Filling in the parts of the profile most businesses leave blank
Optimisation is improving a profile that already exists and is verified. It is mostly completion: the service list, secondary categories, attributes, products, photographs and the questions section are blank on most profiles, and each one is a signal that is simply not being sent.
A verified profile with a name, address, phone number and one category is doing perhaps a third of what it could. The remaining fields are not decorative. Categories and services are how Google understands what the business does, and a profile that describes itself in four words is competing against one that describes itself in forty.
The pattern is remarkably consistent across the profiles we review. One primary category and no secondary ones. No services listed, even where the business offers a dozen. No attributes, so filters exclude it. Photographs from whenever the listing was created, or stock images. An empty questions section, or worse, questions answered by members of the public with wrong information that has sat there for a year. The description, where one exists at all, is usually either three words long or a keyword list, and it sits directly under the business name where every prospective customer reads it.
When this work makes sense
Questions worth asking any supplier
How complete is the profile now? Most optimisation value is in fields that are simply empty.
Are secondary categories set? They broaden which searches the listing can appear for without changing the primary.
Are services listed individually, or implied by the category?
Who answers the questions section? If nobody does, members of the public answer for you.
Are the photographs real and current? Stock imagery on a local listing is visible to anyone comparing you with a competitor.
Deliverables
Category review — primary and secondary, chosen against search behaviour rather than self-description
Full service list with descriptions, rather than relying on the category to imply them
Attributes completed, including accessibility and payment options that feed search filters
Business description written for readers, within the character limit
Photograph audit and guidance, with real imagery replacing stock
Products or menu items where the category supports them
Questions section seeded with genuine common questions and monitored thereafter
Hours including holiday and exception hours, kept current
Built with
Process
Optimisation begins with a competitive comparison rather than an audit of your own profile in isolation. We look at what the listings currently ranking in your category have completed that yours has not — usually secondary categories, services and photograph volume — because the gap against them is more useful than a checklist of empty fields. A profile only needs to be more complete than the ones it is competing with.
The standard nine stages — discovery, strategy, UX/UI, development, content and SEO, testing, launch, measurement, continuous improvement — apply to every project. The paragraph above is what differs for this one.
What moves the number
Pricing depends on scope, functionality, integrations and content requirements. These are the factors that change it most:
One-off optimisation, ongoing management, or doing it in-house
One-off optimisation
Fits: Profiles that are verified and simply incomplete
Limits: Profiles drift — hours change, questions appear, photographs age
Ongoing management
Fits: Businesses where the profile is a primary enquiry source
Limits: Continuing cost; unnecessary for a stable single location with low volume
In-house
Fits: Businesses with someone who will genuinely own it weekly
Limits: It is the task that gets dropped first when the week is busy
Case studies
Profile optimisation is among the service lines described on the team's existing property mbgcard.in. Client listings are not shown without permission.
MBGDesk operates from 4 offices — India, United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates. We hold no industry certifications and do not imply otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
How many categories should we use?
One primary that matches your main activity precisely, plus secondary categories for genuine additional services. Adding categories you do not actually offer dilutes relevance and can cause problems, so the list should be accurate rather than maximal.
Do Google Posts help our ranking?
They appear on the listing and are useful for communicating offers and updates. We would not claim a direct ranking effect, because that is not something we can demonstrate. They are a communication tool and we would not sell them as a ranking tactic.
How many photos should we upload?
More than you have, almost certainly, and they should be real. Exterior shots that help someone recognise the place, interior, team, and work you have done. Stock photography is obvious to anyone comparing listings.
Someone answered a question about our business incorrectly.
Anyone can answer questions on your listing, and wrong answers sit there indefinitely. Post the correct answer yourself and vote it up. The section is worth seeding with genuine common questions rather than leaving open.
Will optimisation get us into the map pack?
It improves relevance, which is one of the three factors Google names. Distance from the searcher is another and cannot be influenced. A more complete profile competes better; it does not override geography.
How often should the profile be updated?
Hours whenever they change, including holidays. Photographs periodically. Questions as they appear. Services when your offering changes. A profile that has not been touched in two years looks abandoned to a reader deciding whether you are still trading.
What should the business description say?
What you do and who you do it for, in plain language, within the character limit Google allows. It is not an SEO field — stuffing it with service and location keywords reads badly to the person deciding whether to call, and does not buy the ranking benefit people hope for. Write it for the reader who is comparing you with two other listings.
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Talk to us about this
Tell us what you are trying to build and we will come back with scope, approach and an estimate.