How do I keep my Google Business Profile working?
Spend about 10 minutes a week replying to reviews, checking for changes Google or the public made, and adding a recent photo. Once a month, check hours, phone, link and services, set holiday hours and look at your calls and clicks. Once a year, review who has access and whether your categories still fit.
Download the Google Business Profile checklist (PDF)6 pages, 449 KB, free to print. What's inside
The short version
- Weekly, about 10 minutes: reply to new reviews, check for edits Google or the public made, add a recent photo.
- Monthly: check hours, phone, website link and services; set upcoming holiday hours; note calls, direction requests and website clicks.
- Yearly: review who has access, check your categories still fit, refresh old photos.
- Same day: update the profile whenever your hours, number, address or services change.
- The routine only works on a profile that’s set up right, so check the setup first.
Is my profile set up well enough for a routine to help?
A routine keeps a good profile good. It won’t rescue one that’s set up wrong. Before you start, check these against our complete Google Business Profile guide:
- The business owner is the primary owner, using an account the business controls. See owners and managers.
- The name is exactly your real-world name, with no added keywords or towns. Google’s guidelines don’t allow them.
- The primary category is specific, and services list what you actually do. See categories, services and products.
- Address or service area is set correctly. See service-area business or storefront.
- Hours, phone and website link are right.
- There’s only one listing for your business. See duplicate and unwanted listings.
If you answered no to any of these, fix it first. Access comes before everything, because every other fix needs someone who can sign in.
What should I do every week?
Set a recurring 10-minute slot on the same day each week. Monday morning works for many owners, because weekend reviews are waiting.
Reply to new reviews
Reply to every review from the past week, good and bad. Keep it short, use the person’s name, and mention something specific. Google’s local ranking page recommends replying to show you value feedback, and says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. For wording and the hard cases, see replying to reviews, including bad ones.
Turn on review notifications in your profile settings so a bad review reaches your phone the day it’s posted. A calm reply within a day reads very differently from one three weeks later.
Check for outside changes
Google and members of the public can change your details. Look in the profile editor for updates from Google, and read any email from Google about suggested edits. Accept what’s right and correct what’s wrong. A wrong closing time or old phone number can slip in this way and quietly cost you calls. Our guide to Google updates and suggested edits shows where to look.
Add one recent photo
A photo of a finished job, a new product or your team at work shows customers you’re active and real. One a week is plenty. Use your own photos, not stock. See photos and videos for what Google allows.
Ask for reviews as you go
This isn’t a separate task. It’s a habit built into finishing a job. Send your review link or hand over a QR code at the moment a customer is happy, the same way every time, with nothing offered in return. Google’s review tips suggest sharing a link or QR code. Our guide to getting more Google reviews shows how to get both.
What should I do every month?
Put a longer slot on the calendar once a month, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Check the basics. Hours, phone number, website link and services. Tap the call button and the website link yourself.
- Set special hours for any holiday or planned closure in the next six weeks, instead of editing your regular hours and forgetting to change them back. See hours, holiday hours and closures.
- Post an update if you have real news: a new service, a seasonal offer or an event. Skip it if you don’t. See posts, offers and events.
- Write down the numbers. Calls, direction requests and website clicks from the profile’s performance report. See reading your performance report.
- Search for yourself. Look up your business name and your main service plus your town. Is what customers see accurate?
- Check your website matches. Name, address, phone and hours should read the same on your site as on the profile. Our answer on matching business details explains why.
How do I read the numbers without overreacting?
Compare each month with the same month last year where you can, because most businesses are seasonal. Look for trends over three months or more, not one bad week. Pair the profile’s numbers with your own records: ask every new customer how they found you, and note it. If calls from the profile drop sharply, check for a wrong phone number, wrong hours or an edit you missed before assuming anything else.
What should I do every year?
- Review access. List every owner and manager, remove anyone who has left, and confirm the business owner is still primary owner. Google’s owners and managers page says new owners and managers must wait 7 days before some actions, including transferring primary ownership, so don’t leave this for a crisis.
- Check categories. Has the business changed? Add or remove categories and services to match.
- Refresh photos. Replace your cover photo and any shots that show an old sign, old vehicles or staff who’ve left.
- Re-read Google’s guidelines. They change, and features come and go. The features that changed or retired section of our guide keeps track.
- Check your listings elsewhere. Apple Maps, Bing, Facebook and the directories that matter in your trade.
What should change on the profile the same day?
If you’d tell a regular customer about it, it belongs on your profile that day.
| What changed | What to do on the profile |
|---|---|
| Holiday or one-off closure | Set special hours; leave regular hours alone |
| Closed for weeks, then reopening | Mark temporarily closed, then reopen when you’re back |
| New phone number | Update the profile, website and other listings together |
| New address | Update the address and your website; Google may ask you to verify again |
| New or dropped service | Update services, and check categories still fit |
| Staff or ownership change | Review who has access, and remove people who’ve left |
How does the routine help with AI answers?
Google’s guidance on AI features and your website lists keeping your Business Profile information current among its best practices. AI tools from other companies also read business listings and reviews. A profile that’s accurate and active helps wherever your business gets described. For the website side of AI answers, see our step-by-step article on getting your business into AI answers.
What are the most common mistakes?
- Treating setup as the finish line. Profiles drift: hours change, Google edits details, reviews go unanswered.
- Editing regular hours for a holiday, then forgetting to change them back.
- Ignoring Google’s emails about edits to your profile.
- Replying to reviews in batches months later, or pasting the same reply on every one.
- Letting the only owner be someone who left. Fix access while they’re still reachable.
- Adding keywords to the name to rank higher. It breaks Google’s guidelines and can lead to a suspension.
- Posting for the sake of it. A post with no real news adds nothing.
What if something goes wrong?
- You can’t sign in, or someone else controls the profile: see create or claim your profile.
- Details keep changing back: see Google updates and suggested edits.
- A fake or abusive review: report it, then reply calmly; see replying to reviews.
- The profile was suspended: see suspended profiles and reinstatement.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
Google says adding or claiming a profile is free, and there’s no paid way to rank higher locally. The routine above takes about 10 minutes a week, half an hour a month and an hour or so once a year. Fixing a neglected profile usually takes an afternoon, plus any time Google needs to review changes.
How does E-3 handle this?
Updating Google listings and getting reviews comes up again and again in our support records, with about 90 requests since 2019. Profile care is part of our SEO and AI search service, and review requests can run through our leads and follow-up service. Replies and updates are drafted for you, a person checks them, and you approve before they’re posted. Our free review link and QR maker and local SEO writer are good places to start on your own.
Related questions
Sources
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
- Manage your Business Profile owners & managers (Google Business Profile Help)
- Tips to get more reviews (Google Business Profile Help)
- AI features and your website (Google Search Central)
Common questions
- How much time does a Google Business Profile need?
- Once it's set up properly, about 10 minutes a week, plus a slightly longer check once a month and an access review once a year. Changes to your hours, phone or services should go on the profile the day they happen.
- Can I pay Google to rank higher on Maps?
- No. Google says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Be wary of anyone who sells guaranteed map positions.
- Do I still need to answer questions and messages on my profile?
- Google ended its built-in chat in July 2024 and has been changing its Q&A feature since 2025. Check what your profile shows today, and put answers to common questions in your description, services and website.
Rather talk it through?
Call our team, or send a note and we’ll reply within one business day. No pressure and no jargon.