Claiming Your GBP Was Step One. This Is Step Two.
Congrats, you claimed your Google Business Profile.
You're now ahead of the businesses that haven't. But you're still behind the ones that actually optimized theirs.
And that's where the money is.
The Fields That Actually Move the Needle
Not all GBP fields are created equal. After running 500+ campaigns, here's what we've learned matters most:
Primary category. This is the single biggest ranking factor in your GBP. Choose the most specific category that describes your core service. "Italian Restaurant" beats "Restaurant" every time. (We wrote an entire deep-dive on GBP categories if you want the full breakdown.)
Business description. You get 750 characters. Use them. Weave your primary keywords in naturally — writing for SEO without being robotic applies here too. No keyword stuffing — Google's smarter than that.
Services/Products. List every single service you offer. Add descriptions. Add prices if you can. This is free real estate most businesses leave blank.
Hear me when I say this... your competitors are probably ignoring the services section right now. That's your advantage.
Photos: The Secret Weapon Nobody Talks About
Businesses with more than 100 photos get 520% more calls than the average business.
520%.
Upload photos of your storefront, interior, team, products, and completed work. Geo-tag them before uploading. Name the files descriptively — "chicago-plumber-kitchen-remodel.jpg" not "IMG_4392.jpg."
The Optimization Checklist
Here's your punch list:
Reviews: The Ranking Multiplier
We'll cover reviews in depth in another post, but know this: review quantity, velocity, and your response rate all directly impact your GBP rankings. Google's own Business Profile help documentation confirms it.
Respond to every review. Yes, even the one-star from the person who was clearly at the wrong business. (Our review response strategy shows you exactly what to say.)
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Don't Fly Blind
Tracking 113 SEO tasks across your GBP, website, and off-site presence is a lot. That's exactly why we built SEO Checkup — a free checklist tracker that takes 30 seconds to set up.
No credit card. No fluff. Just the tasks that actually move rankings.