Warning: I've audited over 500 contractor Google Business Profiles. The same mistakes appear over and over. Worst part? Most contractors have no idea these mistakes are costing them rankings, leads, and revenue. Fix these five things and you'll immediately rank higher.
Keyword Stuffing Your Business Name
What It Looks Like:
❌ “ABC Plumbing - Licensed Plumber Bonney Lake Tacoma Puyallup Emergency 24/7 Best Plumber”❌ “Joe's Construction | General Contractor | Kitchen Remodel | Bathroom Renovation”❌ “Smith HVAC Heating Cooling Air Conditioning Furnace Repair Pierce County”Why It's Wrong:
Can get you suspended or penalized by Google
Customers don't trust keyword-stuffed names
Google ignores keyword-stuffed names in 2024
Your listing can be removed entirely
The Right Way:
Use your actual legal business name. That's it.
✅ “ABC Plumbing”✅ “Joe's Construction”✅ “Smith HVAC”If your legal business name includes a descriptor, that's fine:✅ “Joe's Kitchen & Bath Remodeling” (if that's your legal name)
How to Fix:
- Go to Google Business Profile
- Edit your business name
- Change it to match your legal name exactly
- Save
If you've been keyword stuffing for years, your rankings might temporarily drop when you fix it. That's normal. They'll recover (and improve) within 30-60 days.
Inconsistent NAP Information
What It Looks Like:
Why It's Wrong:
Google isn't sure which version is correct. This creates doubt about your legitimacy and weakens your rankings.
Think of it like multiple witnesses giving slightly different testimony. Who do you believe?
The Right Way:
Pick ONE format and use it EVERYWHERE. Exactly.
How to Fix:
- Audit every place your business is listed
- Create a master NAP document
- Update every listing to match exactly
- Going forward, copy/paste from master document
- Google Business Profile
- Website
- Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages
- All other directories
Choosing the Wrong Primary Category
What It Looks Like:
Why It's Wrong:
Your primary category is one of the most important ranking signals. Choosing a vague category means Google doesn't know what you actually do.
The Right Way:
Choose the MOST SPECIFIC category that describes your main service.
How to Fix:
- Go to Google Business Profile
- Click “Edit profile”
- Select primary category (most specific)
- Add secondary categories (up to 9 additional)
Don't add every category just because you can. Only add categories for services you actively provide and want to rank for.
Neglecting Review Responses
What It Looks Like:
You have 50 reviews. You've responded to 8 of them. 42 have no response.
Or worse: You only respond to negative reviews (to defend yourself) but ignore positive ones.
Why It's Wrong:
Active, engaged businesses rank higher
Customers see you care about feedback
Responses give you another chance to mention services
Active profiles get more clicks
Not responding says: “I don't care about my customers or my online presence.”
The Right Way:
Respond to EVERY review within 24 hours.
“Thank you so much for the kind words, Sarah! We loved working with you on your kitchen remodel and we're thrilled you're happy with the results. Enjoy your beautiful new space!”
“Thank you for your feedback, Mike. I'm glad we could complete your bathroom renovation, though I'm sorry we didn't fully meet your expectations on the timeline. I've taken your feedback to our team to improve. If there's anything else we can do, please call me directly at (253) 555-1234.”
“I'm very sorry to hear about your experience, Jennifer. This isn't the standard we hold ourselves to and I'd like to make things right. Please call me directly at (253) 555-1234 so we can discuss how to resolve this. I really appreciate your feedback and the chance to fix this.”
How to Fix:
- Set a daily calendar reminder: “Check Google reviews”
- Respond to any new reviews within 24 hours
- Go back and respond to old reviews (start with last 20)
- Create response templates (but personalize each one)
Sporadic or Nonexistent Posting
What It Looks Like:
Why It's Wrong:
Google favors active businesses. Sporadic posting signals that your business might not be operational or reliable.
Think about it: Would you hire a contractor whose last post was 8 months ago? It looks like they went out of business.
The Right Way:
Post consistently. 2-3 times per week minimum.
Better to post 2x per week every week than 20 posts one month then nothing for 6 months.
What to Post:
How to Fix:
- Block 2 hours one Sunday per month
- Create 8-12 posts at once
- Schedule them (2-3 per week)
- Take photo of project each day
- Write quick caption
- Post it
- VA or marketing person
- Give them access
- They post 2-3x per week
Use Google's post scheduling feature. Create posts in advance and schedule them to publish automatically.
The Cost of These Mistakes
Let's put numbers to it.
❌ If You're Making These Mistakes:
✅ After Fixing All 5:
Difference: $280,000/year
That's what these mistakes are costing you.
How to Audit Your Profile
Use This Checklist:
Your Score:
The 48-Hour Fix
You can fix most of these in 48 hours:
The Bottom Line
These mistakes are silent killers.
You don't know they're hurting you until you fix them and see your rankings jump.
The contractors dominating your market fixed these 5 things. That's often the only difference between #9 and #3.
Fix them this week.
Watch what happens to your rankings by next month. You'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.
Want Us to Fix All of This For You?
We'll audit your profile, fix all 5 mistakes, and optimize everything else. Most clients see ranking improvements within 30 days.