1
Profile completeness
Your categories, description, hours, phone number, website, services, and address all help Google understand when your listing is relevant.
Local SEO checklist
Free Google Business Profile audit for local businesses
If customers search for your service and your business is not showing on Google Maps, your Google Business Profile may be missing the signals Google and customers rely on. Use this guide to understand what to check, then run a free Pulse+ audit to find your highest-priority fixes.
No ranking guarantees, no spam tactics — just a practical profile check and a prioritized action list.
GBP visibility snapshotExample
62
profile score
8
priority fixes
Missing secondary servicesHigh impact
Review replies are inconsistentTrust signal
Photo activity looks staleClick signal
Pulse+ turns profile data into a simple score so you can fix the basics before customers choose a competitor.
What an audit checks
A useful GBP audit finds the gaps that keep local searchers from choosing you.
A Google Business Profile audit is not just a quick look at whether your listing exists. The best audits review the details that influence visibility, trust, and conversion when someone searches “near me” or compares businesses in Google Maps.
2
Review strength
A healthy audit looks at review count, average rating, recency, and whether owner replies show active customer care.
3
Photo freshness
Recent, high-quality photos can make a listing feel trustworthy before a customer ever reaches your website.
4
Local search signals
Category fit, keyword clarity, business details, and competitor context all shape whether you appear for high-intent local searches.
Maps visibility
Why is my business not showing on Google?
Local results are competitive. Google has to decide which businesses are relevant, nearby, and prominent enough to show. A weak or incomplete profile makes that decision harder.
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The primary category is too broad, missing, or weaker than nearby competitors.
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The listing lacks useful details such as services, attributes, business hours, or a clear description.
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Competitors have more recent reviews, stronger ratings, or more consistent owner responses.
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Photos, posts, and profile updates have gone stale, which can reduce trust and clicks.
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Your business name or location may not match how customers search in Google Maps.
How to rank higher on Google Maps
Fix what customers and Google can actually see.
The fastest wins usually come from cleaning up the listing itself: clearer categories, stronger service details, better review habits, and fresh proof that your business is active. Pulse+ helps you prioritize those fixes instead of guessing.
- 1Start with the biggest profile gaps before chasing advanced local SEO tactics.
- 2Use the exact services and neighbourhood terms customers type into Google Maps.
- 3Ask happy customers for honest reviews and reply to each review in a specific, helpful way.
- 4Add fresh photos regularly so searchers can see your location, team, products, and results.
Start here
Run your free Google Business Profile audit now.
Enter your business name on the Pulse+ homepage. We will generate a visibility score and show the first fixes to review before you decide whether you need the full report.
Go to the audit formYou will leave with:
- ✓A simple score for your current profile strength.
- ✓Plain-English issues that may hurt Google Maps visibility.
- ✓A focused checklist for what to improve first.