Why You Need a GBP Audit
Most business owners set up their Google Business Profile once and never look at it again. Over time, information becomes outdated, new features get ignored, and competitors pull ahead.
A GBP audit takes 20-30 minutes and can reveal quick wins that immediately improve your visibility.
Do this audit quarterly. Google adds new features regularly, and your business information changes. Set a calendar reminder for the first Monday of every quarter.
Section 1: Basic Information
Start with the fundamentals. Errors here hurt everything else.
- Business name matches your real-world signage exactly (no keyword stuffing)
- Address is complete and matches your website
- Phone number is a local number (not a tracking number)
- Website URL is correct and leads to a working page
- Business hours are accurate for this week
- Special hours are set for upcoming holidays
- Business description uses all 750 characters
- Description includes your primary keyword and city in the first sentence
Adding extra keywords to your business name (e.g., "Mike's Plumbing — Best Plumber in Austin TX") violates Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended.
Section 2: Categories and Services
- Primary category is the most specific option available
- You have 3-5 relevant secondary categories
- All services you offer are listed in the Services section
- Service descriptions include relevant keywords
- Service prices are listed (if applicable)
Section 3: Photos and Media
- You have at least 10 photos (aim for 50+)
- Photos include exterior, interior, team, and products/services
- Cover photo is high-quality and represents your business well
- Logo is uploaded and displays correctly
- No stock photos (Google can detect and penalize these)
- Photos have been added in the last 30 days
Businesses with 100+ photos on their GBP get 520% more calls and 2,717% more direction requests
BrightLocalSection 4: Reviews
- You have at least 10 Google reviews
- Your average rating is 4.0 or higher
- Every review has a personalized response (not copy-paste)
- Negative reviews are responded to within 48 hours
- You received at least 1 new review in the last 30 days
Section 5: Posts and Activity
- You posted at least once in the last 7 days
- Posts include images or graphics
- Posts have call-to-action buttons
- You're using a mix of post types (updates, offers, events)
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- Q&A section has owner-provided answers to common questions
- Products are listed (if you sell physical products)
- Booking link is set up (if you accept appointments)
- Messaging is enabled (and you respond within 24 hours)
How to Score Your Audit
Count your checkmarks out of 25:
- 122-25: Excellent — you're ahead of most competitors
- 217-21: Good — fix the gaps for a quick visibility boost
- 312-16: Needs work — prioritize Sections 1 and 4 first
- 4Below 12: Critical — your profile is actively hurting your business
Conclusion
A GBP audit isn't complicated — it's just thorough. Most businesses will find 5-10 easy fixes that can improve their local search visibility within weeks. Start with the basics (Section 1), make sure your reviews are healthy (Section 4), and keep your profile active with regular posts (Section 5). These three areas have the biggest impact for the least effort.