Rank Higher in the Local Pack and on Google Maps in 30 Days 📍
Get to the #1 position and leave your competitors slipping on banana peels with GMB Gorilla. Stop wondering why you don’t rank higher on Google and start getting more calls and clicks from your Google Business Profile (GBP).
Work directly with a dedicated profile manager who will benchmark your current profile performance, conduct a 100 point audit, then lead the charge to implementing enhancements in order to fully optimize your profile.
Learn more about our GBP Optimization Service below or call 1-800-410-3119 to speak with the team about how GMB Gorilla can help!

I was able to go from not showing up at all to ranking #1 🤯
I was able to go from not showing up in Google at all to ranking #1 on Google Maps for top searches related to my practice. Thanks to GMB Gorilla, I’m now getting dozens of new appointments every month!
Dr. Mark E. Pruzansky, MD, HandSport Surgery Institute

Google My Business Optimization Service Overview 🔭
The Google My Business Optimization Service allows you to work with a GMB expert that has the experience with Google My Business Optimization required to improve your ranks in the local pack and on Google Maps. Using our proprietary processes, GBP scorecard, and benchmark reporting, your profile manager will do all the hard work to ensure high rankings and more customers.
Your Google Business Profile will be optimized for your targeted search phrases and local market. The GBP optimization service includes the following:
- Initial Benchmark Performance Report
- Geogrid Keyword Rankings Report
- 100 Point Google Business Profile Audit
- GBP Scorecard
- Google Business Profile Optimization Guide
- Google Business Profile Optimization
- Optimization of Image and Video Uploads
- Updated Profile Avatar and Cover
- One month of Google Posts and Q&As added to your profile!
The entire optimization process takes about 30 days and your profile manager will be with you every step of the way with frequent progress updates every couple of days.
Don’t go another week in the #4 position. Get started with our GBP Optimization Service today 👇

🏢 Have More Than One Location? That’s Our Specialty! 🏢
If you have more than one location with a Google Business Profile, we know first hand how hard it optimize them all without slipping on some banana peels 🍌
No joke! We’ve optimized thousands of profiles, including those for multi-location businesses in banking, education, finance, healthcare, legal, retail, travel (and beyond). We know first hand the pain and agony you’ve probably experienced trying to get the most of out of your dashboard full of profiles.
Whether you have 5 profiles or 500, are a franchise or Fortune 500, GMB Gorilla can provide you with a turnkey way to offload the tedious (and often time consuming) tasks required to properly optimize multiple Google Business Profiles.
For more information please contact us or call 1-800-410-3119 to learn more about how we can help your multi-location business.
How Our Google My Business Optimization Service Works 🌴
The Google My Business Optimization Service is comprised of 5 steps:
1. You Tell Us About Your Location
Using our easy Google My Business Optimization Service form, we will capture all the details about your business location that we need to put in the muscle and fully optimize your profile. This step should only take you about 10 minutes to complete.
2. We Audit Your Listing
Next, we’ll conduct a 100 step audit of your GMB listing based on all the best practices we’ve learned over the past 5 years optimizing Google My Business Profiles. You will receive a detailed checklist that shows exactly where your listing stands.
3. We Create an Action Plan
With the audit completed, your account manager will create a customized action plan that details how we will improve the optimization of your listing. Once you review and approve, we will move to the next step – optimizing your Google My Business profile!
4. We Enhance and Optimize Your Google My Business Profile
Once we’ve completed the action plan, your account manager will work to implement the necessary changes and updates to fully optimize your Google My Business Profile. When they’re done, they will update your listing’s checklist to show everything that’s been done.
5. You See Higher Rankings, More Traffic, Calls, and Revenue!
Now that your Google My Business listing is optimized, you should start to see more results within 30 to 90 days of project completion, giving you a little bit of time to get prepared for all the new business coming your way.
What customers say about Google My Business Optimization 🫶

We used to spend countless hours trying to keep up with Google and all the new opportunities. Thanks to GMB Gorilla, my staff can spend their time focusing on caring for all the new patients they bring to the practice each week.
– Dr. Ava Shamban, Ava MD, Skin Five

