If a customer in Parramatta or Prahran searches “plumber near me” tonight, the map pack at the top of Google decides who gets the call. That map pack is powered by Google Business Profile, the tool most people still call Google My Business. Getting your listing right is one of the cheapest ways to win local customers, and it costs nothing but attention.
This is a practical, field-by-field checklist. Work through it once to set your profile up properly, then use the quick-win list and the tracking section to keep it healthy. It is written for Australian businesses.
Google My Business vs Google Business Profile: same thing, new name
Google renamed the product from Google My Business to Google Business Profile in 2021 and 2022. The old name stuck because people had used it for years, and it is still the phrase most Australians type into search. Throughout this guide, “Google My Business”, “GMB” and “Google Business Profile” (GBP) all refer to the same free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps.
The dedicated GMB app has been retired. You now manage your profile directly from Google Search (search your own business name while logged in) or from Google Maps.
Why optimising your profile matters
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a local customer sees, before they ever reach your website. Google ranks local listings on three factors it names publicly in its Business Profile help documentation: relevance (how well your profile matches the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher) and prominence (how well known and active your business is). You cannot move your shopfront, but relevance and prominence are almost entirely in your control, and that is what this checklist works on.
Local intent is high-value intent. When someone searches for a local service, they are usually ready to act soon, not just browsing. A complete, active profile with recent reviews and photos gives them fewer reasons to scroll past you to a competitor. If the mechanics of local ranking are new to you, our explainer on what local SEO is and how it works gives you the wider picture that this checklist sits inside.
The full Google Business Profile optimisation checklist
Below is the working checklist grouped into the order you should tackle it. Read the detail under each group, then use the table at the end of this section as your tick-box summary.
1. Claim and verify your listing
Nothing else on this list counts until you own and control the profile.
- Go to google.com/business or search your business name in Google while signed into the Google account you want to manage it with.
- If a listing already exists (Google often auto-generates one), claim it rather than creating a duplicate. Duplicates split your reviews and confuse Google.
- Complete verification. Options include video verification, phone, text, email or postcard, and Google chooses which methods it offers you. Video verification has become the most common prompt, so have your premises, signage or vehicle ready to film.
- Verification can take a few days, longer if Google requests a second check. Do not skip it, because an unverified profile cannot be edited or defended against changes.
2. Get your NAP consistent everywhere
NAP means Name, Address and Phone number. Google cross-checks these details against your website and other listings to decide it can trust you.
- Use your real business name exactly as it appears on your signage and legal documents. Do not add keywords or suburbs (for example “Joe’s Plumbing Melbourne 24/7”) because Google’s naming guidelines prohibit it and it can get you suspended.
- Match your address character for character across your website, your Facebook and Instagram, and directories like True Local, Yellow Pages and Yelp. “Street” on one and “St” on another is the kind of small mismatch that dilutes trust.
- Use a local Australian phone number where you can. A local landline or a consistent mobile reads as more legitimate than a generic 1300 number to some customers, though 1300 numbers are fine if that is your real line.
3. Choose the right categories
Your primary category is one of the strongest relevance signals Google reads. In BrightLocal’s Local Search Ranking Factors research, the primary category consistently ranks among the top influences on map pack visibility.
- Set the most specific primary category that describes what you do. “Mexican restaurant” beats “restaurant”. “Emergency plumber” beats “plumber” if that is your core service.
- Add secondary categories for your other genuine services, but do not pad the list with categories you do not actually offer.
- Check what your top-ranking local competitors use as their primary category, then match or out-specify it.
4. Write a business description that reads for humans
You get up to 750 characters, and only the first 250 or so show before the “more” cut-off.
- Lead with what you do, who you serve and where, in plain language. Front-load the important words.
- Mention your suburbs or regions naturally (for example “servicing Melbourne’s inner north”), not as a keyword list.
- Skip promotional fluff and pricing. Google strips URLs and can reject descriptions that read as spam.
5. Add photos and video
Photos are trust and relevance signals, not decoration. Listings with a strong, current photo set tend to earn more clicks, calls and direction requests than bare ones.
- Cover the basics: exterior (so people recognise your shopfront from the street), interior, your team, your products or completed work, and your logo and cover photo.
- Upload real photos, not stock. Google’s imagery increasingly detects and can devalue generic stock.
- Add a short video (up to 30 seconds) if you have one. A quick walk-through or job clip works well.
- Refresh photos every month or two so the profile looks active. Geotag or shoot on location where practical.
6. List your products and services
The products and services sections let you spell out exactly what you offer, which feeds relevance for specific searches.
- Add each core service as a separate item with a short description and, where you are comfortable, a price in AUD.
- For retail and hospitality, use the products section to showcase key lines with images and prices.
- Keep these current, especially seasonal offers and anything you have stopped doing.
7. Turn reviews into a system
Reviews are the biggest prominence lever most businesses have. BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey (2024) reports that the large majority of consumers read online reviews for local businesses before choosing one, and both the volume and recency of reviews feed local ranking.
- Ask every satisfied customer, ideally within a day or two of the job or visit while the experience is fresh.
- Make it one tap. Grab your review link from the profile (“Get more reviews”) and put it in follow-up texts, email footers and on invoices or receipts.
- Reply to every review, positive and negative. A calm, specific reply to a critical review reassures the next reader more than a wall of five-star ratings does.
- Never buy reviews or incentivise them. It breaches Google’s policy and Australian consumer law treats fake or misleading reviews as a serious matter (the ACCC has pursued businesses over them).
8. Post regularly with Google Posts
Google Posts appear on your profile and signal an active business. Weekly is a realistic target for most local businesses.
- Rotate offers, events, news and product highlights. Each post allows an image, text and a call-to-action button (Call now, Book, Learn more).
