8 Google Business Profile mistakes that are killing your local SEO (and how to fix them)

Your Google Business Profile is the backbone of local SEO. It puts your business on Google Maps, pulls you into local search results, and drives real revenue through calls, clicks, and visits.

But even the best-looking profile can miss the mark. Select the wrong category, create duplicate listings, or neglect buried backend details, and you risk losing rankings—and revenue.

And, given the rise of the AI search era, it’s imperative to enhance every aspect of your local marketing strategy to ensure you remain visible.

This post walks through the most common Google Business Profile issues and gives you clear fixes that improve visibility, strengthen your SEO strategy, and keep your brand’s listings front and center on Google Search.

The silent killers of local rankings

Optimizing your Google Business Profile isn’t just about adding local keywords or gathering customer reviews. While content and reputation signals are important, they’re only part of the equation.

With AI-generated results gaining traction in Google Search, your GBP accuracy and landing page clarity matter more than ever. Misinformation, missing data, or misaligned schema can lead to exclusion from key answer boxes or AI summaries.

Technical SEO is often the most overlooked part of local optimization. These backend issues quietly undermine your visibility without warning. They may not be visible to customers, and you won’t get a warning from Google. You’ll just see fewer views, fewer clicks, and a slow slide down the rankings.

A few examples include:

• Broken or misdirected URLs
• Slow or non-mobile-friendly landing pages
• Inconsistent NAP details across business listings
• Tracking issues that block visibility in Google Search Console
• Missing structured data
• Keyword stuffing in business descriptions

These problems hurt user experience and send mixed signals to Google. They can knock you out of the local pack, even if everything else looks fine.

Unlike reviews or photos, you can’t fix these in five minutes. But the effort is worthwhile. Once remedied, they have a measurable impact on local search performance and your bottom line.

Let’s take a deeper look at the most common mistakes and what you can do about them.

Common mistake #1: Broken links (404s, 403s, server errors)

Your Google Business Profile lets you add a website link; however, this simple detail can have a big impact if that link leads to a broken page. It sends the wrong message fast.

We’re talking about 404 errors, 403 permissions issues, or links that lead to dead-end server errors. These aren’t just technical hiccups. They’re red flags for both users and the search engine.

People click expecting answers. Instead, they will hit a wall. That hurts trust and kills momentum. For Google, it signals sloppy site maintenance, and that’s one of the most avoidable SEO mistakes in local SEO.

How to fix it:

• Run regular audits
• Fix broken pages or set up proper 301 redirects
• Make sure the link doesn’t lead to a page behind a login or restricted access (403s)

Clean links improve user experience and help reinforce credibility with search engines. They also protect the value of any local backlinks pointing to your site, ensuring you don’t waste ranking power from hard-earned authority.

A working link might seem basic. But when it’s broken, everything else on your profile starts to look questionable.

Common mistake #2: Improper or excessive redirects (302s, redirect chains)

Your Google Business Profile link should go straight to your landing page. No detours. No redirect loops. Just a direct connection that loads quickly and clearly tells Google and your customers: here’s what you’re looking for.

But too often, that’s not what happens. Redirect chains, especially 302s or URLs with multiple tracking hops, create friction. The more steps between Google and your content, the more likely your local SEO efforts will stall.

Improper redirects confuse the search engine, slow down site crawling, and strip away valuable ranking signals. It’s one of those local SEO mistakes that’s easy to miss but costly over time.

How to fix it:

• Link directly to the final landing page
• Skip unnecessary tracking parameters or affiliate redirects
• Use 301 redirects only when needed, and test for loops or chains that drag down performance

A clean, direct link strengthens your local content, helps protect local rankings, and keeps site traffic flowing efficiently. It also makes your profile more trustworthy both to bots and to people.

Redirects should support your content strategy, not sabotage it. Keep them simple. Keep them clean.

Common mistake #3: Not tracking your Google Business Profile links

If you’re not tagging your GBP URLs, you’re flying blind. The absence of UTM parameters means you can’t see how much traffic your profile is driving, nor how it’s performing in Google Maps and local search.

This kind of visibility isn’t optional. It’s foundational to your SEO strategy.

Without tracking, there’s no way to tell which locations are converting, which updates move the needle, or how users move from your profile to your site. It’s one of the easiest SEO mistakes to fix, and one of the most important.

How to fix it:

• Add UTM codes to your GBP website links
  Example: ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=gbp
• Use consistent naming across all locations
• Set up filtered views in Google Analytics to segment local traffic

When you can see what works, you can double down. You’ll know which pages support your local search presence and where to fine-tune your SEO strategy. That means smarter decisions, stronger performance, and fewer surprises in search engine rankings.

Common mistake #4: Mismatched or inconsistent business info (NAP)

Your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) needs to match everywhere. One wrong digit, a slightly different street name, or outdated info in a directory can confuse both users and search engines.

This mismatch weakens your local trust signals and chips away at your authority in local listings. People rely on accurate details to visit, call, or navigate to your location. So does Google. If the NAP on your GBP doesn’t match what’s on your site, in the Attributes section, or in third-party directories, expect lower visibility near local landmarks and across the map.