We rely on GMB Gorilla to optimize our client’s listings and they’ve never let us down. We’ve found their process to be effective, their staff to be friendly, and the results to be consistently above our expectations!
– Collin Whitman, Mr. Smith
Google My Business Optimization Service FAQs 🧐
How long does it take to optimize my profile?
From start to finish, the Google My Business Optimization Service takes between two (2) to four (4) weeks to complete from your start date. Since you’ll be working with a Gorilla-Certified™ GMB expert, you’ll be kept up to date every step of the way. If you are optimizing more than one listing, your account manager will be in close contact with you so that you don’t go bananas with anticipation!
Does this service include optimizing my website?
No, our Google My Business Optimization only focuses on optimizing your GMB listing. We do not provide website optimization services at this time, but click here to email the head Gorilla to let him know we should!
Who is responsible for approving content, edits, posts, etc?
We have two ways of handling this. The first options is you can request manual review of all content, edits, posts, etc. With this option we will send you the recommended changes, and then await your confirmation before implementing. The second option is to auto-approve based on the Account Manager’s professional experience. Most customers choose to auto-approve. With either option, our team is responsible for content, edits, and Q&A’s.
When can I expect to see results?
This depends on your market and industry. In general, customers of our Google My Business Optimization Service start to see results within 30 to 90 days of work completion. That said, the Gorilla likes to show off and it shows: some customers see almost instant results. However, we don’t want to look like a monkey’s uncle, so we like to say that it’s safe to plan to see more activity from your profile within 90 days.
Does this service guarantee I will get results?
While having an optimized Google Business Profile will help increase your rankings, traffic, and leads, you should consider ongoing management and promotion in order to get the most out of your presence as Google My Business is always changing!
Other Google Business Profile Services 🚀

Google Profile Management
$400 PER MONTH LEARN MORE
Our Google My Business Management Service gives you a hands off solution for generating greater visibility and more business from your GMB listing.
This monthly recurring service is built to ensure that your listing is not only enhanced and optimized, but a powerful tool for promoting your business. Features include new posts weekly, adding and responding to QA, requesting and responding to reviews, uploading photos and videos, as well as updating information as it changes.
Complete with a dedicated Gorilla-Certified™ account manager and monthly reporting, we’ll even fight spammy profiles in your area making this the most complete GMB Management Service ever!

Google Business Profile Setup
$500 per profile LEARN MORE
Our Google My Business Setup Service is the best way to get started if you don’t already have a GMB listing and don’t want to go through the pain of setting it up yourself.
With this service, one of our Gorilla-Certified™ GMB Experts will take the time and hassle out of properly claiming, verifying, and setting up your Google My Business listing for maximum visibility.
We have set up over 1,000 listings over the past five years, and our streamlined process gives you a listing that’s distinguished from all the other competition in this digital jungle. 🌴
Let the Gorilla use his brain and braun to make setting up your GMB profile easy!

Google Business Profile Support
$500 per incident LEARN MORE
Have a pressing issue or problem with your GMB listing and need help getting it resolved?
Well, then you’ve come to the right service for you. Let the experts at GMB Gorilla get you through the darkest parts of the digital jungle! 🌴
Our Google My Business Support Service is designed to help you when you have a problem that you can’t figure out or get an answer from Google.
Our Gorilla-Certified™ GMB expert work with Google My Business representatives every day and can help you successfully navigate the system to get the resolution you need.
How to Optimize Google My Business Profiles in 2025
Does it make you go bananas when your competitor’s ranks higher than you on Google? We know it’s enough to make anyone beat their chest and roar. 🦍
Lucky for you, GMB Gorilla is here with another guide. This time it’s about How to Optimize Google My Business Profiles.
Guide Contents
- What is Google My Business
- Why Optimize Your Google Business Profile
- How the Google Business Profile Ranking Algorithm Works
- How to Optimize Google My Business (10 Steps)
- 1. Claim Your Google Business Profile
- 2. Create and Upload a Profile Logo Avatar and Cover
- 3. Geotag and Upload Profile Pictures and Videos
- 4. Enhance Your Google Business Profile Information
- Bonus Step: Enable Specialty Features
- 5. Add Services to Your Google Business Profile
- 6. Add Products to Your Google Business Profile
- 7. Add QA to Your Google Business Profile
- 8. Add Posts to Your Google Business Profile
- 9. Add Reviews to Your Google Business Profile
- 10. Add Tracking to Profile Links
- Optimization Tips for Multi-location Businesses
- How to Save Time Optimizing Your Google Business Profile
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business (now Google Business Profiles) is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to manage your presence on Google search and Google Maps. Today more than 85% of Google search pages include localized search results include the local pack and map.

