How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP) to Show Up in Local Search
Most business owners set up a Google Business Profile once and forget about it. That’s a problem
When someone searches “plumber near me” or “best accountant in [city],” Google doesn’t just pick from a list of websites. It also pulls results from Google Business Profiles. Those businesses that show up in that local pack at the top of the search page aren’t necessarily the best for the job, but they are the ones whose profiles give Google the most information about their business and services.
If your profile is incomplete, inconsistent, or out of date, your business won’t be highlighted when someone searches for your services.
Here’s what you can do to increase the chances Google searchers will find your business:
Start with the basics: make sure your profile is complete
Google rewards profiles that are complete. That means every available and applicable field must be filled in. This goes beyond the basics: your name, address, and phone number. It has to include your business hours, website URL, service areas, business category, and any applicable attributes (women-owned, wheelchair accessible, appointment required, etc.). The more information you give Google to categorize your business, the more likely it will highlight your business with the right search terms.
If you were to go to your GBP to do a quick check, start with the “Business Category.” It is the biggest mismatch we have seen as we’ve audited our client’s business profiles as most business owners just pick the broadest option. Saying that you are a “Financial Advisor” may be accurate, but “Financial Advisor for Tech Employees” will get you shown to the right people looking for your services.
Your photos are doing more work than you think
Profiles with photos receive significantly more clicks and direction requests than those without. Stock images will not suffice here, you must have actual photos of your space, your team, and your work.
Upload photos regularly, not just at setup. Consistent activity signals to Google that your listing is current and business is active. An account with no photo updates in two years will look abandoned to Google and it will not show you against relevant search results.
Reviews are the single most important trust signal and lead driver
When people look at a business online, the first thing they look at is its reviews. If there is none, they will likely move on because they don’t want to risk paying for a service that hasn’t been vouched for by others. The same goes for a business with 200 reviews from three years ago. Recency matters and no reviews in the last year raises more questions than answers for prospective customers.
As you collect reviews and see the new business coming in, it is important that you stay engaged by delivering responses to those reviews. Responding to every review, positive and negative, signals to Google that your business is active and engaged and it signals to prospective customers that someone is paying attention.
On negative reviews: respond factually and without defensiveness. One hostile reply to a one-star review does more damage than the review itself, and if you are the victim of a fake negative review there are steps to request that it be removed.
Posts keep your profile alive
Google Business Profile has a posts feature that most businesses ignore. This is perfect for short updates, whether it’s a new service, a seasonal offer, or a recent project, and publishing regularly tells Google your business is active and current. It also gives buyers something to read beyond the basic information about your business.
You don’t need to post daily; once or twice a month is enough to show you are active. The bar is low here for Google Business profiles, which is why doing this simple task separates you from competitors who haven’t touched their profile since they created it.
Ask Maps replaced Questions & Answers
Google retired the old Questions & Answers feature in late 2025 and replaced it with Ask Maps, which is an AI tool that answers customer questions in real time.
You can't write answers for it the way you could with Q&A, but you can control what it has to work with. Ask Maps draws information to answer customer questions from your Google Business Profile, then your reviews, then your site. Gaps or outdated information in any of your digital assets will result in Ask Maps giving potential customers the wrong information, leading to lost business or you having to turn away business because you don’t offer a particular service anymore.
Consistency across the web matters
Google cross-references your Business Profile against other mentions of your business online, such as Yelp, your website, industry directories, and local business associations. If your name, address, or phone number appear differently in different places, that acts as a flag to Google that your business may not be legitimate.
While it sounds administrative, it is one of the easiest problems to fix and is also one of the most common reasons a well-optimized profile still underperforms the competition.
What a Business Profile Audit actually looks at
If you’re not sure where your profile stands, Propel Collective’s Business Profile Audit can help with that assessment. We review:
- Profile completeness and category accuracy
- Photo library and recency
- Review volume, recency, and response rate
- Post frequency and content
- NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency across key directories
- Local pack performance for your primary search terms
You get a prioritized list of what to fix and why. No jargon, no 40-page PDF; just a clear picture of where you stand.