- Keep the first sentence strong because it shows before the fold.
- Offer and event posts can carry start and end dates, so use them for anything time-limited.
9. Fill out and manage the Q&A section
The questions and answers area is public and anyone can answer, so own it before someone else does.
- Seed it yourself. Post the questions customers actually ask (parking, payment methods, after-hours service) and answer them from your business account.
- Turn on alerts so you see new questions and can reply quickly.
- Upvote your own correct answers so they surface first.
10. Set up messaging and bookings
- Turn on messaging if you can reply promptly, because Google shows response times and a slow reply reads worse than no messaging at all.
- Connect a booking provider if Google supports one in your industry, so customers can book straight from the profile.
11. Complete every attribute
Attributes are the extra details Google offers based on your category: wheelchair accessible, outdoor seating, women-led, LGBTQ+ friendly, free Wi-Fi, “identifies as Aboriginal-owned”, and so on.
- Tick every attribute that genuinely applies. They help you appear in filtered searches and answer questions before customers ask.
- Set your regular hours and, importantly, your special hours for Australian public holidays (Australia Day, Anzac Day, Christmas and your state holidays). Wrong holiday hours are a common source of one-star reviews.
12. Track performance and keep improving
Google’s built-in Performance panel (formerly Insights) shows how people find and act on your profile.
- Watch calls, direction requests, website clicks, messages and bookings, not just views. Actions are the numbers that pay you.
- Check which search terms brought people to your profile and feed the popular ones back into your description, services and posts.
- Review monthly, note what moved after each change, and treat the profile as an ongoing task rather than a set-and-forget listing.
Checklist summary table
|
Section |
Action |
Done? |
|
Claim & verify |
Claim existing listing, complete verification, remove duplicates |
☐ |
|
NAP consistency |
Real name (no keywords), address and phone identical everywhere |
☐ |
|
Categories |
Specific primary category plus genuine secondary categories |
☐ |
|
Description |
750 chars, front-loaded, suburbs mentioned naturally |
☐ |
|
Photos & video |
Exterior, interior, team, work, logo, plus a short video |
☐ |
|
Products & services |
Each service listed with description and AUD price |
☐ |
|
Reviews |
Ask within 48 hours, reply to all, review link in follow-ups |
☐ |
|
Google Posts |
Post weekly with an image and a call-to-action button |
☐ |
|
Q&A |
Seed common questions, answer them, upvote correct answers |
☐ |
|
Messaging & bookings |
Enable if you can respond fast; connect a booking tool |
☐ |
|
Attributes & hours |
Tick all true attributes, set special holiday hours |
☐ |
|
Performance tracking |
Monitor calls, directions, clicks monthly and adjust |
☐ |
Quick wins: start here if you only have an hour
If the full list feels like a lot, these five moves usually shift the needle fastest:
- Verify the profile if it is not already, and merge any duplicates.
- Fix your primary category to the most specific accurate option.
- Send five review requests to recent happy customers today, with the direct link.
- Add ten real photos, including a clear exterior shot.
- Set your special hours for the next public holiday so no one turns up to a closed door.
How this fits your wider local strategy
A strong Google Business Profile does a lot, but it works best alongside a website that backs it up. Consistent business details on your site, suburb-focused landing pages and genuine local links all raise the prominence Google reads from your profile. Our local SEO checklist for small businesses and the broader SEO checklist cover the on-site work that compounds with your profile. If you are still getting your head around search generally, start with what SEO is.
It is also worth watching how AI answers are changing local discovery. As more people ask AI assistants for recommendations, the same signals (accurate details, reviews, clear services) feed those answers too, a shift we cover in our piece on what generative engine optimisation is.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google My Business still a thing in 2026?
Yes, though the name changed. Google rebranded Google My Business to Google Business Profile in 2021 and 2022, and the standalone app was retired. You now manage the same free listing directly through Google Search and Google Maps. Most Australians still call it GMB out of habit.
How long does it take to see results from optimising my profile?
Most businesses see movement in local rankings within four to eight weeks of a thorough optimisation, according to guidance echoed across Australian agencies. Big changes, like fixing your primary category or completing verification, can shift visibility faster, sometimes within days.
Can I optimise a Google Business Profile without a physical address?
Yes. Service-area businesses (trades, mobile services, home-based operators) can verify with an address but hide it, then define the suburbs or regions they serve instead. You still need a valid address for verification, you just do not have to display it.
How many photos should I add to my Google Business Profile?
There is no hard cap worth chasing. Cover the essentials well (exterior, interior, team, work, logo and cover) and then keep adding real, current photos every month or two. Fresh, genuine images matter more than raw volume, and stock photos can be devalued.
How do I get more Google reviews without breaking the rules?
Ask every happy customer promptly, make it one tap with your direct review link, and reply to every review you receive. Do not buy reviews, offer rewards for them or filter out negatives. Fake or misleading reviews breach Google’s policy and Australian consumer law, which the ACCC actively enforces.
Why isn’t my Google Business Profile showing up in search?
The usual causes are an unverified profile, a duplicate listing splitting your signals, a category or address that does not match your website, or a suspension from a policy breach such as keyword stuffing your business name. Work through claim, verify, NAP consistency and category first.
How often should I post on Google Business Profile?
Weekly is a good target for most local businesses. Regular posts signal an active business to Google and give customers a reason to click. Consistency beats volume, so a steady weekly rhythm works better than a burst followed by silence.
Get help with your local search
Working through this checklist once will put you ahead of most local competitors. Keeping it optimised month after month is where many businesses run out of time. If you would rather hand it over, our team offers local SEO services for Australian businesses that cover your Google Business Profile, reviews and the on-site work behind it, as part of our wider search engine optimisation and digital marketing support. Get in touch for a look at where your profile stands today.
