--- title: "Google Business Profile audit · Kévin Papot" url: https://kevinpapot.fr/en/audit-fiche-google author: Kévin Papot, SEO and GEO consultant language: en updated: 2026-10-15 --- > SEO and GEO consultant for more than fifteen years. I only recommend what I've made work on my own websites, on Google and in AI answers. [Home](https://kevinpapot.fr/en/) / [Audits](https://kevinpapot.fr/en/audit-seo) / Google Business Profile audit # Your Google Business Profile, under the microscope. For a shop or a tradesperson, the Google Business Profile often brings in more calls than the website. I co-wrote two books on the subject. The audit tells you what you're missing to get into the top three. [Book a call](#contact)[See my method](https://kevinpapot.fr/en/methode) 1. Rattle your competitors. 2. Overtake them. 3. Protect you from their attacks. **15 years** in SEO **4 books** on SEO and GEO **200+ sites** tracked every day **1M / month** visits to my e-commerce site They trusted me with their visibility DartyEurofinsCegidEBPCNP AssurancesIngram Micro ## What is a Google Business Profile audit? A Google Business Profile audit reviews everything Google uses to decide whether to show your business on the map: categories, information, reviews, photos, activity. It compares your profile with the ones that appear ahead of you. The problem ## The three most common flaws. Symptom 1 ### The wrong category It's Google's first criterion, and it's often picked at random on the day the profile is created. Symptom 2 ### Reviews with no strategy No rhythm, no replies, no useful words in them. The competitor across the road turns them into a tool. Symptom 3 ### A neglected profile No posts, wrong opening hours on bank holidays, photos uploaded by strangers. Your competitors all look alike. Good. **Fig. 1.** Your market, as Google sees it. (You're the purple one. Or you could be.) The answer ## What the audit covers. You get a list of fixes you can apply yourself, in order. 1. **The profile.** Categories, services, attributes, description, links: every field is checked. 2. **Reputation.** Volume, freshness and content of reviews, compared with your competitors'. 3. **Rankings.** Where you appear on the map depending on where people search from. 4. **The website.** What your site needs to say to back up the profile. In detail ## What I check on your Google Business Profile. ### Categories The primary and secondary ones, compared with those of the businesses that show up for your searches. ### Practical information Name, address, phone, hours, service area: I check they're accurate and identical elsewhere on the web. ### Services and products What you've declared, what's missing, and the words your customers use to search for it. ### Reviews How many, how recent, what they say, and how you reply to them. ### Photos and posts What a customer sees when they open the profile: recent or old images, news or silence. ### Duplicates and access rights Duplicate profiles, former owners, access nobody can find any more. Making the choice ## Profile left as is, filled in once, or audited then maintained? | | Profile audited then maintained | Profile filled in once | Profile left as is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Information | Checked and kept up to date | Accurate on the day it was entered | Sometimes edited by strangers | | Categories | Chosen after comparing with competitors | Chosen at creation | Whatever Google guessed | | Reviews | Requested regularly, with replies | Received at random | Unanswered | | Photos | Refreshed by you | The ones from day one | The ones from visitors | | What the customer sees | An active business | A decent but static business | Doubt about whether it's open | A maintained profile doesn't guarantee a spot on the map: the distance between the customer and you counts too, and there's nothing you can do about it. What it does do is stop you losing calls over wrong information. ### It's for you if… - You welcome customers on site or travel to them - Your competitors appear on the map and you rarely do - You created the profile long ago and haven't touched it since - You're ready to spend a few minutes a week on the profile ### It's not for you if… - You only sell online, with no address or service area - You want to buy reviews - You want to appear in a town where you have no premises - You want to hand over the profile without ever sharing information about your business In pictures ## What well-run SEO looks like. **On stage.** SEO explained to business owners, without jargon. **A Google Business Profile.** 557 interactions between April and September 2026, up every month. **ChatGPT.** “Very present on GEO, EEAT and conversational search topics.” **Four books.** What I recommend is published, dated and signed. In practice ## What you get. - A list of fixes to apply, in order - A comparison with your top three competitors - A map of your rankings by neighbourhood - A template for review requests and replies - A debrief by video call Pricing ## How much should you budget for a Google Business Profile audit? This audit can be priced in one call. The amount varies with four points. - The number of locations - The number of competitors compared - The size of the area over which to measure your rankings - Additional problems to fix: duplicate, lost access, suspension [Request a quote](#contact) Who you're talking to ## Your SEO consultant: a business owner, not just an SEO. My name is Kévin Papot. More than fifteen years in the job, four co-written books, and the Newp agency, co-founded in Charente. I also run my own online shops, in France and internationally: one of them went from zero to a million visits a month. **Before we talk tags, we talk margin, average basket and profitability.** When you book a call, I'm the one who picks up. [Read my story](https://kevinpapot.fr/en/kevin)[See my method](https://kevinpapot.fr/en/methode) FAQ ## Google Business Profile audit: frequently asked questions. I have several profiles. Is that possible? Yes. We audit a sample, build a template from it, then apply it to the whole network. My profile has been suspended. Can you help? Yes, it's a common case. We identify the likely cause before requesting reinstatement. Who works on my account? The strategy is me, and I'm the one who answers you. For production (content, development, links), I rely on the team at Newp, the agency I co-founded. Do I need to give you access to my profile? Manager access lets me see the settings and statistics. You remain the owner, and you can remove that access after the audit. I no longer have my profile's login details. What should I do? Google has a procedure for recovering ownership of a profile. I tell you the steps and the supporting documents to prepare. The timeframe depends on Google. Can you get a negative review removed? Only if it breaks Google's rules, and the decision is Google's. For the others, I help you write a calm reply that's useful to future readers. Do you apply the fixes yourself? If you'd like, yes. Many business owners prefer to do them themselves with the list, as most take a few minutes. Does the profile affect AI answers? AIs that rely on local data can read your information and your reviews. An accurate profile gives them consistent material. I can't tell you what they'll do with it. Do you have particular experience in this area? I co-wrote books dedicated to Google Business Profile, after fifteen years in SEO. I handle this for shops, tradespeople and multi-site businesses. --- Source: https://kevinpapot.fr/en/audit-fiche-google · Kévin Papot, SEO and GEO consultant, Charente (France).