Hello and happy Friday! If you’re a local business owner, you’ve probably created your Google Business Profile and moved on. Maybe you filled in the basics, verified your location, and called it done. But here’s the question: Is your profile actually working for you? Or is it quietly handing business to your competitors? Watch the full video above to learn more.

Most businesses are making critical mistakes with their Google Business Profile without even realizing it. Simple errors like choosing the wrong primary category can cost you every local search for your services. If you’re a roofing contractor and you’ve set your category as ‘Contractor’ instead of ‘Roofing Contractor,’ Google is showing your competitors to potential customers instead of you.

That’s exactly what we want to address in this week’s Friday SEO Tip. Fhul Gerald Asoy, our Senior EEAT Engineer at Boulder SEO Marketing, has optimized over 100 Google Business Profiles for our clients. He’s built our entire GBP audit and optimization framework. And in this tip, he breaks down the five mistakes that are quietly killing your local rankings.

Why Your Google Business Profile Actually Matters

Here’s what most business owners don’t realize. When someone in your area searches for your service, your Google Business Profile appears before organic listings. Before paid ads, in many cases. It’s the first impression potential customers get of your business.

Your Google Business Profile provides free visibility at the exact moment someone is looking for what you offer. That’s why Google Business Profile optimization matters so much. You’re not just filling out a profile. You’re positioning your business to be found when it matters most.

So what are businesses getting wrong? Let’s walk through the five mistakes we see most often.

The Set-It-and-Forget-It Profile

The first mistake businesses make is treating their Google Business Profile like a checkbox. They enter the bare minimum and move on with: 

• Empty description sections
• Missing opening dates
• No product listings
• No service details

Here’s what we see when we audit profiles: businesses have left entire sections blank. Your profile has multiple sections designed to tell Google who you are and what you offer. Each one is an opportunity to improve your visibility. If you’re offering multiple products or services, add them. If you have a business description, write it. The more complete your Google Business profile, the better Google can match you to relevant searches.

Google even gives you a visual indicator. See that orange profile strength meter? That means you have work to do. When it turns green, you’ve optimized the core sections. It’s Google literally telling you whether you’re maximizing your free visibility or leaving it on the table.

The Category Mistake That Hands Business to Competitors

This one costs businesses more visibility than almost anything else. Business Categories are among the most important ranking factors in local search. Google uses them to understand what your business does and when to show you in search results. Get this wrong, and you’re invisible when people search for your services.

There are two types of categories: 

Your primary category is critical. If you’re a roofing contractor and you select ‘contractor’ as your primary category instead of ‘roofing contractor,’ you’ve just handed the advantage to every competitor who did it right. Every time someone searches for roofing services, Google shows your competitors first because they have the right category selected.

Your additional categories matter just as much. If you also offer gutter installation or roof repair services, and you don’t add ‘gutter contractor’ or ‘roof repair service’ as additional categories, you’re missing opportunities. These secondary categories help you appear in more relevant searches and capture customers looking for those specific services.

Here’s what we tell every client: “Search for your service on Google Maps right now. Look at your top three competitors. See what categories they’re using. Those categories are working. If it’s applicable to your business, use them”. 

It’s competitive intelligence sitting right there in the results.

When Your Business Information Doesn’t Match

NAP optimization for local SEO. That’s name, address, and phone number. Whatever you put in your Google Business Profile needs to match exactly what’s on your website. Not approximately. Exactly. Same format, same abbreviations, same phone number.

Why does this matter so much? Google crawls your website and compares it to your Google Business Profile. When the information doesn’t match, Google gets confused about which version is correct. Worse, it might trigger a verification request for your profile, which means downtime while you sort it out. We’ve seen businesses lose weeks of visibility because of inconsistent NAP information.

Most businesses put their address in the footer of their website. Go check your Google Business Profile against that footer right now. If they don’t match, fix it today. This is an easy win that prevents a frustrating problem down the line.

The Silent Treatment on Reviews

Google Reviews are a trust signal. Google looks at them to evaluate your credibility. Potential customers look at them to decide whether to contact you. And here’s what we see constantly: businesses that ignore them completely.

Every review deserves a response. Positive reviews, negative reviews, all of them. When someone leaves a negative review, potential customers are watching how you handle it. They’re not just counting your five-star reviews. They’re seeing whether you respond professionally and offer to resolve issues. That builds trust.

If you’re not actively encouraging clients to leave reviews, start now. Google Business Profile gives you a direct link or QR code you can share. Send it to clients after you complete good work. More reviews build credibility. It’s that simple.

Managing hundreds of reviews across multiple locations? Use the ‘unreplied’ filter in the reviews section. It shows you exactly which reviews haven’t been responded to. No more scrolling through pages of feedback trying to find what you missed.

The Profile That Never Gets Updated

Set-and-forget doesn’t work with Google Business Profile. Google wants to see that your business is active and engaged. Regular posts and updates signal that your business is current and operational. Silent profiles signal the opposite.

You don’t need to post daily. Weekly is fine. Share an update about your business. Promote a special offer. Announce an upcoming event. Add photos from recent projects. The content doesn’t need to be elaborate. It just needs to show activity.

Google Business Profile gives you different post types: updates, offers, and events. If you’re running a promotion this month, create an offer post. If you’re hosting a community event, create an event post. These posts appear directly in your profile and give potential customers more reasons to engage with your business.

What to Do Next

Your Google Business Profile is working for you or against you. There’s no neutral ground. If you’re making any of these five mistakes, you’re giving your competitors an advantage in local search.

We optimize Google Business Profiles every day at Boulder SEO Marketing. It’s one of the most effective ways to improve local visibility. If you want help getting your profile optimized the right way, reach out to us. We’ll audit your profile and show you exactly what needs to be fixed.

Have an amazing Friday and a great weekend.

Stay safe and healthy,

Cheers,

The Boulder SEO Marketing Team