Google Business Profile Checklist for Local Service Businesses

When someone searches "barber near me" or "AC repair Orlando," the first thing they usually see isn't your website. It's the map results and the Google Business Profiles inside them. For many local businesses, that profile gets more views than the website ever will.

Here's a checklist to make sure yours is working for you.

1. Name, category and address: exactly right

• Use your real business name. Stuffing keywords into the name ("Bella Salon Best Haircuts Orlando") breaks Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
• Choose the most specific primary category ("Barber shop," not just "Beauty"). Add secondary categories only if they're true.
• If customers don't come to you (roofers, HVAC, mobile services), set a service area and hide your street address.

2. Hours, phone and booking link

• Keep regular and holiday hours current. Wrong hours lose trust fast.
• Use a phone number that's answered, or that texts back when it isn't.
• Add your booking link so people can book straight from the profile.

3. Services and description

List your real services with short, plain descriptions. Write the business description for humans: what you do, where, and for whom. No keyword stuffing.

4. Photos: real ones, regularly

• Add photos of your storefront (so people recognize it), your team and your work.
• Add new photos every month or two. Fresh, real photos signal an active business.
• Skip stock photos here. Customers want to see the real place.

5. Reviews: ask everyone, reply to all

Reviews influence both rankings and decisions. Ask every customer (asking only the happy ones is against Google's policy), and reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and professionally.

6. Updates

Use profile updates for offers, seasonal reminders or new services. They keep the profile active and give searchers a reason to call.

Your 10-minute weekly routine

1. Reply to new reviews.
2. Add one photo.
3. Check that hours and phone are correct.