Overview
What this task involves
A quarterly check and update of everything on the client's Google Business Profile. This includes making sure the profile has no incomplete fields, reviewing business categories against the current service offering, refreshing photos, publishing a GBP post, responding to unanswered reviews, cleaning up Q&A, and verifying NAP data matches the website and citation record.
For multi-location clients, every step is repeated for each location. Budget an extra 30–45 minutes per additional location.
Why it matters
GBP is the dominant local-search surface — for many service businesses, the map pack drives more leads than the organic listing. Active profiles with complete data outrank neglected ones, and stale profiles lose ranking even when on-site SEO is strong.
A quarterly cadence catches category drift, photo staleness, and review accumulation before they compound into ranking loss or reputation damage.
What you need before starting
- GBP Manager access — confirm your Google account has manager or owner access to the client's GBP listing. If not, request it before the quarter's task is due.
- Client's master NAP record — the canonical business name, address, and phone number stored in the client's Drive folder or Zoho. Do not rely on memory.
- Last quarter's Zoho comment — review what was updated last time so you can track progression and avoid re-doing work that's already been done.
- The client's website — open in a separate tab. You'll cross-reference services, opening hours, and the map embed during the check.
Profile Completeness
Google prompts you to "complete your profile" — use this as your checklist, then go deeper than Google suggests.
Open the profile in GBP Manager
Go to business.google.com and open the client's listing. Look for any orange or red "incomplete" prompts at the top of the dashboard or on individual sections. These are your first action items.
- Business name — matches the master NAP exactly, no keyword stuffing
- Address — matches the master NAP (or "service area" for mobile/visiting businesses)
- Phone number — matches master NAP
- Website URL — points to the correct page (homepage or location-specific landing page)
- Opening hours — current and accurate, including holiday hours if applicable
- Business description — filled in (max 750 characters), not just a list of keywords
- Services or products section — populated with the client's actual service offering
- Attributes — relevant attributes selected (e.g. "Online appointments", "Free Wi-Fi", "Wheelchair accessible")
Update the business description if stale
Read the existing description. If it was written at onboarding and no longer reflects the current service offering, update it. Keep it factual and readable — Google will reject keyword-stuffed or promotional descriptions. Include the primary service, location, and one or two differentiators.
Example: "Melbourne-based roofing contractor specialising in residential re-roofing, guttering, and roof restoration. Servicing the inner east and southeastern suburbs since 1998. Licensed, insured, and 5-star rated."
Categories
Review the primary category
The primary category is the single most important ranking factor on GBP. It tells Google what type of business this is. Open the profile's "Edit profile" panel and check the primary category against the client's actual core service.
- Is the primary category the most specific option available? "Roofing contractor" beats "Contractor" — always use the most specific relevant category.
- Has the client's offering changed since onboarding? If they've added or dropped a service, the category may need updating.
- Cross-check against top local competitors — what primary category are the top-ranking businesses using? If it differs from yours, investigate whether a category change is warranted.
Review secondary categories
GBP allows up to nine additional categories. Review the current list and ask: does each category still reflect a real service the client offers? Add categories for services not yet represented, and remove any that no longer apply.
Photos
Audit existing photos
Open the Photos tab in GBP Manager. Check the date on the most recent upload. If no new photos have been added in the past three months, the profile is considered stale by Google's activity signals.
- Are there any blurry, dark, or low-quality photos? Flag them for removal.
- Are there user-contributed photos that are inaccurate, off-brand, or offensive? Flag for removal via the "Report a problem" option.
- Does the cover photo still represent the business well? It is the first thing prospects see in the map pack.
- Is the logo photo current? Clients rebrand — check it matches the current logo on the website.
Upload new photos
Request fresh photos from the client if the library is stale. Aim to upload at least 3–5 new photos each quarter. If the client can't provide new photos, use high-quality shots from the website or previous shoots — as long as they are genuinely of the business.
Do not use stock photos. Google can detect them, and users can flag them. Upload only genuine images of the client's business.
GBP Post
GBP posts are a direct activity signal to Google. At minimum, publish one post per quarter. For high-tier clients, monthly is better.
Choose a post type and topic
GBP offers several post types — Update, Offer, and Event. For most quarterly posts, "Update" is appropriate. Choose a topic that is timely and relevant to the client's business this quarter.
Write and publish the post
Keep the post between 150–300 words. Include a photo. Add a call-to-action button (Learn more, Call now, Book online — whichever is most appropriate). Include the client's primary keyword naturally in the text.
