The GBP Signals Google Actually Cares About

Everyone tells you to "optimize your Google Business Profile." Few tell you what that actually means.

Here's what most businesses do: fill out the basics, upload a logo, ask for a few reviews, and wonder why they're stuck on page two while their competitor with a worse website owns the local pack.

The difference isn't effort. It's understanding what Google actually measures.

Primary Category Is Everything

Your primary category is the single most important ranking factor in local search. Get it wrong, and nothing else matters.

Google doesn't let you type in whatever you want. You choose from their predefined list — and the distinctions matter. "Plumber" and "Plumbing Service" are different categories with different ranking outcomes. "Pool Contractor" vs. "Swimming Pool Builder" vs. "Pool Service" will put you in front of different searches.

The move: Research what category your top-ranking competitors use. Test primary category changes (yes, you can change it). Track ranking shifts over 2-4 weeks. Most businesses set this once and never revisit it.

Secondary Categories Expand Your Surface Area

You get up to 9 additional categories. Most businesses use 2-3.

Each secondary category tells Google what else you're relevant for. A plumber should be using "Water Heater Installation Service," "Drain Cleaning Service," "Gas Line Installation Service" — not just "Plumber."

But there's a balance. Irrelevant categories dilute your signal. Don't add "General Contractor" if you don't do general contracting. Google's algorithm detects misalignment between your categories and your actual content, reviews, and website.

Attributes: The Signals Nobody Optimizes

Attributes are the checkboxes — "Veteran-owned," "Women-owned," "Offers online appointments," "Free estimates."

These aren't just badges. They're filterable search parameters. When someone searches "veteran-owned plumber near me," Google filters by that attribute. If you qualify and haven't checked the box, you're invisible to that query.

Go through every available attribute for your category. Check everything that's true. Update them when Google adds new options (they do, quietly, all the time).

Review Velocity Beats Review Volume

A business with 50 reviews that got 10 this month will often outrank a business with 200 reviews that got 2.

Google cares about recency and consistency. A steady stream of reviews signals an active, legitimate business. A spike followed by silence looks like a campaign, not organic customer feedback.

The pattern matters too. Getting 15 reviews in one day after months of nothing can trigger a filter. Getting 3-4 per week consistently builds authority.

And yes — responding to reviews matters. Not for the customer (though that helps). For the signal. Google tracks owner response rate and speed.

Photo Recency and Engagement

Most businesses upload photos at setup and never touch them again.

Google tracks:

• When photos were uploaded
• How many photos you have vs. competitors
• How often you add new ones
• Customer photo uploads (social proof they can't fake)
• Photo views and engagement

Upload new photos monthly. Job site photos. Team photos. Before/after shots. Seasonal updates. This signals an active business — and gives Google fresh content to index.

Posts: The Most Underutilized Feature

Google Posts are basically free local advertising that almost nobody uses consistently.

Weekly posts with offers, updates, or announcements keep your profile active. They don't directly impact ranking as much as other factors, but they do:

• Increase click-through rate from your listing
• Give you more real estate in the knowledge panel
• Signal activity to Google's freshness algorithms

The businesses posting weekly are building a compounding advantage over those who post quarterly (or never).

Q&A: Own the Conversation

The Q&A section is user-generated — anyone can ask, anyone can answer. Most businesses ignore it entirely.

That's a mistake. Unanswered questions look bad. Wrong answers from random users look worse.

The play: Seed your own Q&A. Ask the questions your customers actually ask (hours, pricing, service areas, etc.) and answer them yourself. This gives you control over the narrative and adds keyword-rich content to your listing.

Behavioral Signals: What Users Do After They Find You

Google watches what happens after someone sees your listing:

• Click-through rate to your website
• Direction requests
• Phone calls initiated from the listing
• Time spent on your listing vs. bouncing to competitors

You can't fake these. But you can improve them. Better photos increase clicks. Accurate hours reduce bounces. A complete profile with clear services keeps people on your listing longer.

The Actual Playbook

1. Audit your primary category against top competitors
2. Max out secondary categories (only relevant ones)
3. Check every applicable attribute
4. Build a system for consistent review requests (3-4/week)
5. Respond to every review within 24 hours
6. Upload new photos monthly
7. Post weekly (offers, updates, anything)
8. Seed and monitor your Q&A section
9. Track profile views, searches, and actions monthly

This isn't complicated. It's just consistent. The businesses winning local search aren't doing secret tactics — they're doing the basics at a level of consistency their competitors won't match.

Active Digital Marketing is a Las Vegas-based agency specializing in local SEO, performance marketing, and web development for businesses ready to dominate their market.

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