Most businesses in Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere, and Okotoks have a Google Business Profile — almost none of them are using it correctly. Here's the checklist we actually run through with every client before touching anything else, in the order it matters.
1. Your Business Name Matches Your Storefront Exactly
Not your business name plus a keyword. Not "Cochrane Plumbing Co - 24/7 Emergency Plumber." Google penalizes keyword-stuffed business names, and it's one of the fastest ways to get a profile suspended. Your name field should match your sign, your invoices, and your legal registration — nothing more.
2. Your Primary Category Is the Closest Real Match
"Plumber" beats "Contractor" if you're a plumber. This single field affects more of your visibility than almost anything else on the profile, and most businesses either pick something too broad or copy whatever their web designer guessed five years ago. Check it against your actual services, not what sounded impressive at setup.
3. Secondary Categories Are Filled, Not Empty
Google Business Profile lets you add up to nine additional categories. Most businesses use zero. If you're a general contractor who also does concrete work and excavation, each of those is a category — and each one is a door for someone searching that specific service to find you.
4. Your Service Area Is Set Correctly
If you serve Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere, and Okotoks but only set Cochrane as your service area, you're invisible to searches from the other three. If you have a physical storefront, this matters less — but for a service-area business (plumbers, contractors, cleaners, mobile services), this field is doing real work.
5. Hours Are Accurate — Including Holiday Hours
An outdated hours listing is one of the top reasons Google surfaces a "Is this still open?" prompt on your profile, which quietly tells searchers you might be unreliable before they even click through.
6. You Have at Least One Photo Uploaded in the Last 90 Days
Profiles with recent photos get more clicks than profiles with old or no photos — Google's own data supports this, and it's one of the easiest fixes on this list. Take five photos on your phone this week: your storefront, your team, your work, done.
7. You're Responding to Every Review — Good and Bad
Not a copy-pasted "Thank you for your feedback!" Google's algorithm reads response rate and response content as an engagement signal, and customers reading reviews before they call notice a business that actually engages versus one that doesn't. A thoughtful two-sentence reply to a bad review often does more for conversion than ten five-star reviews with no response.
8. You're Asking for Reviews Systematically, Not Randomly
If your reviews come in whenever a customer happens to feel like leaving one, you're leaving volume on the table. A simple text or email sent after every completed job, with a direct link to your review page, is the difference between 3 reviews a year and 3 reviews a month.
9. Your Q&A Section Isn't Sitting Empty With Fake Questions From Strangers
Anyone can post a question on your Google Business Profile — including competitors. Check this section. Answer real questions, and if there's nothing there yet, seed it yourself with the 3-4 questions customers actually ask before booking.
10. You're Posting Updates at Least Twice a Month
Google Posts (the update feed on your profile) is one of the most underused features on this entire platform. A quick post about a seasonal service, a completed job, or a promotion keeps your profile active — and an active profile is a signal Google weighs when deciding who shows up in the map pack.
11. Your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) Matches Everywhere Else Online
Your Google Business Profile, your website footer, your Facebook page, and any directory listing (Yelp, Better Business Bureau, industry-specific directories) need to show the exact same business name, address, and phone number. Inconsistency here is one of the most common — and most overlooked — reasons a profile underperforms in local search.
12. You've Actually Looked at Your Insights
Google Business Profile shows you what search terms brought people to your listing, how many people called, and how many asked for directions. Most business owners have never opened this tab. It's free data telling you exactly what's working — check it monthly, not never.
What This Actually Gets You
Businesses that work through this checklist properly typically see movement in the local map pack within 4-6 weeks — faster than almost anything else in local SEO, because Google Business Profile changes get crawled and reflected much quicker than website changes. It's also the highest-leverage thing a Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere, or Okotoks business can do before spending a dollar on ads, because a well-optimized profile makes every other marketing dollar work harder.
If You Don't Have Time to Do This Yourself
This is exactly what our Google Business Profile Optimization service handles — categories, posts, photos, review management, and NAP consistency, done and maintained, not a one-time setup that goes stale in three months.
See our Google Business Profile services, or if you're in Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere, or Okotoks specifically, check out what we do for your area: Cochrane · Airdrie · Chestermere · Okotoks
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Articles
How Much Does Local SEO Cost in Alberta?
Local SEO in Alberta typically costs between $900 and $2,500 per month — here's exactly what affects that price and what you get at each tier.
Read
Google Ads Cost in Canada
Google Ads cost in Canada averages $1.75 per click, but real budgets range widely by industry. See what small businesses actually pay in 2026.
ReadWant us to run through this checklist for your business and tell you exactly where you're losing visibility? Book a free 30-minute strategy call.