When someone searches for your service on Google or asks the map for a recommendation, your Google Business Profile is often the first thing the customer sees — before your website. That same profile is also one of the places AI pulls its information from. If the profile has small mistakes, they cost you quietly: calls, visits and trust you never see in any report. Here are the seven most common mistakes and how to fix them.
The good news is that these are fixable without a new website or an ad budget — most of them within the same day.
Why your Google Business Profile decides more than you think
The profile is the box that appears on the right side of search results and in Google Maps: name, opening hours, reviews, photos, phone number. Many customers make their decision from that alone, without calling or opening your website at all.
That same information travels further. When ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini builds an answer to "recommend a good [trade] in [town]", it leans on exactly this kind of public, consistent information. So a well-filled profile doesn't only help in Google search — it raises the odds of making it into the recommendation AI gives, too. I wrote more about this in when your customers ask AI, does your business show up.
The 7 most common Google Business Profile mistakes
Run through these on your own profile. Most businesses make at least two or three of them:
- Outdated or inconsistent core details. Opening hours, phone number or address appear differently on the profile than on your website. A contradiction makes both the customer and AI hesitate. Keep your name, address and number exactly the same everywhere.
- The wrong or too-vague category. The primary category tells Google which searches you show up in. "Business" or anything too generic leaves you out of relevant searches — pick the most specific one that describes what you actually do.
- No photos, or outdated ones. Profiles with fresh, real photos look like a living business. An empty or years-old photo folder signals that nobody's home.
- No replies to reviews. An unanswered review — especially a critical one — looks like a business that doesn't care. A short, professional reply to each one says the opposite, and Google rewards activity.
- A profile that looks abandoned. No updates, no new photos, no changes in months. Small, regular activity tells Google and AI that the business is alive.
- Services and description left blank. These text fields are exactly the machine-readable content search and AI use to understand what you offer. An empty description is a missed chance to get found.
- Duplicate or unverified profiles. Old duplicates or unverified ownership scatter your information and reviews across different places. Merge or remove duplicates and make sure you control the right profile.
Your profile isn't just a contact box — it's the first impression both the customer and the AI see before your website.
How do you know if your profile is in good shape?
Open your profile on your phone as if you were a customer. Does it answer three questions right away: what you do, where, and when you're open? Then check that the same details read exactly the same way on your website. Finally, ask an AI — ChatGPT or Perplexity — "recommend a [your trade] in [your town]" and see whether you come up.
If any of these creaks, you don't need an expensive project — you need an hour of tidying in the right order. The same fundamentals also support broader visibility on ChatGPT and Perplexity.
In short
A Google Business Profile is rarely anyone's "project", which is exactly why it holds the most easy wins. Keep the core details accurate and consistent, choose the right category, add real photos, reply to reviews and keep the profile alive. These five moves lift both your Google visibility and your odds of making it into AI recommendations.
If you'd like someone to go through your profile for you and tell you exactly what to fix, I'm happy to help. It's part of the Growth Partner service — all by email, no meetings.