If you run a local business and you only do one thing this month, do this. For most local service businesses the map pack — the three listings with the map above the organic results — drives more enquiries than the website does, and it responds in weeks rather than the six to twelve months organic SEO takes.
It is also free. Here is the full checklist, in the order that matters.
Foundation
- Claim and verify the profile — nothing else counts until this is done
- Business name exactly as it appears on your signage and website, with no keywords stuffed in
- Primary category chosen precisely — this is the single largest ranking factor on the profile
- Secondary categories added for genuine additional services
- Address consistent character-for-character with your website footer
- Local phone number rather than a toll-free line where possible
- Hours filled in, including holiday hours
- Website URL pointing to the most relevant page, not always the homepage
Completeness
Google measurably favours complete profiles, and most local businesses fill in about a third of the available fields.
- Services listed individually, each with its own description
- Products added where relevant, with pricing
- Business description written using the terms customers actually search
- Opening date set
- Attributes selected — accessibility, payment methods, service options
- Service area defined if you travel to customers
- Booking or appointment link connected if you take appointments
Photos
Profiles with photos get meaningfully more clicks and direction requests. Stock photography does not count and is obvious to everyone.
- Logo and cover image set
- Exterior shots so people can recognize the building
- Interior shots so they know what to expect
- Team photos — these consistently outperform everything else
- Work in progress and completed work
- New photos added monthly, which is itself a freshness signal
Ongoing, and this is where nearly everyone stops
| Action | Frequency | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Post an update | Weekly | Signals an active business; appears directly in your listing |
| Request reviews | Every job | The strongest ranking and conversion factor you control |
| Respond to reviews | Within 48 hours | Google explicitly recommends it; visible to prospects |
| Answer Q&A | As they arrive | You can seed and answer your own common questions |
| Add photos | Monthly | Freshness plus higher engagement |
| Check for edits | Monthly | Anyone can suggest changes to your listing, including competitors |
The three mistakes that cost the most
Keyword-stuffing the business name
Naming yourself "Hamilton Web Design | SEO | Marketing" violates Google guidelines and risks suspension. It also works less well than people assume, and competitors report it.
Using an address you do not occupy
Virtual offices and mailboxes are a suspension risk. If you work from home and do not want the address public, set yourself up as a service-area business and hide the address — that is the compliant route.
Treating it as set-and-forget
A profile completed once and never touched will lose to an equivalent business posting weekly and collecting reviews. This is genuinely the cheapest competitive advantage available to a local business, and most of your competitors will not do it.