Michael Epps Utley 
Have you been ignoring your Google Business Profile (GBP)?
This often overlooked feature plays a significant role in determining the prominence of your business in local search.
This article reveals ten aspects of your GBP that highly impact your business performance on Google.
1. Business Name
Google uses your company name as a ranking signal. That’s why many businesses try to scam the system by adding extraneous terms to them, like Best Elite Donut Bakery of Central Los Angeles.
Doing so can be a big mistake because:
Names like this look untrustworthy to prospective customers
They’re not effective at building brand recognition in the real world
Google will likely find the name suspicious
People may flag the name as spam, allowing Google to change or remove it
It’s smart to read and stick to Google’s best practices in The Guidelines for Representing Your Business on Google. It is always best to feature an authentic, unique name that is aligned with what you do.
2. Business Address
The address of your business doesn’t just impact how much traffic passes it. It also affects your local Google ranking in several ways, including:
The closer your business location is to the searcher, the more likely it is to appear prominently in the packs, finders, and maps.
If your business address is located outside the mapped Google borders of a town or city, it is more challenging to rank for searches within or related to that location.
Your address's proximity to competitors can negatively impact visibility in Google’s local results. When two or more businesses with the same primary GBP category are located in the same building or block, Google often filters out one or more of them from their maps. The only way to see all of them is to zoom in. It’s critical to consider competitor proximity when opening a new location. Otherwise, your company could become less visible or be forced to change its primary GBP category.
Where you locate your business significantly affects how — and for whom — it ranks and should be considered when selecting a new business location.
3. Business Categories
The primary category of your Google Business Profile listing should reflect its central product or service offering, which is what you most want to rank for. You can also select nine other categories to present a more complete picture of your organization. These additional categories could nudge your position up or down in specific searches, especially if searcher intent is evident.
4. Website Link
The impression Google has of your website — especially its authority and trustworthiness — can impact your local pack rankings. Check out our complete guide to search engine optimization (SEO) and our blog post about E-E-A-T to learn how to optimize your website for Google.
5. Hours of Operation
When your business is open has an impact on its local rankings. It will appear more prominently when it’s open than when it is closed, all else being equal. It’s critical to keep your hours of operation current on GBP, so your business shows up when it’s available to serve customers. Getting this wrong is an easy way to turn off customers who went out of their way to visit you only to find out you’re not open.
6. Customer Reviews
Reviews aren’t just a primary factor consumers consider when selecting businesses from which to purchase goods and services — they also have a significant impact on local pack rankings. The top factors include:
Overall star rating
Number of reviews
Language used in reviews, both positive and negative
In short, the higher the volume of positive reviews your company receives, the better it will rank. Even if you receive negative reviews, be sure to respond to them promptly and professionally, as this sends signals to Google and web users that you’re responsive, attentive, and continually improving.
7. Services
Adding services to your Google Business Profile will improve your rankings. Add as many of the services Google recommends that are applicable to your business. Be thorough and honest.
8. Products
Next, upload your inventory through the Google Merchant Center/Pointy. It will make it possible to add eye-catching images to your GBP and help your profile rank for product searches in your local area.
9. Popular Times
Businesses like restaurants appear more prominently in Google rankings during their most popular times. While you can’t directly affect it, you can influence it by offering specials and promotions that draw higher traffic at times you want to appear in local Google searches.
10. Menu Items
It’s critical for restaurants to include menu items in their Google Business Profiles. It will help make their establishments more prominent when people search for those menu items in their local area.
Google My Business Ranking Factors: The Final Word
Your local Google ranking and appearance on maps are highly dependent on critical fields and factors related to your Google Business Profile. Carefully monitoring and managing high-value fields will help you have the best GBP for your business type in your area.