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) provides searchers with important and relevant information about your business that can help them take the first steps in decision to work with you.
Your GBP includes the following components:
- Business Name
- Business Address
- Phone Number
- Website
- Business Hours
- Images and Videos
- Services
- Products
- Service Areas
- Questions (and Answers)
- Reviews
- Posts
- Booking (Select Industries)
- Menu (Restaurants Only)
- Messaging (Optional)
Each of these components is important to ensuring an optimized Google Business Profile. It’s important to note that each of the components have different weightings within the Google ranking algorithm, which we will explore in a moment.
Why Optimize Your Google Business Profile

With millions using Google Search and Google Maps to find businesses like yours, learning how to optimize Google My Business Profiles can significantly increase your chances of capturing them as customers.
By optimizing your profile, you can ensure that your business appears in an increasing number of relevant searches and stands out from others with differentiated content and accurate information.
Optimizing your Google Business Profile is important if you have lot of competitors. The more competitive the industry or geography, the more important it will be to have an optimized GBP simply because without it you won’t be considered by potential customers.
Especially if your business is dependant upon serving customers in person within a 10-20 mile radius from your commercial / home office or storefront.
This is doubly true for multi-location businesses, whether that be in a single town, or across an entire country (or the world). Multi-location business have the most to gain from optimizing their Google My Business Profiles as the network effects that can be produced when done properly are powerful.
Even if you’re not a large corporation or multi-location business, optimizing your Google My Business profile should be an essential component of your overall search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
How the Google Business Profile Ranking Algorithm Works

Local searches on Google trigger a different search results page layout. Localized searches shows a page that prominently shows map with businesses in the area and a structured listing of 3 to 4 businesses.
Google doesn’t just want to simply show businesses near a searcher. Google wants to show the “best” businesses. Enter the Google Business Profile Ranking Algorithm.
The Google Business Profile Ranking Algorithm (GBPRA) determines whether or not your profile will show on the local pack and map for a particular search.
This means the ranking of your GBP is dependant on a number of ranking factors that can be influenced through the components of the profile. Optimizing for these ranking factors can greatly improve your Google Business Profile visibility for targeted searches in your service areas.
The three key ranking factors that influence Google Business Profile position in the local pack and on the map are Proximity, Relevancy, and Prominence. They are important to keep in mind when determining how to optimize Google My Business Profiles.
Proximity
Proximity refers to the distance between a user’s location and the business’s physical address. The closer the proximity, the higher the chances of the business appearing in relevant searches.
Proximity is the one ranking factor that is difficult to influence since one cannot control where a user is searching from. The use of service areas does influence this to some degree, but when optimizing Google My Business its best to focus on Relevance and Prominence.
Relevance
Relevance considers how well the Google Business Profile information matches the user’s search query. Google will look at the business name, category, service areas, products, and services when determining relevance of the profile to the search.
Google will also surface matching information from reviews left on the profile, and even content they find on the website associated with the GBP. The information is often shown as structured snippets that differentiate the local pack listing.
Prominence
Prominence takes into account Google Business Profile review volume and ratings, as well as the domain authority of the website or webpage associated with the profile.
We meant it when we said that Google wants to show the best Business Profile for a search query. Online, the two biggest measures of prominence (or authority) are reviews and backlinks.
Increase them both and you’ll be sitting at the top faster than you can split coconut with a karate chop!
Now that we know how Google ranks Google Business Profiles, let’s take a quick look at the steps you should take in how to optimize Google My Business Profiles.
How to Optimize Google My Business Profiles

Learning how to optimize Google My Business profiles is not rocket science. At GMB Gorilla, we have built a simple 10 step process that will take your profile from barren to fully optimized.
- 1. Claim Your Google Business Profile
- 2. Create and Upload a Profile Logo Avatar and Cover
- 3. Geotag and Upload Profile Pictures and Videos
- 4. Enhance Your Google Business Profile Information
- Bonus Step: Enable Specialty Features
- 5. Add Services to Your Google Business Profile
- 6. Add Products to Your Google Business Profile
- 7. Add QA to Your Google Business Profile
- 8. Add Posts to Your Google Business Profile
- 9. Add Reviews to Your Google Business Profile
- 10. Add Tracking to Profile Links
Intimidated? Don’t be! We’re here to walk you through every step, making it easy for you to swing on in.
Let’s Get Started:
1. Claim Your Google Business Profile

