Google Business Profile optimisation sounds technical, but it mostly means filling in every part of your profile properly and keeping it active. If you already have a profile and you're not showing up as often as you'd like, start here. These are the 12 checks that matter most, why each one helps and how to fix it. Setting up from scratch? Our Google Business Profile checklist covers that.
- Your main category is the single most important setting. Get it right first.
- A complete profile gives Google more to match against what people search: services, suburbs, hours and categories.
- An active profile looks trusted: recent photos, a recent post and a reply to every review.
- No one can guarantee a position on Google, but a well-optimised profile gives you the best chance.
The Google Business Profile optimisation checklist
Sign in to your profile (search your business name on Google while signed in, or go to business.google.com) and work through this list.
- Main category is the most specific one for your main job
- Extra categories cover your other main services
- Description mentions your services and the suburbs you work in
- Phone number is right and answered
- Website link works and goes to the right page
- Opening hours are filled in, including public holidays
- Service areas list the suburbs or regions you cover
- Services list has every service you offer
- At least a handful of real photos
- A photo added in the last month
- A post in the last couple of weeks
- A reply to every review
Here's why each one matters and how to fix it.
1. Main category
Why: Google leans heavily on your main category to decide which searches you show up for. "Plumber" and "Emergency plumber" are different categories.
Fix: Pick the most specific category that matches the work you most want. Search your main service on Google Maps and see what category the top businesses use.
2. Extra categories
Why: You can add more categories for other work you do. A business listed only as "Electrician" may miss searches for "solar installer" or "air conditioning installer".
Fix: Add extra categories for real services only. Don't add ones you don't do, as that can confuse Google and customers.
3. Description
Why: It's the first thing many customers read, and it tells Google what you do and where.
Fix: Write it plainly. Say what you do, your main services, the suburbs you cover and why people choose you. For example: "Family-owned plumber covering Norwood, Burnside and the eastern suburbs. Blocked drains, hot water and gas fitting." No links or phone numbers in the description, and don't stuff in keywords.
4. Phone number
Why: Calls are often the main reason a tradie has a profile at all. A wrong or disconnected number loses jobs.
Fix: Use the number you actually answer. Test it by tapping "Call" on your own listing.
5. Website
Why: Plenty of customers check your website before calling. A broken link looks careless.
Fix: Tap your own website link and make sure it opens the right page and works on a phone.
6. Opening hours
Why: Google may show "Closed" or nothing at all if your hours are missing, and people skip businesses that look shut.
Fix: Add your normal hours and set special hours for public holidays. If you do after-hours call-outs, say so.
7. Service areas
Why: If you go to customers, service areas tell Google where you work.
Fix: List the suburbs or regions you cover. Be realistic: listing half the state doesn't help.
8. Services list
Why: Services give Google and customers a clear list of what you do, and they can match searches your categories don't.
Fix: Add each service separately, with a short line on each if you can.
9. Photos
Why: Real photos of your work, your ute and your team build trust before anyone calls.
Fix: Add your logo, a cover photo and real job photos. Skip stock images.
10. A recent photo
Why: A profile with no new photos for a year looks quiet, even if you're flat out.
Fix: Add a job photo every week or two. Before-and-after shots work well. Don't show customers' faces, house numbers or anything private.
11. A recent post
Why: Posts (shown as "Updates") show you're active and give you room to mention a job, a suburb or a seasonal service.
Fix: Post every week or two. Keep it short: a photo of a recent job and a line about it.
12. A reply to every review
Why: Replies show future customers you care, and an active profile helps how Google sees your business.
Fix: Thank happy customers by name and mention the job. For bad reviews, stay calm and take it offline. See how to respond to Google reviews for templates.
Category, description, hours, services and phone take one sitting. Photos, posts and replies are the weekly habits that keep the profile fresh.
The hard part: keeping it up
Most people optimise their profile once, then life gets busy. Six months later the description is out of date, there's no new photo, and three reviews are waiting for a reply. Google Business Profile optimisation isn't a one-off job. It's a habit.
Get your Google profile scored out of 100
ReviewRank checks your profile, writes the fixes for you and applies them to Google in a tap. $29 a month with a 14-day free trial.
How ReviewRank's "Fix my Google profile" does it for you
ReviewRank is an app made in Adelaide for Australian tradies. Its "Fix my Google profile" check-up runs 13 checks on your profile and gives you a score out of 100.
For each problem it finds, ReviewRank writes the fix for you:
- A better description, using your services and your nearest suburbs.
- Missing services to add to your services list.
- Extra categories that the businesses beating you on Google Maps use.
- Opening hours, phone and website if they're missing.
- A post, so your profile doesn't look quiet.
- Replies to happy reviews you haven't answered yet.
Tap Auto Fix Now on any fix and ReviewRank applies it to your Google profile. Or tap Auto fix N things now to do all the safe ones in one go.
A couple of things you still do yourself. Google doesn't allow apps to set service areas or add photos, so ReviewRank tells you what to change and you do it in the Google app.
It also looks at profile features, the yes/no details like "Onsite services" or "Online estimates", and suggests the ones the businesses ahead of you show.
It won't guarantee you a spot in the top 3. No one can. But it makes sure the things you can control are done, and checks again every month.
Frequently asked questions
Filling in every part of your profile properly (categories, description, hours, services, photos) and keeping it active with posts, photos and review replies, so Google has the best information to show you for relevant searches.
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Rhys builds and looks after every Reactive Web website himself, from Redwood Park in Adelaide, for local service businesses that want more calls, bookings and enquiries.
