GMB Checklist Optimization Guide

The most significant internet directory for local businesses is Google My Business (GMB). It is the primary driver of local business results in Google maps, search, Google Assistant (voice search) and much more. In specific ways, your GMB checklist is more important than your website.

Making sure you have optimized the quality of your GMB checklist is essential for getting new customers and helping customers who have done business with you over and over. But, GMB checklist  change frequently, and the most effective practices for optimizing your listing may not be transparent.

We created this GMB Checklist as a single reference point. We’ll update it frequently to reflect the most recent innovations and best practices recommended by the world’s leading authorities in local search.

How to Improve the Performance of Your Google My Business Profile?

When you optimize your GMB listing, you optimize your listing not only to ensure that your business ranks higher in search results but also to encourage users who visit your page to move on and call or visit your website.

These are the fundamental steps to optimize the performance of a GMB listing fully. The following sections will provide details for each step.

Does your business meet the requirements to be listed on the GMB checklist? 

• You must have a personal interaction with your customers during the stated working hours:
  • Your place of business (storefront commercial).
  • At the customer’s place (service region business).
• Exceptions:
  • ATMs, video-rental kiosks, express mail drops and others similar to these services.
  • Companies that are seasonal and have permanent signs on the premises.
• Companies that are not eligible:
  • eCommerce and online-only businesses.
  • For-sale or rental properties.
  • Classes, church services or other gatherings in places you don’t have authority to control.
• You must be in business or open within 90 days.
  • Check out the Google FAQ for more information on registering an enterprise before it opens.
• You must hold the title of an official representative for the company.

Does your business qualify?

Yes, You can search for Your Business on Google.

There is no way to make the GMB account for your company.

GMB Checklist: Search For Your Business on Google

• Go to https://www.google.com/
• Enter the business’s name, city, state and province
  • Example of rez church Loveland county
• Also, look up the previous words of businesses and phone numbers or addresses.
• Check for a “knowledge panel” listing of the company.

Create a new Google My Business listing.

• Go to https://google.com/business/
• Hit the “Manage Now” button.
• Log in using an active Google account or make one if required. You can use an email address linked to your business’s domain.
• Follow the steps to create an entirely new listing.
• See and improve your listing with our GMB checklist to learn the best ways of adding your business information when creating an altogether brand new GMB listing.
• Next step – Review your Google My Business listing.

Claim the Google My Business listing

• Log in using an active Google account or create one if you need.
• If you haven’t done it, you can search for the company on Google.
• Select the “Own this company?” link (desktop) or “Claim this business” link (mobile)
• Follow the directions to confirm your details and claim your listing.
• Check out this section of the optimize the Information on Your Google My Business Listing section to learn the best ways of updating your business information once you have the claim.

The following step is to verify the accuracy of your Google My Business listing.

Inquire about Listing Ownership

Look up your company at https://business.google.com/add.

• If your company has an actual storefront, there’s a notice saying, “This advertisement has already been claimed”.
• Simply click “Request Access” and submit the request form.

• If you’re a service-oriented business or have bulk-verified accounts:
  • Enter your business details as well as finish your verification process.
  • After verification, you’ll get “Owner conflict.”
  • Click “Request access” and then submit the form.
• The property owner will contact you via email, and you’ll also receive an email confirmation.
• You must wait for the owner to get back to you.
  • It could take as long as seven days.
  • You can view whether your application is in the process of processing within the GMB dashboard or click the link included in the confirmation email.
• You’ll be informed via email when your request is approved or rejected by the owner.
  

Your Google My Business page must be correct as part of GMB checklist.