If you already have verified your Google Business Profile — you have already claimed it. You can skip this step and move to step 2.
If you don’t have a Google Business Profile you need to claim it before you can optimize it. To claim your GBP head over to google.com/business, sign-in with your Google account, and add your business location.
Note that it will take a week (3-5 business days) or so to claim your GBP if you have to wait for a postcard.
Learn more in-depth steps with these guides:
2. Create and Upload a Profile Logo Avatar and Cover

Your logo avatar and cover image are prominent components of your Google Business Profile. They act as a unique identifier of your businesses brand.
The logo avatar is the first thing a searcher will see when your GBP shows up. The cover is the second thing a user would see when viewing your profile on Google Maps.
It’s important to use high quality images for both. GMB Gorilla recommends centering any image, logo, or logomark since Google does use these images in various display formats.
The ideal image size for the logo to be uploaded as the profile picture is a square sized 1000x1000px. The minimum image size that can be uploaded is 500x500px.
The ideal image size for the cover is 1024x575px. The aspect ratio should be 16:9.
If no Logo avatar has been set, Google will select one of the images uploaded to your Google Business Profile.
Learn more in-depth steps with these guides:
3. Geotag and Upload Profile Pictures and Videos

Business listings with more photos have better performance and engagement, there’s no argument about it. According to Google, businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for driving directions on Google Maps.
Google Business Profiles with photos also get 35% more click-throughs to their websites than businesses without photos. That’s a lot of traffic we don’t want to miss out on!
In fact that are several types of images you can upload to structured sections of your GBP:
- Exterior Photos
- Interior Photos
- Team Photos
- At Work Photos
- Identity
You can also upload general images for your business, such as products and services, before and afters, awards, and other related images.
GMB Gorilla recommends using the following parameters for images to be uploaded:
- Format: JPG or PNG
- Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB
- Recommended: 720x720px
- Minimum: 250x250px
Prior to uploading images to your Google Business Profile we also recommend geotagging the images. By including location data in your images, you make it easier for Google to accurately identify the where and what of the image.
Geotagging is an extra step, but it can help with ranking your images in Google image search. It does not help with Google Business Profile rankings.
Aside from that, adding photos of the outside of your building helps customers recognize it as they’re driving up. Adding photos of the inside of your business can entice them to visit you over your competitor down the road. It can also be used as an effective tool to highlight new or popular products, creating an Instagram-esque mood to bring your profile to a whole new level.
Pro Apetimization Tip!
Want to get customers to upload photos for you? Run a fun contest that encourages them to take and upload them to your profile! Offer a free service or gift card to the person of your choosing in exchange for their participation. Nothing gets humans motivated like the word “free!”
4. Enhance Your Google Business Profile Information

Okay, now we’re splitting coconuts. It’s time for you to get the meat of the banana. I mean profile. All this writing is making me hungry.
You should have a great looking Google Business Profile by this step. If not, at least you can check off the list that your profile has all the necessary images it needs. Gotta start somewhere.
In step 4 you will now update all of the information about your business on the profile. This is an important step because a lot of this information is used by Google to determine whether or not your profile will show up for a search.
Below you’ll find some tips we use to make sure each field is optimized.
Business Name
The Business Name field is tricky. The Business Name field holds a lot of influence over the rankings of a Google Business Profile, but not following guidelines can get your GBP suspended.
It’s widely known that adding the keywords or geography where you want to rank to the business name field will improve rankings. Unfortunately, this is not permitted and if Google finds it (or a Local Guide) flags it, you will be suspended.
GMB Gorilla recommends using your exact business name only. If you’re really that gung-ho for SEO, then go through a formal name change so you can stuff that Business Name field like a bed made out of leaves.
Business Category

