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12 Common Google Mistakes Costing Local Business Owners Thousands Each Year

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Updated: Jan 17


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Man confused because his google my business profile is not getting him customers

Introduction

Hi, I’m Nick Lookabaugh, the founder of 945 Studios. Over the past year, I’ve worked with small businesses to help them improve their local search presence and attract more targeted leads. One of the most common areas I see people struggle with is Google My Business (GMB). Even small mistakes in your profile can have a huge impact on your visibility, engagement, and ultimately, your revenue. While some of these might seem simple and harmless, they really can make the difference between someone becoming a customer or a lost opportunity. Let's go ahead and fix the 12 Common Google Mistakes. In this checklist, I’ll walk you through the most common mistakes I’ve encountered, and I’ll show you actionable steps to improve your GMB profile, helping you attract more local customers and stand out from the competition. Let's dive into the details so you can make the most of your Google My Business listing.


1. Complete Your Business Profile

Mistake: Leaving sections like the business description, contact information, and business hours incomplete. Why It Matters: Google prioritizes fully completed profiles. Missing information can hurt your ranking. Action: Fill out every section of your GMB profile, including your business description, services, business hours, and contact details.

2. Respond to Customer Reviews

Mistake: Not responding to reviews or failing to encourage customers to leave reviews. Why It Matters: Reviews are a ranking factor for Google, and engaging with reviews helps build trust and credibility. Action: Encourage customers to leave reviews, and make sure to respond to them regularly, whether positive or negative.

3. Post Regular Updates Using Google Posts

Mistake: Not using Google Posts to share updates, promotions, or news about your business. Why It Matters: Google rewards active profiles. Posting about sales, offers, or events helps improve your local SEO. Action: Regularly post updates, offers, and events to engage potential customers.

4. Optimize Your Business Description and Services

Mistake: Using generic or irrelevant keywords in your business name, description, or category. Why It Matters: Google uses the description and categories to understand your business. Relevant keywords help you show up in local searches. Action: Write a clear, concise business description that includes relevant keywords for your services.

5. Ensure Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is Consistent

Mistake: Inconsistent or incorrect business information across the web. Why It Matters: Consistency across your business listings helps your business rank better and makes it easier for customers to find you. Action: Ensure your NAP is accurate and consistent across all online listings.

6. Use the Questions & Answers Section

Mistake: Not answering commonly asked questions from potential customers. Why It Matters: The Q&A feature allows you to engage with customers directly on your profile and helps improve visibility. Action: Regularly monitor and answer questions, and add frequently asked questions proactively.

7. Avoid Duplicate Listings

Mistake: Creating multiple listings for the same business. Why It Matters: Google may confuse your business, leading to lower rankings. Action: Maintain only one GMB listing per location.

8. Set Your Business Hours Correctly

Mistake: Incorrect business hours or failure to update for holidays or special events. Why It Matters: Google prioritizes accurate business hours, especially for location-based searches. Action: Always update your hours for holidays and special events.

9. Upload High-Quality Photos

Mistake: Not uploading photos or using poor-quality images. Why It Matters: Listings with photos receive more interactions. Quality images help customers get a feel for your business and improve your search ranking. Action: Upload high-quality photos of your business, products, and services.

10. Add Products or Services to Your Profile

Mistake: Failing to add detailed products or services. Why It Matters: Including a detailed list of services or products makes your business more discoverable. Action: Add your key products or services with accurate descriptions and prices.

11. Enable Messaging on Your Profile

Mistake: Not enabling direct messaging with customers. Why It Matters: Enabling messaging allows customers to directly reach you, leading to higher engagement and potential sales. Action: Turn on messaging to allow customers to contact you directly.

12. Ensure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly

Mistake: A website that isn’t optimized for mobile users. Why It Matters: Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search rankings. Action: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure your website is responsive and fast on mobile devices.

Conclusion

As someone who has worked with small businesses on their Google My Business profiles, I can tell you that even small improvements can make a huge difference in your online visibility. Even something overlooked like the posts feature helps a lot, to the right customer. I've seen many businesses make simple mistakes like leaving their description unfinished or super short which hurt their chances of being discovered by local customers every day all year round. Every search has to have information to utilize so that you can be discovered. One simple step could make the difference. As an example, in these scenarios below which are you more likely to choose between? A. Super short description and you have to call them to find out if they provide the service you are looking for B. Gives you the info already in the description

The little things matter when it comes to search. By following this checklist, you’re already taking the right steps toward improving your GMB profile and boosting your local SEO. If you’d like help or if you’re not sure where to start, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to help you get the most out of your GMB listing and drive more customers your way! Provided that you enjoyed what you read above we have a limited time new years deal in the link below. New Year’s Offer Ending on Jan 31st! We only have 2 project spots left this month. If you want an Optimized GMB profile along with a Brand-New Custom Website at 15% OFF Schedule a Call Today Before it’s too Late!


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