Google Business Profile management
Stage: Be foundGoogle Business Profile management
Win the map pack in every city you serve. Profiles, reviews, posts and local pages managed together, for one location or a thousand.
Free AI SEO audit. See in seconds whether AI search can read, understand and quote your site.
"dentist near me"5433468421234632112353211135422124664334588655679
Your clinic★★★★★4.8 · 0.6 kmSmile Studio★★★★☆4.4 · 1.1 kmCity Dental★★★★☆4.2 · 0.9 km
Top 3 on the grid27 of 49Rating4.8Calls a month112
Sample data. 7 by 7 grid around one location.Trusted by partner brands
Why it matters now
Local buyers decide on the map
For anything nearby, the map pack and your profile are the first impression. Ratings, photos, hours and replies decide who gets the call, and AI assistants now summarize those reviews for buyers.
96%of consumers read online reviews of local businessesBrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, 2025
48%read the AI review summary before any individual reviewBrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, 2025
Then
SearchWebsite listBrowseCall
Buyers compared websites before choosing a business.Now
Near me searchMap packReviews and summaryCall or visit
Buyers choose from three map results and a review summary, often without visiting a website.What’s included
Everything that moves the map pack
Six parts of every local program.
How we do it
Five steps, one owner
Part of your first 90 days. Every step has a date, an owner and something you can see.
Week 1Access and baselineGet manager access to every profile and record where you rank today.You get a location-by-location baseline
Week 1 to 3Profile clean-upFix categories, duplicates, hours, photos and suspended or unverified profiles.You get every profile complete
Week 2 to 6Reviews and postsLaunch review requests and a posting rhythm for each location.You get a steady review flow
Week 4 to 12Local pages and listingsBuild or improve location pages and clean up directory listings.You get pages and listings live
Every weekTrack and adjustTrack grid rankings, calls, directions and reviews by location.You get a Monday report in Surface
Tools we work in
Search Console
Analytics 4
surfaceby dau
Search ConsoleAnalytics 4surfaceby dauWhat moves rankings
Three things decide the map pack
Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence. You can't move your address, so we work on the two you can change.
- Step 1: RelevanceCategories, services and content that match the search
- Step 2: DistanceHow close the business is to the searcher
- Step 3: ProminenceReviews, ratings, links and mentions across the web
How we measure it
Every week, in Surface
Map pack position on a grid around every location, plus calls, direction requests and review growth, all in one view.
49grid points per locationWeeklyrank checksEverylocation in one view
- Map pack rank across the grid
- Calls, direction requests and website clicks
- Review count, rating and reply time
- Profile completeness by location
surfaceAI answersSampleMention rate, all engines17%▲ 11 pp in 12 weeksEngineMentionedCitedTrend
AI Overviews20.4%6.4%
ChatGPT18.8%3.9%
Gemini17.2%5.1%
Perplexity16.1%9.8%
Claude12.0%2.7%
Copilot8.9%2.1%
AI Overviews20.4%6.4%ChatGPT18.8%3.9%Gemini17.2%5.1%Perplexity16.1%9.8%Claude12.0%2.7%Copilot8.9%2.1%Your options
Four ways to manage your profiles
Do it yourself, use a listings tool, hire a local SEO freelancer, or run it with your search partner.
One team, no handoffs
Google Business Profile Optimization works best with the rest of search
The same team runs every service that feeds AI answers, so nothing waits on another vendor.
Google Business Profile Optimizationyou are hereSearch everywhere optimizationOne plan across Google, AI answers and MapsOnline reputationReviews that win the comparisonSEO and enterprise SEORankings for questions that lead to revenueAnswer engine optimizationGet named in ChatGPT, Gemini and AI OverviewsVoice Search OptimizationEnterprise SEO Services
Guides
Go deeper on Google Business Profile Optimization
Questions
What people ask about Google Business Profile Optimization
What does Google Business Profile management include?
Profile optimization, review growth and replies, posts, local landing pages, listings clean-up and weekly grid rank tracking.
Can you manage hundreds of locations?
Yes. We run profiles for single-location businesses and for brands with hundreds of stores, dealers or branches, with reporting by location.
How do you get more reviews?
By asking at the right moment, through the channels your customers already use, and by replying to every review. We never buy or fake reviews.
What if a profile is suspended?
We find the cause, fix it and file the reinstatement with Google, then put checks in place so it does not happen again.
How long until we rank higher on the map?
Profile fixes often show within weeks. Review growth and local pages build over two to three months.
Do AI assistants use our profile?
Yes. Google and other assistants pull ratings, hours and review summaries into local answers, so a strong profile helps there too.
The full guide · 8 min readGoogle Business Profile management for sustainable growth
How the map pack works, what to fix first and how to run profiles across many locations.
- 01How local rankings work
- 02Setting up a profile that ranks
- 03Reviews and replies
- 04Managing many locations
See where you rank on the map
Talk to a partner and we will show you your map pack position around your locations, and what to fix first.