How to fix it:

• Run a full audit of your NAP across all locations and major platforms
• Sync GBP data with your site’s schema markup and structured content
• Use a citation management tool to keep info current and consistent

You can also reinforce accuracy with supporting signals, using region-specific blog posts and making Google Posts that reference local landmarks to tie your business to a specific place. Keep an eye on your Q&A section, too. Outdated answers can send the wrong message just as easily as a wrong phone number.

Common mistake #5: Linking to a non-optimized landing page

Your GBPshouldn’t send users on a scavenger hunt. If the link goes to a generic homepage (or worse, a thin, outdated page) you’re wasting the click.

Each of your brand’s local landing pages needs to work hard. It should speak directly to the location, the service area, and the intent behind the search. If it doesn’t, you’ll miss out on both conversions and visibility in local search results.

A well-optimized page reinforces your relevance, improves rankings, and builds trust in seconds. A weak one tells Google and prospective customers you’re not serious, and that’s entirely the wrong message.

How to fix it:

• Link directly to a location-specific landing page
• Use local keywords, customer reviews, images, and clear business information
• Include contact details, service descriptions, and mention the city or neighborhood
• Write a strong, relevant meta description
• Prioritize mobile optimization, fast load speed, and responsive design
• Use structured data markup to help search engines understand the content
• Optimize for voice search; people ask for services the way they speak, not the way we write

This is where content creation meets technical precision. When your landing pages reflect your local presence and deliver a clear message fast, they convert better, and rank better.

Common mistake #6: Wrong or missing GBP categories

Choosing the right business categories in your GBP is one of the strongest signals Google uses to understand local relevance.

If your primary category is too broad, too vague, or just plain wrong, you’re likely missing your target audience altogether. And if your competitors are using more accurate or complete categories, they’ll outrank you no matter how strong your business listings or content may be.

This directly impacts your keyword rankings and visibility in local search. You can have all the right info, but if your categories are off, you’re pointing Google in the wrong direction.

How to fix it:

• Research which business categories your top competitors are using
• Choose a precise, accurate primary category as this one carries the most weight
• Add secondary categories that support your services, unless you’re in a restricted vertical like healthcare

Your categories are the backbone of your profile. Get them right, and you’ll show up for the searches that matter. Get them wrong, and you’ll disappear from view and miss out on category-specific attributes, even if everything else is buttoned up.

Common mistake #7: Ignoring structured data

Structured data helps Google understand what your page is about. Without it, your landing page lacks key signals that support local relevance.

If the page linked from your GBP doesn’t include schema markup—like LocalBusiness or Organization—Google may miss critical details: your NAP, service areas, or business type. That can limit your visibility in local search and rich results.

How to fix it:

• Add LocalBusiness or Organization schema to your GBP-linked landing page
• Include consistent NAP, geo coordinates, business type, and services
• Match the schema to your GBP exactly
• Test implementation using Google’s Rich Results Test

Structured data doesn’t boost rankings directly. But it gives Google clearer context, improves indexing accuracy, and supports stronger performance in local search.

Common mistake #8: Underusing Google Business Profile features

Your GBP isn’t set-and-forget. It’s a living listing, and Google favors the businesses that treat it that way.

Too many brands skip key features that signal activity and relevance:

• Not regularly updating your GBP
• Leaving customer questions unanswered in the Q&A section
• Incomplete business hours, especially during holidays
• Not responding to reviews or worse, answered without relevant keywords

These aren’t just missed opportunities. They’re engagement signals that feed Google’s local ranking algorithm. The more complete and active your profile, the more likely you are to earn trust and visibility.

How to fix it:

• Post updates consistently with new offers, events, or product highlights
• Seed your Q&A with real FAQs customers are asking
• Respond to all reviews using natural, keyword-relevant language
• Keep hours accurate, especially during seasonal changes and holidays

An active profile tells Google you’re paying attention, and that earns better placement. Small, regular updates go a long way in staying visible and building local trust.

How to audit your brand’s GBP technical health

For enterprise brands, the challenge isn’t knowing what to fix but keeping it consistent across hundreds or even thousands of locations. Broken links. Mismatched NAPs. Missed updates. These issues don’t just pop up, they multiply.

A simple, repeatable audit process is essential.

Enterprise-ready GBP technical health checklist:

• Scan for broken links, redirect chains, or blocked URLs across all listings
• Add or validate UTM tracking to accurately segment traffic
• Ensure NAP consistency across websites, directories, and local listings
• Audit linked landing pages for load speed, mobile optimization, and local content
• Review business categories, hours, and active use of profile features
• Validate structured data using Google’s Rich Results Test
• Monitor GBP Insights and connect attribution data in Google Analytics

Managing local SEO at scale means locking down the details, then automating what you can and auditing the rest.

A clean GBP is a high-performing GBP

Managing local SEO across hundreds or thousands of locations means details slip. Pages break. Categories drift. Profiles get stale. This isn’t just about technical SEO. It’s about keeping every listing accurate, active, and aligned, so customers can find you and search engines can trust you.

Most of the fixes we’ve covered here are straightforward. They don’t take long, but they make a real difference when rolled out across your network. The key is getting it done at scale, and staying on top of new opportunities and potential issues as they arise.

Need help wrangling that complexity? Reach out to Rio SEO for a free, enterprise-grade audit of your Google Business Profiles and local SEO performance.