Google Business Profile audit: find the break before you edit

1. Confirm access to the existing profile

The public listing shows what customers see. The management view shows what you can change and whether an account issue needs attention.

If you can't manage the existing profile, record that first. Follow the ownership or verification process Google presents. Don't create a duplicate profile to work around an access problem. Google's general rule is one profile per business, with specific exceptions for eligible departments and practitioners. Read Google's representation guidelines.

Save a dated screenshot before editing. Write down the actual problem: “The website button opens our old service page” is something you can check again.

2. Compare the details with the real business

Check the name against your website, signage and paperwork. Use the name customers know. Adding service or city keywords that aren't part of the real name can break Google's rules.

Review the address or service area, phone number and hours. Include special hours when your availability changes. Then read the category and services together. Do they describe the work your business actually performs?

Google asks you to select an accurate category from its available list. You can't create a new category, and you shouldn't choose one for every individual service. This audit is a check for mismatches, not a reason to change an accurate category. Google's category guidance.

3. Follow the website and contact path

Tap the website button on your phone. Read the page it opens. Can you tell what the business does, where it works and how to make contact?

In the video's fictional example, the electrical contractor's listing leads to an outdated service page. The link loads, but the page leaves the customer unsure whether the company does the work they need.

Test your own phone button and form. Coordinate with whoever receives inquiries, use contact details you control and label the message as a test. Confirm it reaches the intended inbox. A thank-you screen alone doesn't prove delivery.

Record the destination and what happened. Keep separate notes for a broken link, outdated information and a failed contact route. Each needs a different repair.

4. Check what a customer sees

Look at the photos and review replies. Do they help a stranger understand your work and how you communicate?

Use observations another person could check. “These photos show our previous premises” tells you what needs attention. Leave accurate information alone. You don't need extra edits to make an audit worthwhile.

5. Save a baseline before repairs

Record the date range and performance fields available in your management view. Google doesn't show every metric for every business. Keep its labels intact.

In particular, the calls metric counts clicks on the profile's call button. It doesn't establish that someone completed a call or booked a job. Website clicks count clicks on the website link. Check Google's metric definitions.

Your own records tell you about answered calls, qualified inquiries and booked work. Compare similar periods and note holidays, advertising or seasonal demand. More inquiries after an edit do not, by themselves, establish that the edit caused the increase.

6. Choose a repair and record the result

Give a wrong phone number or unusable contact destination attention before polishing a section that already works. Assign each repair to someone who can make it and explain how you'll check it.

For the fictional contractor, the owner confirms the current service page, updates the link and follows the public link after the change appears. That verifies the repair. Business records are still needed to assess any effect on inquiries.

Common questions

Can a working website link still cause a problem?

Yes. A page can load while describing the wrong service or making contact difficult. Test the customer's next step as well as the link.

Should I change everything at once?

Start with a documented problem and a repair you can check. Keep a change log and a baseline so later comparisons are easier to interpret.

Is Main Street Scoreboard a Google ranking score?

No. It's an independent assessment of public business and website information. It doesn't measure workmanship or establish the revenue effect of a profile edit. Read the findings, their dates and the assessment limitations.