The 30-Minute
Google Maps Fix

• Business name matches your storefront sign exactly (no extra keywords stuffed in)
• Correct primary category is selected, plus 1–2 relevant secondary categories
• Hours are accurate, including upcoming holiday hours
• Map pin location is accurate to your actual entrance
• Phone number and website link are current and clickable
• At least 10 recent photos uploaded: storefront, interior, products, team
• Booking or appointment link added, if you take appointments
• Business description (750-character field) is written in natural language, not stuffed with keywords
• Attributes filled in where true (small business, family-run/family-owned, women-owned, wheelchair accessible, LGBTQ+ friendly, etc.)
• Messaging turned on if you're willing to answer questions from the listing itself

Google trusts a business more when it's mentioned consistently across other real, local sources — not through paid link schemes, just the ordinary places a shop like yours should already be. Work through this list once, then revisit twice a year.

• Local Chamber of Commerce membership and directory listing
• Downtown / Main Street merchants' association directory (common in small towns)
• Local newspaper or community blog "shop local" features (often free to submit)
• Nextdoor Business Page for your neighborhood
• Apple Maps Connect listing (separate from Google, frequently skipped)
• Bing Places for Business (5-minute setup, still counts as a citation)
• Local tourism board listing, if you're in a tourist or visitor-heavy area
• Industry-specific directories (wedding, home decor, pet, etc. depending on your product)
• Cross-links with 2–3 neighboring businesses (ask them to list you, and list them back)

Skip anything that asks you to pay for a "guaranteed backlink" or "ranking package." Those don't help and can violate Google's guidelines.

• Identify your 3–5 best repeat or happiest customers this week
• Ask in person at checkout, right after a compliment or a big purchase
• Send the text or email script below within 24 hours — while they're still happy
• Respond to every review within 48 hours, good or bad, in your own voice
• Never offer a discount or freebie in exchange for a review (against Google's policy, and reversible)

Google favors listings that stay active. This tracker turns visibility into a small, repeatable weekly habit — not another one-time project.

Tip: pair this with a recurring Sunday-night or Monday-morning reminder on your phone.

Pick 3 search terms a customer might actually type (example: "tacos near me," "handyman near me"). Search them once a month in an incognito/private browser window and log where you land.