• Log into Google My Business and go to your business listing.
• Simply click “Verify Now“, and you will be presented with verification options.
• Choose the one you like.
  • You can’t choose the methods Google provides.
• Postcard
  • You’ll receive a letter within 14 days, along with the verification code.
  • Make no changes to your listing at this period.
  • Log back into Google My Business and enter the verification code to verify your listing.
  • You can request a different postcard through your GMB list if you need to.
• Telephone (if available)
  • Be sure to dial the number listed in your GMB checklist.
  • Log into Google My Business and go to your business listing.
  • Select the phone you prefer from the options for verification.
  • Google will contact you with the verification code.
  • Add the code to your listing.
• (if available) Email (if available)
  • Select an email from the menu of ways to verify.
  • Verify that you have access to the email address displayed on the verification screen.
  • Google is going to send an email.
  • Select the “Verify” button within the email or type the code into your GMB list.
• Google Search Console (if available)
  • Check if you’ve used your same email address to sign up for Google Search Console and Google My Business.
  • Make sure the URL for your business listed on Google My Business has already been verified using Google Search Console.
  • The listing will be instantly verified if you hit “Verify” within your GMB account.
• Video Chat (special situations)
  • Get your Google Hangouts app for iOS or Android.
  • For businesses with a storefront, Google will want to look at your office, company branding, equipment, and public space and maybe even get to know a few potential customers.
  • For companies operating in the service sector, Google will want to look at your vehicle as a work vehicle, your license plate, your logo displayed on your car, and the tools you use in the vehicle.
  • The Google expert will contact you via video chat to verify your listing.
• Bulk Verification (10+ locations)
  • If you’re a franchise or chain with over ten branches, you might qualify as a bulk verifier. Read Google’s Help Page.
• “My Business Provider” Program
  • Google has created a brand-new tool that enables businesses like Chambers of Commerce, banks, telephone companies, etc., to look up listings of their customers or members.
  • They can create “verification tokens” online and then use them to obtain their members or clients verified by Google My Business.
  • Agents, SEOs, resellers and other entities are not eligible to participate in the program.
• Attention – NOTE: The Google Trusted Verifier program had been closed.
  

Setup User Access to Your Listing

GMB Checklist Access Levels of Users 

• Primary Owner Primary Owner – All permissions cannot be taken away until they transfer ownership of the primary user over to another person.
• Owner: All rights, including the ability to manage users and delete listings.
• Administrator – Full permissions except for working users or clearing the list.
• Site Manager – Only the ability to modify limited information in the listings, add and manage posts and images and reviews, respond to reviews and access the insights (analytics).
• Important note – The company is in the position of being the “primary proprietor” for the listings. Don’t permit an agency or any other entity to become the sole owner. Be wary of giving “owner” permissions. Instead, utilize “manager” whenever possible.

Control Access to Users on individual listings

• Log into Google My Business and go to your profile.
• On the left-hand side of your page On, on the left side of your listing, click “Users”.
• The “manage permissions” screen will appear, showing who has access to the system.
• Use the dropdown arrows to alter the user’s access level.
• Hit”X” to remove the user from the list. “X” option to erase this user’s name from the list.
• To invite new users to the website, click the People button in the top right corner.

GMB checklist: Manage Access for Users via Location Groups

• If you manage multiple listings, you may want to create groupings of locations. Consider them as folders that help you organize your listings and control access to the group.
• You can find the “Manage locations” display once you log onto your GMB dashboard. An overview of the areas you have control over.
• Select the red “Create Location Group” option to make a group. The group’s name.
• Select the dropdown on the left side of the “manage locations” screen to switch locations that are not grouped to the new location group.
• Ensure the boxes next to the places you want to include in the group are checked. After that, click the “Actions” box and choose “Transfer the location.”
• After that, you can choose the location group you want to join and transfer the listing there.
• To control access to users for the group of locations, return to the “Manage locations” page.
• Check that the place you want to group is chosen.
• Select the gear symbol beside the name of the location group.
• The details screen of the location group will show.
• Click on the “Manage Users” link.
• From there, you can manage users like the individual listing. Still, permissions will be extended to all listings in the group of locations.
  

