Google Business Profile · en español

Google Business Profile audit — find out what's actually wrong

By Alejandro Ojeda · The AO Audit · August 9, 2026

The short version: a claimed profile and a correct one are different things, and nobody tells you the gap between them. We check yours against Google's own ranking factors for $97. If you have no website at all, we build and claim the profile from nothing for $297. Every fix implemented and verified, or it's free. Start with the free scan first — it's the fastest way to see where you stand.

"Isn't having a listing enough?"

Our own free scan already asks one question about this: "Is your Google Business Profile claimed, 100% complete, and updated in the last 30 days?" It's a yes-or-no you answer about yourself. Nobody checks it. Per how we score things, a self-reported answer never counts toward your verified AO Score on its own — and that's exactly the gap this closes. We go check.

What we actually check

Not a generic checklist. Google names exactly three ranking factors for local results in its own documentation — no more, no fewer, whatever a "200 factors" listicle tells you:

FactorWhat it means
RelevanceDoes your profile match what the searcher typed, starting with your primary category
DistanceHow far you are from the searcher — not something you can move
ProminenceHow well-known you are: review volume, review recency, and links

Category correctness is the one owners get wrong most: local-ranking studies rate the right primary category as the single strongest positive factor, and the wrong one as the strongest negative. We check yours against what your actual competitors use, then check completeness across every profile field, photo count, whether your Q&A section has real answers instead of sitting empty, your description for whether an AI reading it could actually quote something specific, and whether a duplicate or unmanaged listing is competing with your real one.

If you have no website at all, this is your whole game

We've scanned 257 businesses across seven Napa Valley towns so far. 52 of them, 20%, have no website. For every one of those businesses, the Google Business Profile isn't one input among several — it's the entire machine-readable record of the business. There's nothing else for ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google's own AI Mode to read.

That's who the build tier is for: not a touch-up, a real build from nothing — claimed, categorized correctly, every service listed with real detail, a description a machine can actually quote, and photos and Q&A seeded in.

The two offers

GBP Verified Audit

You already have a profile

$97

One-time.

  • Checked against Google's 3 ranking factors
  • Category correctness vs. real competitors
  • Checked for a duplicate listing (CID lookup)
  • Photos, Q&A, and completeness reviewed
  • Written, ranked fix list — do it yourself
Get the audit

GBP Built For You

You have no website

$297

One-time · or it's free.

  • Profile claimed and submitted for verification
  • Confirmed no duplicate listing already exists
  • Category, services, and description written correctly
  • Photos and Q&A seeded
  • Before/after re-scan to prove it
Get it built

Already have a website? The Answer ($497) already includes this — see the full ladder.

Honest limit: we don't control which verification method Google assigns you, and neither does anyone else selling this. Our own profile verified instantly, no video — we still don't know for certain why. Nobody can guarantee that outcome, and anyone who does is selling weather. What we guarantee is that the submission itself is done correctly, and re-checked until it is.

FAQ

How much does a Google Business Profile audit cost?

$97, one-time. We check your live profile against Google's own documented ranking factors (relevance, distance, prominence), your category choice, completeness, photos, Q&A, and duplicate-listing risk, then hand you a ranked, written fix list. We find at least 3 concrete gaps or the audit is free.

How much does it cost to set up a Google Business Profile?

Creating a Google Business Profile yourself is free, directly through Google. Our done-for-you build, for businesses that want it handled correctly the first time, is $297 one-time: claiming, category selection, service listings, a factual description, photos, and Q&A, with every field implemented and verified or it's free.

Can you set up my Google Business Profile if I don't have a website?

Yes — this is exactly who the $297 build is for. In the seven towns we've scanned so far, 52 of 257 businesses examined had no website at all. For every one of them, the Google Business Profile is not one signal among many. It's the only thing a machine can read about the business, so getting it right matters more, not less.

Do you guarantee my Google Business Profile will verify instantly?

No, and we don't pretend to. Google assigns the verification method and we don't control which one you get — our own profile verified instantly with no video, and we still don't know for certain why. We guarantee the submission is done correctly. We don't guarantee which review path Google puts you through.

What's the difference between this and The Answer ($497)?

The Answer is the full package for a business that already has a website: schema installed, profiles claimed across Google, Bing, Apple and Yelp, FAQ and pricing published, all re-scanned to prove it. This offer is narrower on purpose — either a standalone audit of just the Google profile, or a full build for businesses that have no website for The Answer to fix in the first place. If you have a site, The Answer is the better value; it already includes this.

Do you check for duplicate Google Business listings?

Yes, both tiers. Google sometimes creates a second listing for a business on its own, after a move or a name change, which splits your reviews across two profiles you never asked for. We look up your profile's CID (its unique Google-assigned number) and check whether a duplicate exists. If it does, we tell you which listing to keep.