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How to Conduct a Google Business Profile Audit? + Free Tool

Google business profile audit

Want your business to attract more local customers? Keeping your Google Business Profile (GBP) up to date at all times is a surefire way to do just that!

An essential step in that process is to conduct both a GBP audit of your Google profile and a local SEO audit of your website and online reputation strategies.

Below, I’ll tell you how to audit your Google business page manually and how to use a third-party GMB audit tool that will help you optimize your Google Business Profile.

That way, you’ll achieve maximum visibility on Google Maps and Search, regardless of your business’s size and the locations you manage.

Ready to uncover opportunities to improve your local SEO?

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Complete Google business profile tool built on top of the GBP API.

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What is a GBP audit?

Any comprehensive evaluation of your Google business listings can be called a GBP audit since it ensures all information is accurate, consistent, and optimized.

‘GBP audit’ definition

A Google Business Profile audit involves reviewing key elements like your business name, address, phone number, categories, reviews, and photos and identifying gaps or inaccuracies that could affect your SEO metrics.

Essentially, a GBP audit is a maintenance check that ensures your profile is optimized for attracting local customers and boosting visibility via Google’s services.

Why is a GBP audit for local SEO important for businesses?

Well, it’s the first step to optimizing your Google Business Profile. Plus, it helps you maintain your local SEO edge and make your local business visible and appealing.

It’s not just about being present online—it’s about ensuring your profile works effectively to drive traffic and conversions. It helps with all of the following:

Remember: conducting regular audits isn’t just a one-time effort—it’s a long-term strategy to keep your business competitive and relevant in your industry.

7-step checklist to perform a Google Business Profile audit

Conducting a thorough GBP audit involves more than just reviewing your profile—it’s about following a few steps to maximize its potential:

1. Keep business information accurate and up-to-date

The first and most important step is to ensure your core business information is accurate at all times, as it helps your customers navigate your business and offerings.

The most basic pieces of data you need to check include your name, address, and number (NAP). Afterward, you should also check your working hours, website URL, and business description.

Read more:

How to Change Business Hours on GBP In One or Multiple Locations?

How to Edit Google Business Profiles in Bulk [2024 Guide]

2. Select relevant business categories and attributes

Then, you must look into your primary and secondary business categories—choosing the correct categories helps Google understand your business and show it to the right audience.

So, you should research what your direct competitors are using and ensure your selections accurately represent your offerings. But, don’t overload your profile with irrelevant categories.

Also, you can add additional critical information in the form of Google Business Profile attributes, which can tell the public everything from your parking availability to the safety measures you follow and whether you have amenities such as WiFi or pet-friendly areas.

3. Upload high-quality images and videos

Everyone (including Google) knows that visual content plays a significant role in attracting and engaging potential customers.

For that reason, you must ensure your GBP features updated photos of your storefront, products, and services. Videos, such as short tours or tutorials, can provide an extra layer of engagement and make your profile stand out.

Pro tip: Implement your branded logo in your visual content, take recent photographs, and use a high-quality camera for high-resolution photographs or videos.

4. Encourage and respond to customer reviews

Embedding Google reviews might be your most important marketing asset as they not only influence potential customers but also impact your local SEO.

For that reason, you should manage your Google reviews for your multi-location business at all times and encourage satisfied customers to leave more reviews.

That’s not all, though! You must also reply to all your Google reviews, both positive and negative, as that shows that you value your customers’ input, which builds trust.

5. Utilize Google Posts to engage your audience

Regularly posting updates, offers, or events through Google Posts keeps your profile active and engaging, as they highlight promotions, share company news, or announce new services. This activity signals to Google that your business is active and relevant.

You can also schedule your Google Posts using a third-party tool to streamline your publishing strategy and even embed Google Posts on your website to keep it fresh.

6. Audit and optimize your Q&A section

Another indicator of whether a business is active and helpful to the community is the GBP Q&A Section, which allows owners to answer the public’s questions.

For that reason, you should regularly review this section to ensure questions are answered accurately and professionally.

You can also proactively add common questions yourself and then answer them to provide clarity and improve customer experience.

7. Monitor and remove duplicate or outdated listings

Duplicate or outdated local business listings can confuse customers and hurt your local SEO. For that reason, you must ensure there are no duplicate listings.

You should regularly look for, identify, and delete a duplicate Google business listing and ensure that only accurate and active profiles represent your business.

Use a third-party GBP audit tool for the best results!

EmbedSocial’s Google Business Profile health check tool simplifies the process extensively, as you find everything you need in one unified dashboard:

As you can see, you just select (or enter) your Google Maps location, and then our direct API connection with Google will pull all public information available for any business location listed on Google Maps, before compiling it like the above.

Even if you haven’t created an EmbedSocial account, you will be able to check your locations’ GBP score just by visiting our web-based GBP audit tool.

Once we pull your location, we apply our proprietary scoring formula to give you an overall health score and also calculate your average review rating.

Plus, you will immediately see everything that you can improve to boost your score and complete your profile.

7 best GBP audit practices

There are a few best practices you should keep in mind to ensure you complete your GMB audit checklist as thoroughly and efficiently as possible:

By incorporating these best practices into your GBP audit process, you can create a profile that consistently attracts customers and outperforms competitors.

Conclusion: Conduct frequent GBP audits for a relevant local business profile!

Want to have an impactful and fresh Google business account that will launch you to the top of the search engine pages, especially for local results?

The best way to do that is via regular GBP audits and then make the necessary changes to keep your profile accurate, engaging, and optimized for new business.

Whether you manage a single or multi-location business, following the steps and best practices outlined here will help you stay competitive and visible online.

Remember, a local SEO tool like EmbedSocial simplifies the process and gives you the insights you need to manage your GBP more effectively.

Start your GBP audit today if you want to have a comprehensive Google business profile that will help you outscore and outearn your local competitors.

Outrank your competitors with GBP software

Complete Google business profile tool built on top of the GBP API.

Start 7-day free trial

FAQs about GBP audits

What is a GBP audit?

GBP audits are detailed reviews of your Google Business Profile to ensure it is accurate, complete, and optimized for local SEO. They involve checking business information, categories, reviews, photos, and other key elements, with the ultimate goal of improving visibility on Google Maps and Search while enhancing customer trust and engagement.

How to do a GBP audit?

To conduct a GBP audit, start by reviewing your profile’s accuracy, including your business name, address, phone number, and operating hours. Then, check and update categories, add fresh photos, respond to reviews, and review analytics for performance insights. Tools like EmbedSocial or checklists can simplify the process, especially for multi-location businesses.

How to check GBP ranking?

You can check your GBP ranking by performing local keyword searches on Google and noting where your business appears in the results. You can also use tools like local rank trackers to monitor your profile’s performance for specific keywords. Remember: consistent optimization and regular audits help improve your rankings over time.

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