Do not publish posts that read as pure keyword lists. Write for the reader first — a local customer who sees this post in the map pack or on the GBP profile page.
Reviews & Q&A
Respond to all unresponded reviews
Open the Reviews tab. Filter to show unresponded reviews. Respond to every review that has not yet been addressed — positive and negative.
- Positive reviews — thank the reviewer by name if possible, reference what they mentioned specifically, keep it brief and genuine. Do not use a copy-paste template.
- Negative reviews — acknowledge the concern, do not be defensive, invite them to resolve privately (provide a direct contact). Never argue publicly. If the review is clearly fake or violates Google's policies, flag it for removal.
- Neutral / mixed reviews — treat like a negative: acknowledge, thank, and offer to follow up.
Check the Q&A section
Open the Q&A tab on the public GBP listing (not just the Manager view — check it as a user would see it). Look for:
- Unanswered questions — respond to any that don't have a business owner answer
- Outdated answers — if the client's hours, pricing, or services have changed, find and update any answers that are now inaccurate
- Spam or inappropriate questions — flag these for removal
- Opportunities to add your own questions and answers proactively — common customer questions that aren't already in the Q&A are worth adding yourself
NAP & Map Embed
Verify NAP consistency
NAP — Name, Address, Phone — must match exactly across GBP, the client's website, and the citation record. Even small discrepancies (e.g. "St" vs "Street", or a phone number with and without the area code) send mixed signals to Google and can suppress local rankings.
- Check the GBP listing NAP against the master NAP record
- Check the NAP displayed in the website footer, contact page, and About page
- If any discrepancy exists, update the less-accurate source to match the master record — do not change the master record without client confirmation
Check the map embed on the website
Open the client's website contact page and check that the embedded Google Map is pointing to the correct GBP listing — not a generic pin on the address. The correct embed comes from the GBP listing's "Share" option, not from Google Maps directly searching the address.
- Click on the embedded map and confirm it opens the correct GBP profile (with the correct business name, photo, and reviews)
- If the embed is a plain Google Maps address pin rather than the GBP listing, flag for a developer fix
- For multi-location clients, check that each location page on the website embeds the correct location's GBP, not the head office listing
Log & Report
Add a Zoho comment
Once all steps are complete, add a comment to the relevant Zoho task. The comment must include a per-item summary of what was done — not a vague "GBP updated".
Flag anything requiring Melbourne action
Some issues cannot be resolved by Hanoi — they need client confirmation or developer work. Flag these explicitly in the Zoho comment with a clear action item for Melbourne.
- Address change requiring Google verification
- Negative review that may warrant a direct client response or legal review
- Map embed fix requiring developer access to the site
- Client has not supplied new photos for multiple quarters — Melbourne to chase
- Significant drop in reviews or rating since last quarter — escalate
Standards Checklist
Confirm every item before marking the task complete.
Profile completeness
Categories, photos, posts
Reviews, Q&A, NAP
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why it's a problem | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Logging "GBP updated" as the Zoho comment | Tells Melbourne and the client nothing. The next person to pick up this client has no idea what was done or what was skipped. | Write a line for each section — even if it's "No change required this quarter." Specificity is what makes the log useful over time. |
| Using stock or competitor photos | Google can detect stock images and users can flag them. At best, it looks misleading. At worst, it triggers a listing suspension. | Upload only genuine photos of the client's business. Chase the client for photos rather than substituting. |
| Keyword-stuffing the business name | "ABC Plumbing — Sydney Plumber Emergency 24hr" violates Google's guidelines and can trigger a suspension. The business name in GBP must match the real-world business name. | Use the exact legal or trading name. Keywords belong in the description, categories, and services — not the name field. |
| Ignoring negative reviews | Unanswered negative reviews stay visible indefinitely and signal to prospects that the business doesn't care about customer experience. | Respond to every negative review within the quarter — acknowledge, don't argue, offer to resolve offline. |
| Changing the primary category without tracking it | A category change can affect rankings significantly. If you don't log it, it's impossible to attribute any subsequent ranking change to the category shift. | Always note category changes in the Zoho comment with the old and new category name. |
| Not checking the public listing view | GBP Manager and the public profile do not always show the same content. User-suggested edits, auto-applied changes, and Q&A content only appear on the public view. | Always check the public listing (google.com/maps search for the business name) as part of the quarterly review, not just the Manager backend. |