1. Confirm that the profile represents the real business
Start with the business identity and eligibility, not keywords. Check the public business name against the name used in the real world, then confirm the address or service area, phone number, website URL, opening hours and any special hours. Check that a customer can actually reach the business using the information shown.
Choose the primary category that most specifically represents the core business. Add only additional categories that accurately describe services the business genuinely provides. Do not add keywords, locations or sales phrases to the business name to try to influence rankings.
- Record each field as correct, needs confirmation or needs a change.
- Verify phone links and website links on a mobile device.
- Ask the business owner to approve changes to identity, address, categories and hours.
2. Check service relevance and profile completeness
Review the primary category, additional categories, services, description and attributes where those features are available. The information should explain what the business actually does and help a potential customer decide whether it is a fit. A profile that is complete and accurate is more useful than one packed with unrelated phrases.
Separate policy or accuracy problems from optimization ideas. Incorrect names, misleading addresses and unrelated categories deserve attention before publishing more posts. For profile quality guidance, read Google's official business representation rules.
- List the core services the business can currently deliver.
- Compare those services with the categories and service details shown on the profile.
- Avoid unsupported claims, keyword-stuffed names and claims of guaranteed positions.
3. Review customer trust signals
Look at the latest reviews, response quality, photos and other customer-facing information. Review replies should address the customer's actual feedback rather than repeat a template word for word. Do not invent reviews, create fake customer accounts or offer prohibited incentives for positive feedback.
A review count is not a complete measure of business quality. Record recurring themes, unresolved complaints and customer questions. When a business has limited photos or outdated images, prepare a specific request for current, authentic images rather than filling the profile with generic stock imagery.
- Note review themes and unanswered questions.
- Check whether replies are accurate, respectful and specific to the review.
- Confirm photos show the real location, team, work or products.
4. Check the website page behind the profile
Open the website link from the profile and check that the destination loads quickly, works on mobile and clearly identifies the business. A visitor should be able to understand the relevant service, service area or location, proof of experience, next step and how to contact the business.
Map important services to the most relevant existing pages. Create a new location or service page only when it can offer genuinely useful, distinct information. Swapping city names across near-identical pages without adding local value can produce weak content instead of a better landing experience.
- Test the page at a narrow mobile width and try the main call or enquiry action.
- Check business name, phone, address or service area for consistency.
- Confirm the target page covers the service promised by the profile link.
5. Record a baseline before making changes
Capture the audit date, current issues, evidence and priority. Where available, use Business Profile performance to record searches, views and interactions such as website clicks, calls or direction requests. Not every profile has every metric, and interaction counts are not the same as confirmed customers or revenue.
Use website analytics, tagged links, call records or the client's own lead log to connect activity with enquiries. Mark what can be measured reliably, what is estimated and what is not available. Keep a note of the date range so the next report compares like with like.
- Record the reporting period and source for each number.
- Separate profile activity, website visits, qualified leads and sales.
- Note recent changes so a later report has context.
6. Turn findings into a prioritized action list
A good audit ends with decisions, owners and due dates. Fix factual errors and broken customer journeys first. Then prioritize improvements that match the business's real services, answer customer questions and make enquiry paths easier to use. Record dependencies, such as needing the owner to approve a category or supply new photos.
Review outcomes after a sensible period and compare the same metrics. Local search results vary by location, query, competition and other factors, so do not promise that a particular edit will create a specific ranking or number of leads.
- High priority: incorrect information, broken links, eligibility or policy risks.
- Medium priority: missing useful service information, outdated photos or poor landing-page paths.
- Ongoing: review responses, content updates, measurement and a monthly review.
Audit facts first, make changes with the owner's approval, and measure customer actions rather than treating rankings as the only outcome.
Sources and further reading
Use the current official documentation for platform-specific rules and definitions. Interfaces and available metrics may change.