A Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees. These are the mistakes I find most often — each one quietly costs calls.
- Wrong primary category. It is the single strongest relevance signal on your profile.
- Empty services section. Add every service with a description.
- Inconsistent NAP. A different phone number or address format on directories confuses Google.
- No posts for months. An inactive profile looks like an inactive business.
- Stock photos only. Real photos of your team, location and work build trust.
- Ignoring reviews. Reply to every review — positive and negative.
- Website doesn’t match the profile. Your service pages should mirror your GBP services.
Fixing these for a dental clinic in Austin, Texas brought 155 profile interactions and 43 phone calls in two months — without any paid ads.