Improve the performance of your Google My Business Profile

Basic Business Information and NAP

• Although it’s not as important nowadays, it’s recommended to be in line with your company’s address, name, and phone # (NAP) across all the online business references you make.
• To update your details To update your information, sign in to Google My Business and go to your business listing.
• Select the “Info” tab on the left.
• Name of the business
  • Use the same company name on your signage, business cards, and other legal documents.
  • Don’t spam your business’s reputation using city tags, search terms, or any other message type. This violates Google’s conditions of service and could cause issues with listing or suspension shortly.
• Business office
  • Make sure to enter a physical address only if customers visit your business location. If not, make sure to remove the address and only use zones of service. This will remove the “pin” for your business on maps. However, it will remain listed in the search results.
  • Use a free tool such as SmartyStreets to ensure your address is correctly formatted.
  • Include the street address in the address line of the primary address.
  • Include suite numbers on an additional line. Google does not incorporate this into your search results. However, it’s essential to aid your customers in finding your business.
• Service areas
  • Only do this if you have customers on their premises (service businesses in the area).
  • Certain companies provide services to customers in their offices and at the customer’s place of business. In this scenario, you must it is necessary to enter BOTH an address for the company and the service area.
  • Input the postal codes, cities or areas that you provide services to. Be aware that the site is unlikely to appear in a search result that is more than 20 miles from where you are, regardless of the size of the area you select.
  • You can only add a maximum of twenty service zones to your business listing.
• Hours of operation
  • Set your operating hours where customers can deal with you.
  • Set up specific hours to accommodate holidays, closures or other times that your business is closed. Learn how to set holiday hours in our GMB checklist, Yelp and Bing.
  • Suppose you run a seasonal company or operate different hours, like banks with ATMs or gas stations that have auto-serve pumping, storage locations that have various hours of operation and gate opening hours and so on. You can consult Google’s FAQ on working hours.
• Short name
  • You can type in a brief title for the listing, which will allow users to share your listing, add a link to your page or direct link to your review page.
  • It is important to note that short names aren’t accessible for all business categories. If you see it listed in the section on information on the page, that means it’s there. Otherwise, it’s not.
  • Pick a short name for your company as you wish (maximum 32 characters).
  • To ensure consistency with your brand, It is recommended to utilize the same name that you use are using for your social media profiles. However, it’s not necessary.
  • If you’re approved, link to the ones below:

Sectors of Commerce

• The business category that you are in is the most crucial and can affect the search engine ranking. It’s also the only category that is visible on your company’s listing.
• Select the best class that best represents your company.
• Utilize additional types and apply as many classes as you can to your company.
• Don’t apply categories to your business when they don’t directly relate to your company.
  

Phone Numbers and Call Tracking

• If you have an automated number to track calls to create your Google My Business listing:
  • Enter the number for call tracking within the “Primary Phone” field.
  • Include your primary local phone number in the “Additional phone”.
  • Include secondary and toll-free phone numbers in the “Additional Telephone” fields.
• If you don’t make use of an automated number to track calls in your GMB checklist:
  • Enter your primary, local # within the “Primary Phone” field.
  • Add secondary and toll-free phone numbers to the “Additional Telephone” fields.
    

Website and Other URLs 

• There are a variety of link options available based on the business category you are in. Additionally, links to third-party booking websites are automatically displayed on specific sections or pages. These links are not editable by the business’s owner.
• Make sure you properly create all URLs that you’ll include within your list.
  • All URLs must be live when you input the URLs into your listings.
  • Make sure you include HTTPS http:/or (hopefully your website is secured!) or HTTP HTTP if your website isn’t secure. Include or remove the www when appropriate.
• Include the Google Analytics UTM tracking codes on your URLs. This will allow you to see within Google Analytics how many people have visited your website via your GMB page.
  • Visit the Google Campaign URL Builder.
  • Cut and paste the site’s URL.
  • Make use of Google as a source for your campaign.
  • Make use of organic as a method of campaign.
  • Use gmb and the location ID to create the campaign’s name (e.g. gmb5). If you have only one location, leave out any location identification (e.g. gmb). This makes it easier to differentiate the flow of traffic through Google Analytics from your various places’ GMB listings.
  • Use primary, appointment, menu, etc., as content variables as appropriate.
• URL of the website
  • For businesses that are solely located, make use of the homepage on your website.
  • For businesses that have multiple locations, make use of the page with a specific landing page for each site.
• An example URL for a website with UTM monitoring is:
• Access URL for appointment
  • Make use of this link to connect on your page for contact or an online appointment service.
  • Notice: certain kinds of companies can also make use of Reserve in conjunction with Google to incorporate specific booking systems to the Google My Business accounts.
  • Example appointment URL with UTM tracking: 
  •      Menu URLs
  • Restaurants may also create an extra URL in the menu.
  • It is required to link to a webpage on your site. Links that directly relate to PDFs will not be supported.
  • In lieu of linking your menu on your site, Restaurants may prefer to directly include their menus in the GMB checklist.
• Menu example URL including UTM tracking:
• Links to the Booking and Ordering Service
  • Booking and order hyperlinks may appear on your listing by default. This is done by Google’s partnership with third parties, and you are unable to modify them directly in the GMB listing.
  • To get rid of or correct these links, make contact with the particular third-party service provider and submit your request.
    

