Your Google Business Profile Is Half Finished: 10 Things to Fix First

In July 2026 I set up a Google Business Profile for ToteMove, a moving supply startup in Brampton and one of my clients. Its website was brand new. Google had never heard of ToteMove, and neither had ChatGPT or Gemini.

By October 30, ToteMove was #1 on Google for "tote rental service in Brampton," "tote rental Canada" and "plastic moving bins Brampton," and #2 for "moving totes delivery Brampton." ChatGPT recommended ToteMove in 3 out of 3 test questions. Gemini mentioned it in every answer we checked. Then the result that matters most: in October, ToteMove's owner called to tell me he'd had to restock his inventory twice that month. He hadn't needed to restock once since launch.

I didn't run ads. I filled out the profile completely and then kept showing up every week. It's boring work, and that's probably why so few businesses do it.

Google's own numbers say complete profiles get 7 times more clicks than incomplete ones. One 2026 audit of 100,000 profiles found that 67% were incomplete anyway. If yours is one of them, there are people searching for what you sell who are calling someone else.

What Changed in 2026

A lot of the Google Business Profile checklists still ranking on Google are out of date. Google started removing the Questions and Answers section in December 2025 and replaced it with "Ask Maps," an AI feature that answers customer questions using your profile, your reviews and your website. Chat was shut off back in July 2024, so any guide telling you to turn on messaging is old.

AI search matters more than most owners realize. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 45% of consumers said they'd used AI tools to find local businesses, up from 6% a year earlier. Your profile now feeds those answers as well as Google Maps. If you want the bigger picture on that, I wrote about how AI tools pick which local businesses to recommend.

1. Claim and Verify Your Profile

Nothing else counts until you're verified. Most new businesses now verify by video. You record one continuous take showing your sign or branded vehicle, your workspace or equipment, and something that proves you run the place, like unlocking the door or logging into your business account. Plan the shot before you hit record. Shaky, cut-off videos are a common reason verification gets rejected.

2. Pick the Right Primary Category

Local search experts in Whitespark's 2026 survey ranked primary category first out of 187 ranking factors. Google says to pick the most specific category that fits: "Nail salon," not "Salon." Add secondary categories for your other services, but only ones you actually offer. Try to get it right the first time, because changing it later can send you back through verification.

3. Get Your Name, Address, Phone and Hours Exactly Right

Google found that 96% of people are more likely to visit a business that shows its hours. Your name, address and phone number should match on your website, your Facebook page and every directory you're listed in. "St." on one and "Street" on another won't hurt you. Two different phone numbers will confuse Google and your customers.

4. Fill In Every Field

This is where most profiles fall short. Go through all of it: attributes, service area, opening date, accessibility, payment options. People are 2.7 times more likely to see a business as reputable when its profile is complete. My rule for ToteMove was simple. If Google asks for it and it's true, it goes in.

5. List Every Service, With a Description

If I had to name the one step that moved ToteMove fastest, it's this one. I added each service as its own entry (tote rental, delivery, pickup and packing supplies) and wrote a short, plain description for each. A single catch-all like "Moving services" tells Google almost nothing. Separate services with descriptions give Google and its AI something specific to match against what people type.

6. Write a Real Business Description

You get 750 characters. Start with what you do and where, then who it's for and why someone would pick you. Google doesn't allow links, promotions, ALL CAPS or keyword stuffing here. Write it the way you'd explain your business to a neighbour over the fence.

7. Upload Real Photos, and Keep Adding Them

According to Google's own playbook data, profiles with photos get 42% more requests for directions and 35% more website clicks. Use your own photos of the outside, the inside, your team and jobs in progress, and skip the stock images. I add photos to the Photos section and attach one to almost every post, so the profile never looks abandoned.

8. Build a System for Getting Reviews

BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 97% of consumers read reviews before choosing a local business. Asking now and then doesn't work. You need a habit.

I handle ToteMove's reviews, and the system starts in person. At every pickup, ToteMove's owner asks the customer face to face whether they'd leave a Google review, and only then does the link go out by text or email. The order matters. A review link that shows up out of nowhere looks like spam or a phishing text, and people ignore it. If they've just said yes to your face, they're expecting it, and they click.

So far ToteMove has 7 reviews, all 5 stars, and every customer who's been asked has left one. That's a small number from a young business, so I won't pretend it's a statistic. It does tell me the in-person ask works.

You'll hear that customers won't trust a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and BrightLocal found that's true for 47% of people. ToteMove still hit #1 with 7. In a specific local niche, a few recent, detailed reviews on a complete and active profile can beat a competitor with more reviews and a neglected profile. Don't wait until you have 20 to take this seriously.

Never buy reviews, write your own or offer something in exchange for 5 stars. The FTC started sending warning letters under its review rules in late 2025, and Google deletes fake reviews in bulk. One shortcut can undo months of real work.

9. Reply to Every Review

89% of consumers expect owners to respond to reviews. I reply to every ToteMove review within a couple of days. Keep it short: thank them, mention what they used you for, and invite them back.

When a bad one comes in, answer calmly, keep it brief and offer to sort it out offline. The next customer will read your reply more carefully than the complaint.

10. Post Every Week

Google recommends posting at least weekly and mixing updates, events and offers. Crate & Barrel saw its Google Maps views go up more than 31% after it committed to a regular posting schedule.

I post for ToteMove once or twice a week, nearly always with a photo, and most of the ideas come from customers. At pickup, after the review ask, the owner asks customers what went well, what they loved, what bugged them and what we could do better. He passes their answers to me, and I turn them into posts. Just ask before you quote anyone by name.

Bonus: Make Your Profile AI-Ready

Now that Q&A is gone, Google's AI answers customer questions from your profile, your reviews and your website. Put a proper FAQ page on your site and keep your hours, services and service area accurate on the profile. When the AI gets something wrong about a business, it's usually because the information is missing or doesn't match somewhere.

Only Have 30 Minutes a Week?

You don't have to finish this in one sitting. Plenty of owners never start because it feels like a whole weekend project, so spread it out.

After the first two weeks, keeping it up takes about half an hour a week. I'm in ToteMove's profile two or three times a week, and that's been plenty. If you only do three things, pick the right category, make review requests a habit and post every week.

What to Expect

Distance still matters. Google weighs how close you are to the person searching, and no amount of work will put a Brampton business at the top of a search in Oshawa.

Your profile works best with a website behind it. ToteMove's rankings came from the two working together. The profile gets you into the map results and AI answers, and the website gives Google the detail to back them up. If you're not sure you need a site at all, start here.

Not everything takes off, either. Some ToteMove pages still get very few impressions or clicks. I spend my time on the searches that bring in customers and don't worry much about the rest.

It can happen faster than you'd expect, though. I figured I'd be waiting 5 or 6 months. ToteMove's AI visibility score, measured with Inspecia, went from 0 in July to 37 in August and 75 out of 100 by October.

Want a Second Pair of Eyes?

I've been looking after customers in Brampton since 1999, and every step in this post is one I've used on a real client profile, ToteMove included. If you'd like me to look at your profile, call or email me and I'll tell you which of these 10 steps will make the biggest difference for you. If you'd rather hand the whole thing off, I manage Google Business Profiles for local businesses in Brampton, Caledon and the GTA West, starting at $89 a month.