should I ask only happy clients for reviews?
No. Google prohibits requests made selectively to solicit positive reviews. Ask everyone.
How often should I update my profile?
Check hours before every holiday, add photos quarterly, and reply to reviews as they arrive. There is no benefit to editing fields for the sake of it.
Fix your business name if you stuffed it. Set your primary category precisely. Fill in your services. Set holiday hours. Reply to every unanswered review.
That's the whole list, and it's genuinely most of the value. For the wider picture beyond the profile itself, our local SEO checklist covers the website and citation side, and you can see how we work with local businesses if you'd rather not do it yourself.
Book a 30-minute intro call and we'll look at your profile with you and tell you what's actually holding it back.