Google Business Profile audit: a 12-point checklist you can run yourself
Your Google listing is set up and verified, yet it brings in hardly any calls. It is rarely one big mistake. More often it is five or six small ones the owner never notices, because they only ever see the listing from the inside, in edit mode. Below are 12 checks that take an hour and a half to two hours: for each, how to check, what the problem looks like and how to fix it. To create and run a profile from scratch, see our separate guide; this one is only about diagnosis.
This article is general guidance. Google changes its interface and rules several times a year; the primary source is the help centre at support.google.com/business. There are no affiliate links in this article.
What you need
An hour and a half to two hours, a computer and a phone. Open your browser in incognito mode so that Google does not mix your past searches into the results. It still takes your location into account, though — more on that in point 1. Also, write down three competitors who rank above you for your service before you start: they are your benchmark.
Record the result of each check in a word or two: “fine”, “to fix”, “urgent”. By the end, that list becomes your plan.
1. Search for yourself the way a customer does
How to checkDo not type your business name. Type what a customer types: the service plus the town or neighbourhood — “manucure Lyon 7”, “plombier Montreuil”, “création site internet Nice”. Look at the map block in the search results, then run the same search in Google Maps.
Results depend heavily on where the search is made from, and incognito mode does not change that. To see them as a customer in another area would, move the Google Maps view to that area and click “Search this area”. Paid tools such as Local Falcon show a grid of your positions across the whole area, but you do not need them for a self-check.
The problemYour listing shows up when you search its name, but not for the service. So Google knows you exist, but either does not understand what you do or thinks others are a better answer.
What to doThis check does not fix anything on its own — it tells you how serious the other points are. The cause is usually the category, the services and the reviews: points 3, 7 and 9.
2. Make sure there is only one listing
How to checkIn Google Maps, search for your phone number, your address and your old name if you have renamed the business. Duplicates appear after a move, when an employee or contractor once created a listing, or when a customer added the place themselves.
The problemTwo listings split the reviews and calls between them, and both rank lower. A special case is an old listing marked “Permanently closed” that still comes up when people search your phone number.
What to doFirst decide which listing to keep: the one that matches the business as it is now and has more reviews, not the one that is easiest to log into. Do not delete the extra one, even if it is yours: deleting it wipes its photos and posts, but the place may stay on the map, and its reviews do not move to the main listing. They only move over in a merge, so contact Google Business Profile support and ask them to merge the duplicate into your main listing. If you have no access to the duplicate, you can suggest an edit in Maps and flag the place as a duplicate, but that does not always work; support is more reliable. Before doing anything, take screenshots of both listings and their reviews.
3. Compare your primary category with your competitors’
How to checkThe primary category appears right under the name on the listing. Open the listings of the three competitors who rank above you and write down their categories.
The problemYour category is broad, theirs is precise: “Magasin” (shop) versus “Fleuriste” (florist), “Restaurant” versus “Restaurant italien”. The primary category decides which searches the listing can appear for at all, and it is the most common reason for failing point 1.
What to doPick the most precise category on Google’s list for whatever earns you most of your money. Add secondary categories only for things you genuinely do. A category change goes through a Google review: a few minutes at best, up to 30 days according to the help centre. And changing the primary category, name or address can trigger re-verification of the listing. So change one field at a time, and not right before a holiday period.
4. Name, profile type and address: nothing that gets you suspended
How to checkStart with the status: in edit mode, the listing should be verified, with no warnings about policy violations or suspension. Then look at it as a Google reviewer would. Is the name only the real business name, as on your sign and in the business register? If customers do not come to you, is the address hidden, with a service area set instead?
The problemA town or a list of services in the name (“Studio Léa — onglerie Lyon pas cher”), a home address on the map for someone who does not receive customers at home. It may work for now, but these are textbook reasons for suspension, and a suspension means losing control of the listing.
What to doBring it in line with the rules before Google does it for you. Each field is covered in detail in our Google Business Profile guide, in the section “Name, address, category”.
5. Check that your name, address and phone match everywhere
How to checkCopy the name, address and phone number from the listing and compare them word for word with your website (footer and contact page), Pages Jaunes (the French Yellow Pages), your social media and the official company record on annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr.
The problemDifferent phone numbers, an old address on the website, “bis” in one place and not in another, different names. Google cross-checks data across the web, and these mismatches look like two different businesses.
What to doChoose one way of writing them and use it everywhere, starting with your website: you can edit that yourself, and quickly.
6. Opening hours and special hours for upcoming bank holidays
How to checkDo the hours on the listing match your real ones? Have you set special hours for the upcoming bank holidays — 1 and 11 November, 25 December, 1 January — and for your own holidays?
The problemA customer who turns up to a locked door does not come back, and often leaves a review. And if you do not keep your hours up to date, Google may change them itself, based on directory sites or user suggestions.
What to doSet special hours for the next three months now, and add a reminder to do it every quarter.
7. Services and description in your customers’ words
How to checkIs the list of services filled in? Are they worded the way people search for them — “pose de vernis semi-permanent” rather than “beauté des mains”? Does the description say what you do, for whom and in which area? Are the attributes ticked — card payment, pushchair access, online booking — and is there a booking or appointment link, if you take bookings?
The problemAn empty services section, or three generic words. Google has shut down Questions & Answers on listings and now answers users’ questions itself, building the answer from your services, description, reviews and photos. If it is not on the listing, it will not be in the answer. If Maps offers you a button to ask Google a question about the place, ask it two or three questions your customers ask, and see what it replies.
