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Set up and keep the Google Business Profile current

growth.google-business-profile·version 1.0.0·draft3 to verify

Set up and keep the Google Business Profile current

The company's Google Business Profile is verified, filled in, and reviewed monthly so search and maps show what is true today.

LauraMarketerruns itProfile ›
Whenon request · monthly — owner or employee asks to appear correctly on Google Search and Maps
Who actsthe agent acts after approval
Time45 min active; 3 days to 2 weeks waiting for Google verification
Countryany country
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When to use

The company has a location or serves a defined area and is absent, unverified or stale on Google Search and Maps. Not for the website itself — use growth.launch-website (the profile should link to a working site, not a placeholder). Not for the ongoing review pipeline — use growth.customer-reviews; this playbook only makes sure reviews *can* be left and answered. Monthly freshness after setup is S8 and the growth.seo-monthly companion.

Before you start

  • Decide the displayed name: the real trading name, nothing more. Google forbids adding keywords like "cheap"
  • Decide the primary category (what the business *is*, not what it sells) and 1–4 secondary categories.
  • Collect: hours including holidays, service area (if no walk-in), phone that a human answers, website URL,
  • One Google account the company owns (a role address like google@company), not an employee's personal one.

What a run requires3

  • Approval · S3 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision
  • Approval · S5 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision
  • Approval · S7 · ownerthe run stops until a named person records the decision

Any step can wait until a date and reopens by itself; every closed step leaves evidence (a note, a link, a number).

The trail9 steps

  1. Search for existing profilesagent

    Search Google Maps and Search for the company name, address and phone. List every profile that exists.

    Done when a written list exists: none found, or each found profile with its claimed/unclaimed status.

    ⛔ A duplicate found later is far harder to merge than to prevent — search thoroughly, including old addresses.

  2. Claim or createagent

    If an unclaimed profile exists, claim it; if none, create one. Always from the company's Google account.

    Done when the profile exists and shows "pending verification" or is already verified.

  3. Approve profile contentownerneeds approval · owner

    Approval · S3 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    Present the draft: name, categories, hours, phone, description, service area. Owner approves or corrects.

    Done when the owner has confirmed each field in writing (a message or a comment is enough).

  4. Complete verificationagent

    Follow Google's offered method (video, phone, e-mail, or postcard). For a postcard, record the code arrival date. ⚠ verify which methods Google currently offers for this business type and country — it changes.

    Done when the profile shows "verified" and the company account can edit it.

  5. Fill the profileagentneeds approval · owner

    Approval · S5 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    Enter everything approved in S3: categories, hours with special hours for known holidays, description (what, where, for whom — plain sentences, no keyword lists), photos, services/products, website link.

    Done when every section the profile offers is filled or explicitly left empty on purpose, and the owner has seen the published result.

  6. Publish the review link and routeagent

    Get the place's review short link, put it in growth.customer-reviews if that playbook runs, and make sure someone is set to receive review notifications.

    Done when the review link works in an incognito browser and the notification owner is named.

  7. First post and check from outsideagentneeds approval · owner

    Approval · S7 · owner — the run stops until a named person records the decision

    Prepare one honest post (news, opening, offer) — the owner approves it — and publish. Then check the profile from an incognito browser and a phone: does the name, hours, and pin location look right?

    Done when the post is live and the outside check findings are recorded (fixed on the spot if minor).

  8. Set the monthly cadence and recordagent

    Create a recurring task in Brain Club (bc tasks add) for the monthly check in S9; record the Google account used, who has access, and the verification date in the company documents module.

    Done when the task exists with a due date and the access note is saved.

  9. Monthly freshness checkagent

    Read back from the live profile: hours correct for this month, photos newer than 12 months, one post in the last 30 days, unanswered reviews listed and handed to growth.customer-reviews, no Google policy warnings.

    Done when a dated checklist row exists with each item yes/no and fixes applied.

Checks — how we know it worked

  • Incognito search for the company name shows the profile with correct hours and pin — read back, not assumed.
  • The phone number on the profile is answered by a human during stated hours (agent calls once, records it).
  • The profile name matches the trading name exactly — no added keywords, no ALL CAPS.
  • Every review older than 7 days has a reply or a reason recorded why not.
  • Access note lists the Google account and every person who can log in.

If it goes wrong

SymptomResponse
Verification postcard never arrivesWait the period Google states, then request a new code or another method; do not create a second profile while waiting.
Profile suspended after editsRead the suspension reason in Google's notification, remove the offending field (usually the name), appeal via Google's form. ⚠ verify current appeal path in Business Profile help.
A duplicate profile appearsDo not delete the one with reviews; mark the other as a duplicate in Google's support flow and consolidate.
Someone edited hours or name without approvalCheck the profile change history, revert, and remove that person's manager access the same day.
Negative review that looks fakeDo not argue publicly; flag it in Google, answer calmly anyway, log it in growth.customer-reviews.

What each step leaves behind

  1. S1a written list exists: none found, or each found profile with its claimed/unclaimed status.
  2. S2the profile exists and shows "pending verification" or is already verified.
  3. S3the owner has confirmed each field in writing (a message or a comment is enough).
  4. S4the profile shows "verified" and the company account can edit it.
  5. S5every section the profile offers is filled or explicitly left empty on purpose, and the owner has seen the published result.
  6. S6the review link works in an incognito browser and the notification owner is named.
  7. S7the post is live and the outside check findings are recorded (fixed on the spot if minor).
  8. S8the task exists with a due date and the access note is saved.
  9. S9a dated checklist row exists with each item yes/no and fixes applied.

Evidence to keep

Verification method and date · the Google account name holding the profile · S3 approval (who, when, what) · S7 outside-check screenshot · monthly checklist rows · the review short link · any suspension notice and appeal.

How this playbook improves

After every 5 runs ask: how many days from ask to verified, and which verification method Google offered? Did any monthly check find stale hours or photos — meaning S8's task interval is wrong? Did any suspension or duplicate occur, and at which step could it have been prevented? A new version changes the failing step and says so in its change note.