Resources · Local SEO

Google My Business Optimization Checklist

A practical, no-fluff checklist for HVAC contractors, med spas, and other service-area businesses. Work through it once, then keep it running.

1. Claim and verify the profile

Nothing else matters until you own the listing and Google trusts it.

Claim the listing
Search your business on Google Maps, click 'Claim this business', and sign in with the email you want to own the profile long-term.
Complete verification
Most service-area businesses verify by video. Record continuously — exterior, signage, tools, and proof of address — without cuts.
Add a manager, not an owner
When agencies (like us) help, add us as a Manager. Never transfer primary ownership of your listing to a third party.

Google rewards profiles whose details exactly match your website and citations.

Business name
Use your real legal or DBA name. Do not stuff keywords ('Joe's HVAC - 24/7 AC Repair Phoenix') — it is the #1 cause of suspensions.
Primary category
Pick the single most specific category that matches your top revenue service (e.g. 'HVAC contractor', 'Medical spa'). Add 3-5 secondary categories.
Service area
Service-area businesses (HVAC, plumbers, mobile med spas) should hide the address and list cities or zip codes you actually drive to.
Hours + special hours
Set holiday hours 2 weeks ahead. 'Temporarily closed' on a holiday tanks rankings — use special hours instead.
Phone + website
Use a local number that matches your website footer. Track calls with a forwarding number, not a different published number.

List every service
Add each service as a separate entry with a 200-300 character description. This is prime real estate for long-tail keywords.
Add attributes
Toggle relevant attributes: 'Women-owned', 'LGBTQ+ friendly', 'Online appointments', 'Wheelchair accessible'. They power filtered searches.
Products (where allowed)
Med spas: list signature treatments with prices. HVAC: list maintenance plans. Products show up in the Maps carousel.

Profiles with 100+ photos get ~520% more calls than average. Quantity matters, but so does freshness.

Cover, logo, and interior
Upload a sharp logo (square, 720px+) and a cover photo that represents the service, not stock art.
Team and 'at work' photos
Customers convert on faces. Add techs in branded uniforms, before/afters, and equipment shots — geotagged on a phone.
Refresh monthly
Add 3-5 new photos every month. Google ranks active profiles higher than stale ones with more total photos.

Reviews are the strongest local ranking signal you can directly influence.

Build a review link
Use your short Google review URL (g.page/r/...). Put it in invoices, post-service texts, and email signatures.
Ask within 24 hours
Conversion drops sharply after a day. Send the request while the service experience is still fresh.
Reply to every review
Respond to 100% of reviews within 48 hours — positive and negative. Use the customer's name and reference the service when possible.
Never gate reviews
Asking only happy customers ('Was your experience great? → Google') violates Google's policy and can de-rank you.

Post weekly
Offers, updates, and events keep the profile active. Aim for one post a week — this is exactly what Groundwork automates.
Seed your own Q&A
Add your top 5 customer questions as Q&A entries and answer them yourself. They appear above competitor Q&A.
Turn on messaging
Enable chat and commit to <24 hour replies. Slow responses get the feature auto-disabled.

Optimization is a launch — maintenance is the job.

Monthly insights review
Check Performance → calls, direction requests, website clicks, and search queries. Double down on queries you already rank for.
Quarterly NAP audit
Verify Name/Address/Phone matches across your website, Yelp, BBB, and Apple Maps. Mismatches drag rankings down.
Watch for suspension triggers
Address changes, name edits, and bulk photo uploads from new IPs all trigger reviews. Make changes slowly.