The Business Category you choose for your GBP will directly influence what searches will trigger your profile to appear in the local pack and on Google Maps. One example we use is a Dermatologist who offers Botox and is struggling to show up.
Searches for Botox most often show profiles in the Med Spa category. Most Dermatologists categorize themselves as a Dermatologist. If you want to show up, you need to be in the right category.
Your Primary Category should be the most important and closely associated category to what you do. You can add Secondary Categories as well, if you offer multiple products and or services.
GMB Gorilla recommends adding 3-5 additional categories, but don’t get carried away. The Primary Category has the most influence over search visibility, but the Secondary Categories do help ensure your GBP is showing for the widest amount of searches possible.
Business Description
The Business Description is the first field that allows you to introduce searchers to your business. The Business Description is one part informative, one part persuasive. Once a searcher gets to your Google Business Profile, you can use it to ensure a call or click.
In this regard the Business Description is more for optimizing the conversion rate of your GBP, then it will influence your rankings. Google does often show content found in the Business Description within the local pack, so while you don’t have to go full SEO on it, be descriptive.
GMB Gorilla recommends highlighting the unique aspects of your business and convey what makes you stand out. Include relevant keywords naturally within your description, but there’s no need to stuff it like a Pinata.
Opening Date
The Opening Date gives searches an idea on the age of your business.
There’s something to say about longevity; it usually means the business is doing something right. That means many searchers are more likely to engage with older, more established businesses.
If this is you, then make sure you take advantage of it.
If you’re a young business, no need to swing from the trees. This is not a field that Google normally displays prominently.
GMB Gorilla recommends using the actual date of incorporation or that the location opened. There’s no advantage to setting it 1492.
Contact Information
The Contact Information field allows you to set the contact information for your Google Business Profile. This includes your phone number, website URL, social media links, and for some businesses additional fields to enter links to menu, booking services, and virtual care platforms.
Phone Number
The Phone Number field may appear straightforward, but decades of experience has us wanting to point something out.
It’s perfectly fine to just use your normal phone number. GMB Gorilla recommends using a tracking phone number because it has been found that a lot more users type in the phone number found on the profile versus clicking it. That means there usually 3-5 times as many calls being generated from your GBP than Google reports.
Plus there’s the added benefit of potentially being able to record these calls to determine the quality of the lead and if there was an actual sale.
Website URL
The Website or Webpage URL field is one of the most important. This is because the ranking algorithm takes into consideration the authority of the page found at the URL.
Authority, or Domain Authority, as SEOs call it is a measure of the volume and quality of all backlinks pointing to a website or webpage. It’s used by both Google and SEOs to determine the weighting of a site and its potential placing on results page for a particular search.
The more authoritative the associated website or webpage, the more likely the GBP is to rank for the searches it is targeting.
For most Google Business Profiles, GMB Gorilla recommends homepage of the businesses website is the best URL to use. If you happen to have multiple locations or providers, use the closest associated location or provider webpage found on the website.
And ABLB – Always Be Link Building.
Business Hours

The Business Hours field helps Google users understand whether you’ll be there when they reach out via phone or visit your location.
The Business Hours fields should be setup to match your actual business hours. You also have the ability to add temporary hours or holiday hours keeps your profile up-to-date and accurate.
GMB Gorilla recommends experimenting with your business hours to see if you can get more calls and website traffic by displaying longer hours. If your competitors are open 24-7 and you only are open 9-5, who do you think is getting more calls?
Service Areas

The Service Areas field helps Google understand the areas around your location that your service. This field allows you to enter the specific geographic areas you want Google to you show your GBP for relevant searches. You can add up to 20 service areas, either by city or postal code.
By adding cities and neighborhoods within a drivable radius to your business, you’re more likely to appear on Search when someone is looking for a business like yours in a different city.
The setting of Service Areas is more important for Service Area Business Profiles (SAB) than Physical Address listings since SABs normally serve a wider geographic radius. If an area is not set on your Google Business Profile, you probably will not show up.
GMB Gorilla recommends setting 3-5 service areas. You can add more if you are in an area with low competition or population density. There is a limit to your reach, however, so don’t pray to the stars for a rankings miracle after adding 36 geographies. You’re more likely to get hit on the head with a coconut.
More Details

