By the Third Eye Marketing team · Updated 14 October 2026 · 7 min read
The short answerClaim and verify your profile, choose the right primary category, keep name, address, phone and hours exact, add services or a menu, upload real photos, collect and answer reviews, and post regular updates. BrightLocal’s 2026 study found Google Business Profile was 28.6% of AI local citations and 45% for restaurants (US, UK and Australia, not Canada).
Why it matters
Your profile appears in Google Maps and Search, and assistants draw on it when they recommend local businesses. BrightLocal’s August 2026 study of AI local citations found Google Business Profile was cited for 94% of businesses and made up 28.6% of citations overall, rising to 45% for restaurants. It covered the US, UK and Australia, so treat it as directional for Canada.
Claim and verify
Search for your business, claim the profile and complete Google’s verification. Unverified or duplicate profiles are the first thing to fix. If someone else created one, request ownership rather than starting a second.
Get the basics exactly right
- Name: your real business name, as shown on your signage. No keyword stuffing.
- Primary category: the most specific accurate one. It has outsized influence.
- Address and service area: consistent with your website and listings.
- Phone and website: a number you answer and a page that matches the profile.
- Hours: including holiday hours, kept current.
Add depth
- Services or menu: list what you offer with short descriptions.
- Attributes: accessibility, payment types, dine-in or delivery.
- Description: what you do, who for and where, in plain language.
- Photos and video: real, current images of the space, team and work. Add new ones regularly.
- Booking or order links: remove steps between a search and a sale.
Reviews
Ask every customer and reply to every review. BrightLocal found 47% of consumers won’t use a business with fewer than 20 reviews and 74% only consider the last three months. Never offer incentives for reviews and never fake them.
Posts and updates
Use posts for offers, events and news. They show the profile is active and give customers fresh information.
Measure
Track profile views, calls, direction requests and website clicks monthly, and add tracking parameters to your website link so you can see profile traffic in analytics. Our AI visibility checklist shows what else to check.
Sources
- BrightLocal, AI directory sources study, 26 August 2026 (US, UK and Australia; 60,970 checks across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT; Canada was not covered).
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, published 11 February 2026 (1,002 US adults).
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