Services / Menu / Products

Services

• Only available to certain kinds of service-based businesses (dentists, lawyers, lawyers, hoteliers, insurance agents, marketing agencies, and others)
• Only available for final users using Google Maps. Google Maps app right now.
• Separate sections should be created to cover the different types of services that you provide.
• Create an individual service for each particular service you provide.
  • Input the name of the service and the price for each service.
  • Include a description for each service in a maximum of 1000 characters. Make use of this space to write a description of every service to customers with powerful keywords.

Menu

• Only available for restaurant-related businesses.
• Only available for final users using Google Maps. Google Maps app right now.
• This can be combined with a choice to have your menu shown on your website.
• Make separate sections for each part of the menu.
• Create separate menu items for each section.
  • Enter the proper name and the price for each menu item.
  • Include the exact description of the menu item that you would for your own menu, up at 1000 words.

Products

• Only for certain types of retail-oriented companies.
• It is not practical to list every category of product you sell. Concentrate on the most crucial types and products.
• Create collections that are distinct for each category of products you’d like to highlight.
  • Enter the name of the collection.
  • Create a collection description that is up to 1000 words. Use this space to write about every product or collection with rich keywords.
• Make individual products for each category.
  • Enter the name of the product and price (price ranges aren’t allowed).
  • Include a description of the product of up to 1000 words. We suggest that you use the same report you use for your catalogue of products.
    

Business Attributes

• The Business Definition Attributes (Objective Attributes)
  • These are characteristics that you can specify for your company. These attributes vary by business sector and may include things like women-owned, Wheelchair Accessible, Restroom and Languages spoken, Outdoor Seating, Happy Hour and more.
  • Find your listing on Google My Business.
  • Go to “Info” followed by “Attributes”.
  • Select the qualities that apply to your business. Be sure not to use these attributes to spam your customers, as Google has confirmed the validity of these attributes by soliciting Google users to provide subjective aspects (see further below).
• The User Defined attributes (Subjective Attributes)
  • Subjective attributes are gathered from what Google believes are aware of your company. Google asks questions such as “Is there a wheelchair-accessible entry point?” “Is the parking available for cost-free?” and even asks users to select images that they believe are the most useful.
  • It is impossible to control the subjective characteristics Google inquires about your business, and neither the answers that users might offer.
  • Certain kinds of businesses are able to evaluate subjective characteristics by making use of the Insights tab of the Google My Business listing.
    

A Business Description 

• A business’s description can be an open text space that you can utilize to inform potential clients more about your company. It’s available in a mobile and desktop web search but isn’t available in Google Maps. Google Maps app.
• Find your listing in Google My Business.
• Go to “Info”, after which click “Description”.
• You can create an article of up to 750 words. However, just the initial 244 characters will be displayed on your Google page unless the user chooses to click “More”.
• The following recommendations for descriptions of businesses:
  • Imagine what you’d like clients to be aware of the most about your company. Imagine that they don’t know anything about your business.
  • Make sure to use the most relevant phrases that customers may be searching for, but avoid the search for keywords. It isn’t considered that Google makes use of the description field to determine ranking search results. A written description that is well-written can help turn anyone who is looking at your listings into a buyer.
  • Avoid using all-caps Emojis, all-caps characters, or any other “gimmicky character usage”.
  • Avoid focusing on sales or prices. Inform people about your company instead.
  • Don’t use any URLs.
    

