Your Google Business Profile is working if it is showing up in the top three local results for your primary service search, generating consistent phone calls and direction requests each month, and earning at least a few new reviews per quarter. You can check all three in the free Performance tab inside your Google Business Profile dashboard. If any of those three things are not happening, the profile needs attention.
Most small business owners set up a Google Business Profile once, forget about it, and assume it is doing something. Sometimes it is. Often it is not. The good news is that Google gives you the data to know for sure, and most fixes take less than two hours.
Here is how to read the signals and what to do about them.
Impressions -- how many times your profile appeared in Google Search or Maps results. For a service business in a local market like Naples or Marco Island, fewer than 200 impressions per month suggests your profile is not showing up in relevant searches.
Interactions -- the number of times someone clicked "call," "get directions," or visited your website directly from your profile. Fewer than 15 per month for a local service business is a sign the profile needs work, regardless of how many impressions it gets.
Review count and recency -- total reviews and when the most recent one came in. No new reviews in 60 days is a flag.
More important than total count is recency. Google weights reviews from the past 90 days more heavily than a large volume of old ones. A business with 8 reviews in the last three months will often outrank one with 80 reviews that stopped coming in two years ago. Aim for at least one new review per month as a floor to maintain momentum.
You do not appear when you search for your service plus your city on a phone you have not used before (to rule out personalization).
Impressions dropped more than 20 percent over the past 90 days compared to the prior period.
No new reviews have come in over the past 60 days.
Your category, service area, or hours have not been updated in over a year -- or they were never fully filled in.
Fewer than 10 photos, or the most recent photo was uploaded more than two years ago.
1. Update your primary category to the most specific one that fits your business. "Pool cleaning service" will outperform "home services." "Roofing contractor" beats "contractor." The category tells Google exactly when to show you.
2. Add five to ten recent photos. Photos of your work, your team, or your location signal to Google that the business is active. Recent photos also help potential customers confirm they are looking at the right place.
3. Confirm your hours are current. Incorrect hours are one of the fastest ways to lose a potential customer and damage your profile's trust signals with Google.
4. Text your last five satisfied customers a direct review link. Do not email a newsletter. Send a personal text. "Hey, would really appreciate a Google review if you have a minute -- here is the link." Most people will do it the same day.
Use the same service terms across your website, your profile description, and the review requests you send to customers. When all three sources say the same thing, Google has more confidence in what search queries to show you for.
A well-configured Google Business Profile costs nothing and takes a few hours to get right. For small businesses in Southwest Florida, it is often the highest-return action available -- ahead of paid ads, social media posting, or a new website. It is also the thing most business owners have been putting off for two years.
Not sure if your profile is set up to actually drive calls?
Buoyant Operations, based in Marco Island and Naples, FL, helps small business owners across Southwest Florida audit and improve their local digital presence as part of a broader visibility and operations practice. Start with a free 30-minute call.
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