Checklist · About 2 hours

The Google Business Profile Checklist

Work down the list. Most shops complete it in about two hours and it's the highest-return two hours available to you. Nothing here requires an agency, and nothing here costs money.

The basics (do these first)

• Claim and verify your listing If you haven't verified, nothing else on this list matters — unverified listings rank poorly and can be edited by anyone.
• Set your primary category to the work you most want Not the broadest description of what you do. If you want more transmission work, primary category is Transmission Repair Shop, not Auto Repair Shop.
• Add every relevant secondary category These broaden what you're eligible for without diluting the primary.
• Check your business name matches your signage exactly No added keywords, no city names, no "Best." Keyword stuffing here is the most common cause of suspension.
• Confirm the address is exactly how mail arrives Including whether it's Ave or Avenue, Suite or Ste. Pick one format and use it everywhere.
• Set a phone number a human answers during business hours A tracking number that breaks or a line nobody picks up wastes every bit of visibility you earn.

Services and description

• List every service individually Not one paragraph. Each service is its own entry, named the way a customer would say it — "brake pad replacement," not "friction system service."
• Add a price or range where you're comfortable Optional, but listings with any pricing information convert better than those without.
• Write a description that says what you do, who for, and where 750 characters. Skip the mission statement. Mention your specialisms and the towns you serve.
• Add your service area if you do mobile or towing work Only if you genuinely travel there — inflated service areas don't help and can hurt.
• Set attributes honestly Wheelchair accessible, restroom, wifi, appointment required, women-owned, veteran-owned. Customers filter on these.

Photos (the most neglected item on this list)

• Upload at least 20 photos to start Shops in the top three Maps results typically have 30 or more. Most shops have fewer than 10.
• Add a clear exterior shot showing your signage This is how someone confirms they've arrived. It's the single most useful photo you have.
• Photograph the customer-facing areas Waiting area, front desk, restroom if it's clean. Customers judge trustworthiness on these.
• Add photos of the bays and equipment Especially anything that signals capability — alignment rack, scan tools, lift capacity.
• Include your team Faces build trust faster than facilities do.
• Set a calendar reminder to add photos monthly Recency matters. Ten new photos a year beats forty uploaded once and never touched.

Reviews and questions

• Reply to every existing review All of them, including the five-stars. Replies signal an active business.
• Write a calm reply to every negative review Non-defensive, offering to make it right. Future customers read the reply more carefully than the review.
• Save your Google review short link somewhere you can reach in five seconds In a text template on the shop phone. Friction is why shops don't ask.
• Seed the Q&A with the questions you get asked daily You're allowed to post and answer your own. Do you take walk-ins, do you do diagnostics, what's the warranty.

Keep it alive

• Post something twice a month A job you're proud of, a seasonal reminder, an offer. It doesn't need to be clever.
• Check monthly for public edits to your listing Anyone can suggest changes, including competitors. Look for wrong hours or a "permanently closed" flag.
• Search your business name and address for duplicate listings Duplicates split reviews and confuse Google about which record is real.

If you'd rather have this handled every month rather than remembering it yourself, that's what our Managed Visibility service does. Either way, the list works.