What to doAdd every real service with a one-line description, in French. Rewrite the description for a person, not as a string of keywords.
8. Photos: how many, which ones and whose
How to checkOpen all the photos on the listing. When was the last one added? Are the logo and cover photo in place? What does someone see in the first three? Are there poor or unrelated shots among the customer photos?
The problemThe latest photo is a year old, stock images, a single shot of the shopfront in the dark. Photos added by customers also appear on the listing, and sometimes they are the worst thing out there about you.
What to doAdd five to ten real photos: the place, your work, yourself, plus the logo and cover photo. After that, two or three a month. You cannot remove other people’s photos yourself: you can report inappropriate ones straight from the listing, but removal is not guaranteed. The best antidote is enough good photos of your own.
9. Reviews as a customer sees them, compared with competitors
How to checkWrite down for yourself and the three competitors: the number of reviews, the average rating, the date of the latest review and how many of the last ten got a reply.
The problemYour competitors have 60 reviews each, you have 8. Your latest review is six months old. Bad reviews sit unanswered. Customers compare listings side by side on the same screen, and the one that looks abandoned loses.
What to doReply to every unanswered review, starting with the bad ones. Make asking for a review part of your routine after every job: ask every customer in the same way and offer nothing in return. What is allowed and what is not, including under French law: see our Google Business Profile guide.
10. Edits you did not make
How to checkOpen the listing in edit mode and look for a notification about Google updates or edits suggested by users. Google changes profile information itself if other sources suggest it is out of date, and the editor flags those fields separately.
The problemSomeone else’s phone number, a link to your old website, different hours or a “closed” status that appeared without you doing anything. Since September 2026, Google’s help centre has said that the owner has 4 days to respond to a suggested edit, and if they do not, Google may publish it itself when public sources back it up. Some edits are applied without any prior review at all.
What to doAccept the correct edits, reject the wrong ones and replace them with your own information. Checking once a month is not enough here: turn on email notifications in the profile settings so that you hear about edits straight away.
11. Who has access to the listing
How to checkIn the profile settings, open the list of people with access. Who is the owner? Are there former employees on it, the contractor who built your website three years ago, an agency you no longer work with?
The problemThe primary owner of the listing is not you but your contractor’s email address. While the relationship is good, you will not notice. When it ends, only they can hand the listing over.
What to doWhile you are still in touch with the contractor, ask them to add your Google account as an owner and, 7 days later, to transfer primary ownership to you: Google does not allow it any sooner. If the contractor does not respond, you are left with requesting ownership through Google: the current owner gets a few days to reply, and if that fails, recovery drags on for weeks. Remove former employees and agencies from the list, and give the people who work with you now the manager role.
12. The website link and listing statistics
How to checkClick the website link on the listing: does it open, is it the right page and the right language? Does the link have a UTM tag? Then open the profile statistics (Performance) for the last six months: calls, directions, website clicks and the searches people used to find you.
The problemThe link leads to a page that no longer exists, or to the home page in another language. Without a UTM tag, visits from the listing get mixed in with ordinary search in your website statistics. The searches are mostly your name, not your services: the listing is only being found by people who already know you.
What to doPoint the link at the right page with the tag utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp. The visits will stay in the organic search channel but will be separated from other search traffic by the campaign name. How to set up analytics on your website is covered in our micro-entrepreneur website guide. Write down the searches shown in Performance: in three months, they will tell you whether your fixes worked.
What to fix first
Not in numerical order, but by what you stand to lose.
First: the risks
Access (11), anything that gets you suspended (4), edits by others (10), duplicates (2). These can cost you the whole listing.
Next: customers you are losing right now
Hours and bank holidays (6), a broken link and inconsistent contact details (12, 5).
Last: visibility
Category (3), services and description (7), reviews (9), photos (8). The effect takes a few weeks to show.
Most fixes take an evening. Reviews take longest: you cannot “fix” them, only build them up, and that takes months.
The checklist on one screen
Copy it and mark each point: “fine”, “to fix” or “urgent”.
- The listing shows up for your service and area, not just your name.
- There is only one listing: no duplicates or old “Permanently closed” ones.
- Your primary category is no broader than those of competitors ranking above you.
- The listing is verified with no warnings; no town or services in the name; the address is hidden if customers do not visit.
- Name, address and phone match on your website, in directories and on annuaire-entreprises.
- Hours are correct, with special hours set for upcoming bank holidays and your own time off.
- Services, description, attributes and booking link are filled in.
- There is a logo, a cover photo and recent, genuine photos.
- You have at least as many reviews as competitors, the latest ones are recent, and each has a reply.
- No pending edits from Google or users; notifications are on.
- You are the primary owner; nobody unnecessary has access.
- The website link works, leads to the right page and has a UTM tag.
When it is better to have the audit done for you
A self-check is good at catching the obvious. It is less good at what only shows up when you compare: why a competitor with fewer reviews ranks higher, which category to choose when three fit, and which of your findings will pay off fastest.
If you would like me to do it, a website and Google listing audit starts at €90; I give you the exact price after a short description of what you need. You send me the links to your listing and website, I go through these points and look at how people find you in local searches. You get a prioritised list of fixes that you can make yourself.
Correct as of 8 October 2026. Google Business Profile rules and interface: help centre at support.google.com/business; rules for the name, address and reviews, including French law on fake reviews: our Google Business Profile guide. Button labels change — if you cannot find the one you need, look for it by meaning in the profile settings.
Done the check — what next?
Send me the link to your listing and what you found. I’ll tell you which fixes will make the biggest difference fastest.
Want your whole situation looked at?
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