Advanced Information

• Store Coupons 
  • A unique ID for each location is required to organize listings for multi-location companies. This is necessary for large uploads of listings to Google My Business.
  • Each store’s code must be unique, not contain spaces or special characters and must be a maximum of 64 characters.
  • To edit store codes separately:
    • Visit your business’s listing on Google My Business.
    • Go to “Info”, after which, under the “Advanced information” section, click “Store coupon code”.
  • To edit store codes or add them in large quantities:
    • Transfer your location data to an Excel spreadsheet.
    • Add store codes to the spreadsheet, but DO not change or alter the location’s address of the sites.
    • Re-upload the spreadsheet using brand new codes for stores.
• Labels
  • Labels (tags) aid multi-location companies to arrange their listings. Labels can be searched for in Google My Business. Brands help businesses organize their listings. Google My Business dashboard and apply them to Google Ads. For instance, you can make use of geographical regions as labels, or you could use the store type such as “Full Service” or “Limited Service”.
  • You can assign up to 10 labels to each area. Each title is 50 characters in length and can also contain spaces. However, it should not contain special characters.
  • To edit labels or add them:
    • Visit your business’s listing on Google My Business.
    • Select “Info”, after which, under the “Advanced information” section, click “Labels”.
    • As numerous labels as you want for each listing.
• Google Ads Local Extensions Local Phone 
  • When you use Google Ads, you can get a “location extension”, which allows you to display a different number to the one that you have in your regular Google My Business listing. 
  • When Google Ads and call tracking are combined, this is really useful.
  • If you don’t fill this in, Google Ads location extensions will utilize the primary number that you have listed in Your Google My Business listing.
  • Make use of a local number to show local results in search results.
  • You cannot utilize “pay” phone numbers, such as one-900 in the United States.
    

Photos

• Videos, images, or virtual tours make up an essential component of the GMB checklist. In the first place, they present your business’s image to potential customers, so you must give them the most favorable impression of your company.
• As per Google’s statistics, “Businesses with photos receive 42 per cent more requests for directions to their address from people on Google with 35% higher visitors click on their sites than those who don’t have photographs.”
• Also, you should upload your own photos to ensure that your photos have the best chance of being displayed on your listing rather than images uploaded by Google people. Also, videos, pictures and virtual tours increase engagement with your listing. Engaging on your page is a significant ranking factor for Google.
  

Photo Guidelines

• The images you upload won’t show up on your listing until you confirm the accuracy of your listing.
• Make sure that the images displayed on your page are a mix of photos you upload and those that are uploaded by the public.
• If you own at least ten places, you are able to upload pictures in bulk using the help of a spreadsheet.
• Every image should be in JPG or PNG format, no more than 10 MB in size and at a minimum of 720×720 pixels.
• Utilize excellent photography. Be aware that these photos will be the first impression most people will make regarding your company. Don’t go cheap!
• Beware of promotional or other unnatural words on your photos.
• Don’t use stock photos. They could be flagged and taken down.
  

Upload Photos to Your GMB Listing

• Logos – Logos that are uploaded to GMB must be square. If your logo isn’t, you can use a program like Photoshop and alter the size of the canvas to make it fair. Ideally, you should use white backgrounds outside of the perimeter of the logo.
• Photo of the cover – It is the first image you’d like to portray your company.
• Photos of the interior and exterior If you have physical premises, you can upload at least three images of the exterior or inside the establishment with different angles, different times of the day or night, etc., so that visitors get an impression of the area.
• Photos of your work. Upload at least three images of you working with your clients and the different services you offer.
• Photos of team members Upload three images of the employees and the management team. It doesn’t need to be professionally taken headshots, and typically, more candid photos are more effective. The aim is to give prospective customers an impression of the people they’ll interact with in your company.
• Food & Drink / Products Rooms – Depending on the kind of business you operate, you may have other categories of photos you can choose from. The aim is to provide prospective customers with an experience of the products or food and drink items and common areas or rooms your company might provide.
  

Which photo is the first to be shown?

• You can’t control which image will appear as the primary image in the Google My Business listing. Google’s algorithms decide which image will be displayed and also the order in which you communicate your other images. But you have the ability to alter the algorithms.

• Upload the image you’d like to be your cover image. This doesn’t mean that the image will be chosen for selection by Google to be the top image; however, it will tell Google that this is the photo you’d like to use.
• Google analyzes the behavior of its users to decide which images best represent your company. If you upload a captivating cover image, users are likely to interact with it more (views and comments, etc.), which tells Google that it’s a significant image.
• Furthermore, Google will ask users actually to select which image best represents your company and then incorporate this information into the ordering of your images.
  

