The Google Business Profile checklist for local businesses

Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees, before your website and before they call. Most businesses set it up once and never touch it again. This checklist covers setup and a simple monthly routine, updated for the changes Google made in late 2025 and 2026.

What changed recently

• Questions and Answers is gone. Google removed the Q&A section from business profiles in late 2025. Customer questions are now answered by Google’s AI, drawing on your description, services, reviews and website. So the answers to common questions need to be written in those places.
• The review link moved. You now find it under Read reviews → Get more reviews, per Google’s help page. The QR code can only be created on a computer.
• AI tools read your profile. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey found 45% of consumers use AI tools to find local businesses. A complete, accurate profile helps there too.

Setup checklist

• Business name exactly as in the real world, with no added keywords.
• Primary category: the most specific one for your main service (“Roofing contractor”, not “Contractor”).
• Secondary categories for other services you really offer.
• Address or service areas: storefronts show an address; businesses that go to customers can hide it and list areas instead.
• Phone, website and hours, including holiday hours, matching your website exactly.
• Every service listed separately, with a short description each.
• Description that says what you do, for whom, where, and the questions customers always ask (“Do you work weekends?” “Are you insured?”).
• Attributes that apply, such as online booking or onsite services.
• Booking or quote link, if you take bookings online.
• Photos: logo, cover, your team, your vehicles or premises, and real work.

Write your “missing Q&A” into your profile and website

Because the Q&A section is gone, make a list of the ten questions customers ask you most, then:

1. Put short answers to the top three or four in your profile description.
2. Put all ten on your website, on a page or section titled “Questions”.
3. Answer them in your posts over the following weeks.

Monthly routine (about an hour)

1. Photos: add new photos of real work, ideally every week.
2. Posts: publish one a week: a recent job, a seasonal reminder, an offer or tip.
3. Reviews: request a review after every job and reply to every new one. See how to get more reviews and how to reply.
4. Accuracy: check hours, phone and services. Update holiday hours in advance.
5. Position check: search your main service plus “near me” from two or three customer areas and note where you appear.

Keep your details the same everywhere

Make sure your name, address and phone number match on your website, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp and any industry directories. Claim the free listings on Apple Business Connect and Bing Places: some AI assistants and map apps rely on them, not just Google.