The More Details sections gives you the opportunity to show important differences about your business versus your competitors.
In the More Details sections, you can find fields to enhance your profile with the following:
- Owner race and or sexual orientation
- Accessibility for handicapped persons
- Amenities such as a restroom
- Child Nursery
- Crowd
- Highlights (Testing Center)
- Offerings (Drive Through)
- Planning (Appointments, Accepting New Customers)
- Service Options (Language Assistance)
GMB Gorilla recommends taking advantage of these additional fields if they are applicable to your business and the location. This is because many searchers may be including these types of interests in their searches and or considering them when choosing a business to use.
Learn more in-depth steps with these guides:
Bonus Step: Enable Specialty Profile Features

Messaging
Setting up messaging is another important way to optimize your GBP for maximum conversions. The Messaging function allows Google users to send an electronic message through to profile Owners and Managers.
Messaging can be thought of similar to text messages and emails, but through your Google Business Profile. It can also be accessed using the Google Maps app.
GMB Gorilla recommends turning on Messaging if you can answer them quickly (or have the big blue guy handling them for you).
Online bookings and reservations
For hospitality, restaurant, health, and related industries, Google offers the ability to integrate online bookings and reservations into your GBP. This integration allows for Google users to book with your business faster than having to call or click off to your website.
GMB Gorilla recommends enabling online booking and reservation capabilities when available for your industry and the platforms you use.
Menu
For restaurants and many health related service businesses, a menu option is available on your Google Business Profile. With the Menu feature you are able to directly add your Menu items, food or otherwise.
Having your Menu items embedded into your GBP not only will make your standout, but will also improve your visibility for searches related to your menu items. It also makes it more convenient for Google search users to see what you offer without too many clicks.
GMB Gorilla recommends you leverage the native Menu function in the profile if available. Similar to Products and Services, Google is associating the items found in GBP Menus with user searches, resulting in more visibility for those profiles.
5. Add Services to Your Google Business Profile

Now that you have the core Business Information optimized on your Google Business Profile, it’s time to add content to the profile that will lead to increased visibility for related searches.
The first stop – Adding Services! Using the Services function on your GBP, you can add each of the services your business offers customers to your profile. These Services are often shown on your business profile Knowledge Panel and make for an attractive element for users to click on.
Adding Services to your profile, alongside Products, has been shown to work more like organic SEO where you will start to appear for service related searches if you have it listed on our Google Business Profile.
For each service you can set a Service Name, Price, and Description. You can also establish different categories for the different services you offer. This is helpful if you have a large variety of services, or want to include several variants of a single service.
GMB Gorilla recommends creating a Service for each of the services your business offers, both branded, and generic, in addition to ensuring the proper categories.
6. Add Products to Your Google Business Profile

For those businesses who are not service oriented, you can add Products to your Google Business Profile. Even if you are not selling products, you can list your services as Products.
Products work similar to Services. For each product you can add a Product Title, Price, Description. The Product function also allows you to link to the Product page and add an Image. There is also the ability to categorize the Products.
Products added to your GBP are prominently displayed about halfway down the Knowledge Panel. Similar to Services, the addition of Products to a profile has shown to increase the profiles visibility for related searches.
While this is a new development and is not as powerful as organic SEO content, GMB Gorilla recommends that you create a Product for every product you sell, even if it is a service. GMB Gorilla also recommends that you create generic name products, to help with optimizing for broad, top level searches (I.E. Have Nike Shoes, Red Nike Shoes, and Red Shoes)
7. Add QA to Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is not a static directory listing. Google has packed a lot of dynamic functionality into GBPs!
One such function is Question and Answer (QA). With QA, any Google user can ask a question about your business that will be displayed on your profile. You then have the ability to answer the question.
The goal of this function is to help potential customers learn more about your business and save them the time for having to interact with you if maybe you can’t help.
GMB Gorilla recommends that you start your QA efforts by seeding your Google Business Profile by asking Questions and Answering them via your personal Google account. You should have a minimum of 10 QAs live on your GBP, but there’s probably 20-30 common things customers ask each week that you know and can add.
Learn more in-depth steps with these guides:
8. Add Posts to Your Google Business Profile

One of the more visible aspects of your GMB profile are Posts. Posts, as the name suggests, are updates about your business published to your Google Business Profile.
You can use GBP Posts to drive traffic to articles, special sales, in-store promotions, new product arrivals, or even events you are hosting. Posts are a great way to catch a searchers eye when they encounter your profile in the wild.
Work Posts into your schedule frequently. Posting once a week is a great option for most businesses, but others are already reaching for that next branch by posting multiple times a week with coupon codes and other news.
Learn more in-depth steps with these guides:
9. Add Reviews to the Google Business Profile

