Google Business Profile Audit

What You'll Need

Access to your Google Business Profile dashboard, Google Search Console account, and ideally admin access to all location profiles if you're auditing a multi-location business. You'll also need BrightLocal and Local Falcon accounts for competitive analysis and ranking tracking.

Step 1: Profile Completeness Assessment

Time: 30 minutes | Tool: BrightLocal Log into BrightLocal and navigate to the "Local Search Audit" tool. Enter your business name and primary location to generate a completeness score. The tool scans 15+ profile elements including business hours, phone numbers, website URL, category selections, and attribute settings. Pay special attention to the "Critical Missing Elements" section which highlights fields that directly impact local pack rankings. Common gaps include missing service areas for service-based businesses, incomplete holiday hours, and underutilized Google Posts. Document each missing element with its current completion percentage - anything below 90% needs immediate attention. For multi-location businesses, run this audit for your top 5-10 locations to identify patterns. If 70% of locations are missing the same attribute, that becomes your highest-priority fix.

Step 2: NAP Consistency Verification

Time: 45 minutes | Tool: BrightLocal Use BrightLocal's "Citation Tracker" to scan how your Name, Address, and Phone number appear across 100+ local directories and websites. The tool automatically flags inconsistencies like abbreviated vs. spelled-out street names, suite number variations, and phone number formatting differences. Export the findings to a spreadsheet and categorize discrepancies by severity. Major issues include completely different addresses or phone numbers, while minor issues cover formatting variations. Create a master NAP format that matches your Google Business Profile exactly - this becomes your template for all citation corrections. Check your Google Search Console account for any "Address parsing issues" in the Performance report. These warnings indicate Google is having trouble understanding your location data, which directly impacts local search visibility.

Step 3: Category and Keyword Analysis

Time: 30 minutes | Tool: Local Falcon Open Local Falcon and create a new project for your business location. Set up tracking for your primary target keywords across a 5-mile radius from your business. The tool reveals your current ranking positions and identifies which competitors appear most frequently in local results. Analyze your current Google Business Profile categories against competitor profiles that consistently outrank you. Many businesses select overly broad primary categories when more specific options would better match search intent. For example, "Restaurant" is less effective than "Italian Restaurant" if that's your specialty. Document the top 3 competitors for each target keyword and note their category selections, especially secondary categories. Google allows up to 10 categories total, and strategic secondary category selection often determines who appears for related search queries.

Step 4: Review Signal Assessment

Time: 20 minutes | Tool: Google Business Profile Dashboard Access your Google Business Profile insights to analyze review velocity, average rating, and response patterns. Compare your review count and rating against the top 3 competitors identified in Step 3. Local pack rankings heavily favor businesses with consistent review generation and high response rates. Check for review response consistency - unanswered reviews older than one week signal poor customer service to both Google and potential customers. Calculate your average monthly review acquisition over the past 6 months to establish your baseline performance. Identify review content themes using the keyword filter in your GBP dashboard. Reviews that naturally include your target keywords provide additional relevance signals for local search queries.

Step 5: Visual Content Audit

Time: 25 minutes | Tool: Google Business Profile Dashboard Evaluate your photo performance in the GBP insights section, focusing on photo views and customer-uploaded image ratios. Businesses with regular photo uploads and high customer engagement typically rank higher in local pack results. Count your current photos by category: exterior shots, interior views, product images, team photos, and logo variations. Google recommends at least 3 photos in each category for optimal performance. Note the upload dates to identify content freshness gaps - photos older than 6 months may need refreshing. Check for consistent branding across all visual content. Mixed branding styles or outdated logos create trust issues that impact click-through rates from local search results.

Step 6: Local Search Console Integration

Time: 30 minutes | Tool: Google Search Console In Google Search Console, navigate to the "Performance" report and filter by "Search Appearance" to show only local results. This reveals which queries trigger your business in local pack and map results versus organic listings. Analyze the "Queries" tab to identify high-impression, low-click opportunities. These represent search terms where you're visible but not compelling enough to earn clicks. Cross-reference these queries with your GBP categories and business description to identify optimization opportunities. Export the past 3 months of local search data and calculate your average position for target keywords. Positions 4-6 in local results often indicate GBP optimization issues rather than broader local SEO problems, making them prime candidates for quick wins.

Common Pitfalls

• Running audits on individual locations without considering multi-location consistency patterns that affect overall brand authority
• Focusing only on missing profile elements while ignoring competitor analysis that reveals why similar businesses outperform yours
• Overlooking Google Posts and Q&A sections which increasingly influence local pack rankings but often get skipped in basic audits
• Assuming high overall ratings compensate for poor review response rates, when Google specifically tracks management responsiveness as a ranking factor

Expected Results

A complete audit reveals 15-25 specific optimization opportunities ranked by implementation difficulty and potential impact. Most businesses discover 3-5 critical issues causing immediate ranking losses, plus 8-12 enhancement opportunities for competitive advantage. Track improvements through Local Falcon position monitoring and Google Business Profile insights over the following 4-6 weeks, expecting to see measurable ranking improvements for 60% of target keywords after implementing high-priority fixes.