Take Photos Off Your Listing

• To take down images you’ve uploaded to your list:
  • Log into Google My Business and go to your profile.
  • Click on the “Photos” tab, and then locate the image you want to erase.
  • Simply click on the picture and hit on the “trash” icon located in the upper-right corner.

• You are not able to delete images which others have uploaded on behalf of your company, but you can report them to Google to be removed. Google will remove images only that violate Google’s Map Users Contributed Content Policy. Google won’t take down an image simply because you don’t like the idea. To report an image contributed by a user:
  • Log into Google My Business and go to your profile.
  • Click on the “Photos” tab. Then click on the “By Customer” upper tab.
  • Simply click on an image and hit to open the “flag” icon located in the upper-right corner.
  • Fill out and send in the content-related violation form.
  • There’s no warranty that Google will delete the image or inform you of the change, so be sure to check frequently.
  • If you’re unable to remove the image by marking it as a violation and are convinced that it is in violation of Google’s policy on contributed content, It is possible to escalate the issue to Google My Business support.
    

How do I contact Google My Business Support? 

Google My Business Help Community

• For the majority of GMB issues, utilize Google My Business Help Community.
  
  • Browse through the GMB checklist Knowledge Base (no need to sign in).
  • Send questions to GMB users and volunteers in the event that you are unable to find an answer to your query (you must log in to your Google account to be able to post).

Report GMB Spam in Listing

• Google has a form specifically for reporting fake listings or fraudulent or false details in the name of a phone number, address or URL of a company. Don’t use this form to submit false reviews.
  • Visit this website for the official GMB checklist for business complaint Formulary.
  • Follow the directions with care and complete the form in detail and as complete as you can.
  • If you do not wish the offending listing to be able to identify the title of your company that is being affected in the first place, enter “N/A” in the relevant field.
  • When you’ve got multiple places to report, then you can add a spreadsheet to the form.
  • Fill out the form.
  • You’ll receive a generic email once you’ve submitted the form, but you will not be receiving any additional information since it’s not an actual business that you run or own.
  • Make sure to check the list of offending items after a week or two.
    

Review Fake Reports

• On GMB, fake reviews are a major problem. You must keep an eye out for phony reviews on both your own listings and those of your rivals, then report them.
  • The review has to be in violation of Google’s policy on reviews. It is not possible to deny reviews simply because you don’t like them.
  • When a review appears posted on your own website, you should think about responding to it in order to let potential customers know that you are serious about reviews and are dedicated to providing excellent customer service. Be discerning and review our guidelines for responding to reviews that are negative.
  • Review the review in the GMB checklist dashboard
    • Log in to your GMB account.
    • Find the right place.
    • Go to the “Reviews” tab.
    • Look for the review, then click the menu with three dots, and then Flag as indecent.
  • Create a list of information to share with GMB checklist assistance:
  • A review link. Visit https://www.google.com/maps. Find the company, then click on the “Share” link, and then copy the URL.
    • Specific reasons for reasons why the link is required to remove the link (e.g. the employee wrote a review and the reviewer is wearing an untrue picture or clearly fake name, the same thoughts are posted across multiple businesses or businesses, you can prove that the company is reviewing and that someone is posting reviews across the nation in a clearly fake manner or pattern, etc.)
    • Take note that Google will not remove reviews because you don’t recognize the reviewer’s name or disagree with what the reviewer has to comment on. The study must clearly be in violation of Google’s policy on reviews.
    • Contact the GMB support team directly. GMB customer support directly
      • This should be done after you have reviewed the review and written your details in the previous section.
      • Visit Google My Business Help Community. Google My Business Help Community.
      • Select “Contact Us” in the upper-right corner.
      • Simply click “Customer reviews and pictures.”
      • Select “Manage customer.”
      • You can choose the callback, chat or email support as you like,
      • Write a fake report.
        

Contact D’Marketing Agency

Contact D’Marketing Agency if you want a committed staff to assist you optimize your GMB listing. We specialize in local SEO and can assist in increasing online customer awareness of your company. 

Make a free consultation request right now, and we’ll show you how we can boost your company’s internet visibility.