Managing and responding to reviews is one of the most critical parts of your Google My Business Profile optimization efforts. After all, Google doesn’t just want to show businesses nearby, they want to show the best businesses nearby.
Online, and in the local pack, that means businesses with a high volume of positive reviews on their Google Business Profile. Google uses reviews as part of the Prominence weighting in their ranking algorithm. As a result, the more positive reviews you have relative to your competitors, the higher your profile should rank.
This makes consistently generating five star reviews on your GBP a top priority for every business. But it’s not enough to simply get reviews. You need to respond to them too!
While responding to reviews will not improve your rankings, it is something that has shown to increase the likelihood someone engages with your business, plus is good marketing after the sale to thank a customer for taking the time to rate and review.
GMB Gorilla recommends getting a minimum of 31 positive 5 star reviews on your profile. If you are in a geography (like New York City) or industry (like Plumbers), you will likely need 10-100 times this many. That’s why it’s wise to invest into a review management and solicitation service.
Learn more in-depth steps with these guides:
10. Add Tracking to Profile Links
You want to make sure you are tracking what happens after someone interacts with your GBP and they land on your website. One of the best ways to do this to add Google Analytics tracking codes to the end of the URLs added to your profile.
The two most common places are the Website URL and the URL for Google Posts. You can also add UTM tracking links secondary booking links, as well as links to your menu (if applicable).
You can take your tracking efforts to the next level by using a call tracking number as the Business Phone Number on your profile. Call tracking numbers allow you to account for all the people who call in to because they found the profile, but did not click on phone button or link on the profile.
GMB Gorilla recommends using UTM Tracking and call tracking numbers because you want to know what the calls and traffic generated are driving in revenue, profits, and return for the business.
Learn more in-depth steps with this guide:
That’s it. That’s how to optimize Google My Business Profiles!
But don’t get too excited my human friend. Even after completing the steps in How to Optimize Google My Business, your work isn’t done for long.
Your Google My Business Profile isn’t a channel that’s meant to “set it and forget it” — it takes ongoing effort to ensure you stay on the top of the local pack.
If you need help with that, check out our Google My Business Profile Management Service.
Now, before you leave us, if you happen to have more than one Google Business Profile for your business, let’s look into some tips for making the most of all those bananas.
Optimization Tips for Multi-location Businesses

