Most local businesses haven't looked at their Google Business Profile settings in months or years. An unoptimized profile costs you calls, direction requests, and customers you never knew you missed. This checklist covers the most common issues we find when auditing GBP profiles for businesses in Smyrna, Murfreesboro, and La Vergne.
Part 1: Basic Information
Business name
Your GBP name should match exactly what's on your storefront, website, and invoices. Don't add keywords to your business name (e.g., "Joe's Plumbing: Emergency Plumber Murfreesboro"). Google may suspend your listing for name policy violations.
Primary category
Is your primary category the most specific accurate description of your business? "Dentist" is fine. "Pediatric Dentist" is better if that's your specialty. Check that your secondary categories cover the main services customers search for.
Address and service area
If you serve customers at their location (HVAC, landscaping, cleaning), set your profile to service-area mode and list every city or zip code you cover. If customers come to you, verify your map pin is in the right location. A pin dropped a half-mile from your actual address will cost you foot traffic.
Phone number and website URL
Verify the phone number is current and reaches a live person during your listed hours. Link your website URL to the most relevant page. A business advertising teeth whitening should link to the teeth whitening service page, not the homepage.
Hours
Are your hours current, including holiday hours? An outdated "Closed" listing on a day you're open is an invisible revenue leak. Google lets customers see your posted hours before they decide whether to call.
Part 2: Review Health
- Review response rate: What percentage of your reviews have a response? Anything below 80% is a ranking problem. 100% is the target.
- Average rating: Below 4.0 requires a recovery strategy. 4.0-4.4 is competitive. 4.5+ is strong. A suspicious 5.0 with few reviews often performs worse than an authentic 4.3 with 50+ responses.
- Most recent review: If your last review was more than 30 days ago, you're not actively requesting reviews from customers.
- Unanswered negative reviews: Scan for any one or two-star reviews without a response. These are your most urgent fix, visible to every potential customer who considers your business.
Part 3: Content and Activity
Google Posts
When did you last publish a Google Post? If it was more than 14 days ago, your profile has gone quiet. Posts don't need to be elaborate. A brief update about hours, a seasonal offer, or a community note is enough to signal activity to Google.
Photos
Do you have at least 10 photos? Are they high resolution? Do they show your actual space, team, or product rather than stock photography? Google favors profiles with recent, real photos over those with none or outdated images. Businesses with photos receive 42% more direction requests and 35% more website clicks than those without, according to Google's own data.
Services and Attributes
Are your primary services listed with accurate descriptions? This content is indexed by Google and directly influences which searches your profile surfaces for. Attributes — service areas, hours, amenities, and specialty flags — tell Google what your business is and who it serves. Both should be reviewed and updated whenever your offerings change.
Products or services
If your GBP profile type supports it, are your primary services or products listed with descriptions and prices? This content is indexed by Google and can help you surface in more specific searches beyond your business name.
Part 4: Competitor Comparison
Before calling your GBP "optimized," search for your primary service in Google Maps. Look at the top three results and ask:
- How many reviews do they have versus you?
- What's their response rate?
- How recently did they post?
- What categories are they listed under?
- What photos do they have that you don't?
The gaps you identify are your roadmap. Every area where a competitor is more active is an area where you can take their visibility.
What to Do With Your Audit Results
Work through the checklist in order of priority: basic information first (fixes take 10 minutes and have immediate impact), then review health (takes longer but compounds over time), then content and competitor analysis.
If you want a professional version of this audit, reviewed against your top three local competitors with a written breakdown of exactly what's costing you customers, LumienHQ offers a free GBP audit for Rutherford County businesses. We'll send you a written report within 48 hours of receiving your profile details. No sales call required.