Most businesses set up their Google Business Profile once, years ago, and never touch it again. That's a problem — Google treats an actively maintained profile as a stronger signal than a static one, and most of the highest-leverage fields are things businesses simply never filled in. Here's the full checklist.
• Exact, consistent business name (no keyword-stuffing, e.g. "Joe's Pizza Best Pizza Downtown")
• Correct primary category, plus every relevant secondary category
• Complete, accurate hours — including holiday hours
• Service area set correctly if you don't have walk-in customers
• Full business description using natural language, not a keyword list
• Every service or product line added individually, with its own short description
• Attributes filled out completely (payment types, accessibility, amenities)
• At least 10 photos: exterior, interior, team, products or work samples
• A logo and cover photo that match your actual branding
• New photos added regularly — profiles with recent photos get more engagement than static ones
• A consistent system for requesting reviews after every transaction, not just when you remember to
• Every review responded to, positive and negative
• The Q&A section seeded with your own answers to the 5–10 questions customers actually ask most
• At least one Google Post per week — offers, updates, or events
• Posts with a clear call-to-action button
• Posts tied to what's actually happening at the business, not generic filler
Most of this checklist is a one-time setup. Reviews are the one section that has to be ongoing — and it's the section most businesses let slip after the first few months. The businesses that stay consistent are almost always running review requests through an automated flow plugged into their existing checkout or follow-up process, not relying on staff to remember to ask.
Pruvvn automates the one part of this checklist that has to run every single day: turning transactions into fresh, specific Google reviews. See how it works.
At least weekly for posts and photos. Reviews should be flowing in continuously through an automated system rather than in occasional bursts.
Yes — a complete, actively maintained profile is a stronger relevance and prominence signal than a sparse one, and gives Google more information to match against searches.
Yes. Seeding the Q&A section with accurate answers to common questions prevents other users (or competitors) from posting inaccurate answers, and gives searchers faster information.
A consistent, ongoing review request system. Most businesses set up their profile once and let review requests happen inconsistently, which stalls the single fastest-moving local ranking signal.