If you happen to have the daunting task of managing multiple – or hundreds – of Google Business Profiles, GMB Gorilla has some specific tips for you. These tips are things GMB Gorilla has picked up walking down the path to the top of the local pack and Google maps for our multi-location customers.
Here are some things to consider when learning how to optimize Google My Business profiles for multi-location businesses.
Optimize Every Profile
Ensure that every detail of your Google Business Profiles for each location is filled out completely. This includes the business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and so forth.
One thing we encounter often with multi-location business GBPs is that they have been claimed, but not verified, or claimed and verified, but never optimized. This is leaving a lot of bananas on the scale.
The more profiles you have, the more calls and traffic you can receive from Google, so multi-location businesses would be smart to ensure every profile they have is probably optimized (and being actively managed).
Check for Duplicate Profiles
Duplicate listings can confuse both Google and potential customers. Make sure only one listing exists for each location. This is a big problem for prominent brands and can cause profile suspension issues down the road since Google does not want multiple profiles for the same location on the map.
To resolve this issue, make sure to search your brand and geographies on Google Maps. You can also hire a company or use a software tool to do a scan for you.
Consistency Across Profiles
Ensure that details that should be consistent across all locations, such as brand name, are indeed consistent. If you use “Acme Tech” on one profile and then “Acme Tech Company” on another, you could confuse Google and searchers.
When you have multiple locations with profiles within a small geography, you may want to add the specific neighborhood, village, etc to the business name to make it easier to identify. Note this is not always allowed by Google, but is helpful for many.
Categorize Profiles Strategically
The Categories used on a Google Business Profile influences the search terms that the profile will appear for in the search results. When you have multiple GBPs, you can use different relevant categories amongst the profiles to have each target different searches.
The reason this is important is that in 2021 Google introduced a “diversity update” which made it harder for a single business to appear multiple times in the local pack and on Google Maps for a single geography.
One way around this is to select different categories for the profiles. For example, if you are a law firm, your office profile should be categorized as a law firm, while individual attorney profiles can be categorized as their specific legal specialty (I.E. Divorce Attorney, Workers Compensation Attorney, etc).
This can also be used in the health, medical, retail, and trades industries with great success.
Use a Localized Content Strategy
For businesses with multiple locations, it’s beneficial to have separate, localized content on your website for each location, and then link to these specific pages from the respective Google Business Profiles.
Google will often surface information found on the associated web page of a GBP within the local pack. You may have seen, “This website mentions…” added to a local pack listing.
This additional information differentiates your listing and may increase the likelihood of a click. If the associate web page is specific and contains information relevant to searchers, there’s a greater likelihood of these showing up and you getting the call or click.
Local Phone Numbers & Addresses
Always use a local phone number instead of a central, toll-free or call center number. This makes the listing appear more local and relevant. It will also make it easier to track ROI by location.
The same goes for addresses; make sure they’re using the local street address when possible, especially if you have locations that within a close distance or on the same roadway, but separate cities or an towns.
Optimize for Locale in Descriptions
Each Google Business Profile can have a description of the business location. Make sure it’s not just a copy-and-paste job across all locations with some generic “about us.”
If there are unique offerings or distinctions about a specific location, mention them. This may help a customer choose the best of your two nearby locations for their needs.
Use Location Specific Google Posts
Use Google Posts to share location-specific promotions, events, news, or updates. This keeps the listing relevant to searches and gives potential customers something to engage with when they see your profile on the map or in the local pack.
It’ll also save customers the disappointment of finding out after a drive to their nearby location that a regional or national offer is not being supported by their local store. A scenario that happens often, and occasionally leads to negative reviews.
How to Save Time Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

Balancing myriad responsibilities, from strategic decision-making to customer engagement, leaves little room for the nuanced, yet essential task of Google Business Profile optimization.
If you’ve bought into the fact that you need to know how to optimize Google My Business Profiles, but fear you don’t have the time or resources to execute now that you know the way, there is a solution.
For businesses, executives, and marketers aiming to make the most of every second, outsourcing GBP optimization to the experts at GMB Gorilla is a game-changer.
Here’s why you should consider our Google My Business Profile Optimization Service:
- Expertise at Your Fingertips: GMB Gorilla’s team is specialized in Google Business Profile optimization, ensuring that your profile isn’t just completed, but perfected. Our in-depth understanding of the platform means we’re abreast of the latest features, best practices, and strategies to get your business noticed.
- Consistency Across Locations: For multi-location businesses, maintaining uniformity can be a daunting task. GMB Gorilla ensures that all your profiles are consistent, accurate, and optimized to the fullest, regardless of the number of locations.
- Regular Updates Without the Hassle: As Google’s platform evolves, so should your profile. By partnering, you’re not just setting and forgetting; you’re ensuring that your business remains in sync with the latest features and updates without lifting a finger.
- Review Management: Engaging with reviews is a time-consuming yet vital process. GMB Gorilla takes this off your hands, managing and responding to reviews in a manner that reflects your brand’s voice and ethos.
- Content Creation & Management: Beyond basic profile details, a dynamic Google Business Profile requires regular posts, product updates, services, and Q&A management. GMB Gorilla’s experts curate tailored content, from engaging posts to detailed service descriptions, ensuring your audience remains informed and engaged. They also actively manage the Q&A section, ensuring queries are addressed promptly and professionally.
- Data-Driven Decisions: With GMB Gorilla, you’re not just outsourcing tasks, you’re gaining a partner that provides insights. Their service will analyze customer behavior, presenting you with actionable insights to further refine your strategies.
- Peace of Mind: Knowing that a trusted partner is diligently managing your Google Business Profile lets you, and your team, focus on what you do best – running your business.
Let GMB Gorilla Optimize Your Google Business Profile
If you’ve made it this far you most certainly are interested in an optimized Google Business Profile. Why wait or spend hours over the coming weeks doing it yourself?
Get started with our Google Business Profile Optimization Service today and have an optimized profile in 21 days!